Higher education funding in the US: A broad overview
We explain higher education funding to help journalists cover the impacts of changes President Trump has made and plans to make to the U.S. Department of Education.
Politics & Government
Research roundups, tip sheets, articles and explainers related to the topic of politics, elections, and local and national governments
Expert Commentary
287(g): The program that lets state and local police perform the functions of federal immigration officers
“In the span of about two months, the Trump administration radically expanded the 287(g) program beyond anything I have seen in the past 15 years of close study of this precise policy,” writes immigration scholar Austin Kocher.
Expert Commentary
Medicaid: A guide to understanding and covering potential cuts to the program
To help finance trillions of dollars in tax cuts, Congressional Republicans are looking to cut hundreds of billions of dollars in spending, which could impact Medicaid. We provide background, resources and research on the policies under consideration.
Expert Commentary
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.
Expert Commentary
ICE’s recent detention data: What journalists need to understand
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detained population flatlined in April, but there’s more to the numbers than meets the eye. It’s time to level up our understanding of detention data.
Expert Commentary
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.
Expert Commentary
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.
Expert Commentary
How they did it: San Francisco Chronicle reporters uncover national spate of deadly police chases
San Francisco Chronicle investigative reporters Jennifer Gollan and Susie Neilson share tips for building a national database from scratch, interviewing trauma survivors, negotiating with public records officials and more.
Expert Commentary
How he did it: New York Times reporter exposes devastating impact of chronic low-level head trauma in the military
Dave Philipps of The New York Times shares how he reported his stories despite extremely limited access to military officials and personnel. We have summarized his advice in nine tips.
Expert Commentary
How they did it: Reporters in UC Berkeley journalism program expose system California police used to hide officer misconduct
The series, a collaboration with the San Francisco Chronicle, shows how hundreds of officers used clean-record agreements to conceal their past.
Expert Commentary