2012 March

Analysing the NHS organ donor register

Data journalism is all about pure facts and figures but you need a vested emotional interest in the information in order to bring it alive. For various reasons, the donor register is something I’ve been curious about for a while. … Continue reading

VIDEO: Adrian Goldberg on how running a website helped uncover police surveillance of muslim areas

The Stirrer was an independent news website in Birmingham that investigated a number of local issues in collaboration with local people. One investigation in particular – into the employment of CCTV cameras in largely muslim areas of the ci…

VIDEO: Working with sources – and what to do if they won’t appear on film (Adrian Goldberg)

As part of a series of interviews for Help Me Investigate, Adrian Goldberg of 5 Live Investigates and Radio WM talks about how to work with sources and the options available when they’re not prepared to talk on-camera or on radio….

The leaked draft NHS reforms risk register

Health Bill Transition Risk Register NC 15 Oct 10 Dept Bd Version v1 A draft version of the risk register that was prepared – but not released – as part of the Health and Social Care Bill has been leaked … Continue reading

The new health system visualised by the BBC

Here’s a useful ‘before and after’ illustration of the structure of the NHS now, and as it will look (as of April 2013) after the changes implemented by the Government. It helpfully illustrates the flow of money and accountability in … Continue reading

VIDEO: Adrian Goldberg on leads in 5 Live Investigate’s investigation into dodgy lease agreements

As part of a series of interviews for Help Me Investigate, Adrian Goldberg of 5 Live Investigates talks about an investigation into misleading leasing agreements that had left many schools with large debts and only overpriced, unservic…

Why doesn’t the DWP collect data on the accuracy of decision making?

The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is the test through which the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) determines entitlement to Employment & Support Allowance (ESA). It was introduced in 2008 and has been the source of considerable controversy since. DWP outsourced the expertise it thought it needed to perform WCAs from a private company, Atos […]

Why America’s Education Isn’t Worth the Money (INFOGRAPHIC)

TweetThe United States of America spends more money on education than any other nation in the world. Yet one out of four high school students still don’t graduate and 7,000 high schoolers drop out every day. In fact, the U.S. … Continue reading

Jobseekers’ complaints – how they should be handled by A4e, G4S and Ingeus {UPDATED}

Following the previous post on one A4e experience, Chris White points to a number of links on how complaints should be handled by various ‘workfare’ contractors. These are good starting points if you’re looking at what contractors actually do. A4e complaints policy (PDF) and online at http://www.mya4e.com/make-a-complaint/ Ingeus complaints page G4S And here’s his advice: “If you feel […]

How to investigate Wikipedia edits

By Ian Silvera (www.iansilvera.co.uk, @ianjsilvera)
First, click on the ‘view history’ tab at the top right of the Wikipedia entry you are interested in. You should then be directed to a page that lists all the edits …