Category Archives: Databases

Sep 19

Find Out What Medical Terms Mean

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Barbara Fought

If an AP story, a medical article or a medical staffer  uses a term you don’t understand, here’s a great site, Health Information,  to bookmark for all medical terms. The source is good — the National Institutes for Health. This site … Read More →

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Sep 05

Help for finding federal statistics

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Barbara Fought

I spent 30 minutes on a federal agency website recently, looking for what I thought should be simple information. I finally had to call the public relations staff to get an analyst to help me. So here is a good … Read More →

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Aug 13

Use MedLinePlus for Research on Mental Health Issues

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Barbara Fought

With the attention paid to mental health issues recently —  thes shootings at the Sikh templeand Colorado movie theater, as well as the guilty plea of the Arizona shooter — I checked out what I had in my list of … Read More →

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Aug 09

Tips for Crime and Safety Stories

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Barbara Fought

I’ve been updating a list of best websites in each beat for student journalists at The Newhouse School and found a gem for those of you who cover crime. And most general assignment reporters do! The Criminal Justice Journalists publish a … Read More →

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Jul 31

Minnesota Association publishes quick ways to find helpful crime and safety information

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Barbara Fought

Sometimes I stumble on amazing websites. If you cover crime and safety or do investigative work, I just found a great directory of resources. Check out this long list of helpful websites, Investigator’s Links, from the Minnesota Coroners’ & Medical … Read More →

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Jul 24

Find the Inside Scoop on a Business

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Barbara Fought

Suppose a corporation announces it is locating in your area. Or a big company in your region is in the news.  You need some background on the business. If it’s a publicly-traded company (stock is traded) then it has to … Read More →

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Jul 20

Search for Grants to Local Arts Groups

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Barbara Fought

The symphony in the city where I live went bankrupt last year.  The tough economy has meant many arts groups are scrambling for money.  Ever wonder what types of government grants the arts groups in your area are getting? Here’s … Read More →

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Jun 27

Find Public Records for Free

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Barbara Fought

Before you pay for public records online, be sure to check out the option that some of what you want may be available for free. I  wish that all states put records on free in an easy-to-find way, but that’s … Read More →

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May 29

Find Environmental Problems in Your Area

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Barbara Fought

I live near the very beautiful, but polluted Onondaga Lake. That I knew, but I found out many other environmental concerns in my area by using mapping data on NEPAssist, from the Environmental Protection Agency. The always-helpful Society of Environmental … Read More →

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May 19

How to Find Crime Data

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Barbara Fought

All law enforcement agencies have to report certain crime statistics to the FBI which publishes them through the Bureau of Justice Statistics.  These Uniform Crime Reports, or UCRs, include the following crimes: murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated … Read More →

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