State debt: How and why US states borrow money
Learn the types of public projects that states fund by issuing debt, how states take on debt and why journalists should cover state debt — plus, explore a state-by-state debt database.
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Covering staffing or dangerous heat in prisons? Here are 4 things to know
The Journalist’s Resource and The Marshall Project recently hosted a webinar on staffing shortages and extreme heat in prisons. Here are 4 takeaways that can inform your coverage — plus, watch the full webinar recording.
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How and why the Bureau of Labor Statistics revises US job numbers
We explain why it’s not unusual for preliminary and final employment estimates to differ, sometimes substantially. Plus, two charts showing the history of these data revisions.
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What U.S. audiences want newsrooms to disclose about their AI use: 4 insights from Trusting News
News audiences want to know when journalists use artificial intelligence. Here’s how news organizations can disclose their use of AI, with tips from Trusting News.
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The national debt: How and why the US government borrows money
The US government is paying $1 trillion a year in interest on its debt. With interest costs outpacing national defense spending, this piece will help journalists understand the public debt and explain it to audiences.
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As Congress considers cuts to SNAP, we address 8 questions about this US federal nutrition program
Here’s important background info and research to bolster news coverage of potential reductions in federal spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
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A journalist’s guide to the climate risk data market
Over the past decade, there’s been a proliferation of private firms offering highly detailed climate risk assessments for sale. Here’s what journalists need to know about this burgeoning market — plus, six big questions they should ask.
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Story ideas from the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book: April 2025
Our semi-regular rundown of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book is full of story ideas for reporters across beats. The April edition spotlights key economic trends by region, including a New Jersey salon struggling to find qualified hires, and declining tourism from Canada and Mexico across the U.S.
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Unlocked: How the federal government historically has hired and fired workers
We break down the types of employees who work for the U.S. government along with laws and regulations that define how federal workers have, until recently, typically been hired and fired.
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How they did it: Wall Street Journal reporters identify $50 billion in Medicare payments made to insurers for diagnoses doctors never treated
Reporters reveal how they accessed a huge tranche of Medicare data and offer tips on notetaking for data analysis, using AI for coding and exercising persistence when seeking sources.
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