Need help investigating stimulus or lenders? Check these training videos

We’ve posted two training videos that may be helpful if you’re investigating the stimulus or tracking mortgage lenders. They are graciously provided to us by Investigative Reporters and Editors from sessions at its Computer Assisted Reporting (CAR) Conference in Phoenix in March.

In the video on the federal economic stimulus, reporters Tom Grabell of ProPublica.org and Ben Poston of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tell you how to track stimulus dollars into your community and offer examples of stimulus stories that have been done and could be replicated in other areas.  | VIDEO and presentation: Michael Grabell and Ben Poston on Covering the Sluggish Recovery. [Presentation starts on Slide 4.]

In the video on mortgage lenders, David Donald, data editor for the nonprofit Center for Public Integrity, talks about how to use federal mortgage data to track subprime lenders. | VIDEO and presentation: David Donald on Probing Banks and Mortgage Lenders. [Donald's presentation begins at Slide 11. Before that, Maurice Tamman of The Wall Street Journal presents on the same subject, starting about 54 seconds in.]

One cool thing about both these videos is that they incorporate the presenters’ PowerPoint. In fact, the PowerPoint can be used to navigate the video. Pick a slide at any point in the presentation, and the video will jump to that point.

If you’d like more stimulus training, please check out the Reynolds Center’s free, daylong workshop in Washington on Oct. 27: “What’s Next for the Economy in Your Town.” Jennifer LaFleur, CAR director for ProPublica.org, and Matt Apuzzo, investigative reporter for The Associated Press, will teach you how to access stimulus data and what five stimulus stories you should be doing now. Reporter Russ Choma of American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop will do the same thing for the green stimulus.

In addition, Gus Faucher, director of macroeconomics for Moody’s Economy.com, will provide an overview of where the national economy is headed and how to track what’s happening locally. Ezra Klein of The Washington Post’s Wonkbook will offer the view from Washington on the economy.

SIGN UP for this free training: What’s Next for the Economy in Your Town: Washington, Oct. 27.