Source via Voice

The next Source community call will be September 20 at 9am PT/12pm ET and will be excellent. It’s like a podcast but with phones. Learn more about our regular calls and subscribe to the calendar. We’re excited to catch up with you in just a few weeks.

What You’ve Been Making

A roundup of journalism and code projects from the last few weeks, with an extra spotlight on pieces that involved internally created databases.

The Hillsborough School District found lead in its water. It didn’t tell parents for a year.

(Tampa Bay Times, Aug 9, 2018)
Reporters built a database of nearly 1,800 test results and reviewed hundreds of pages of internal docs.

The Incredible, Rage-Inducing Inside Story of America’s Student Debt Machine.

(Mother Jones, Sept 2018)
A deep look at the troubled Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, with a cold-sweat-inducing student loan calculator.

At Buffalo’s public housing agency, $36 worth of rock salt costs $53

(Buffalo News, Aug 19, 2018)
Holding officials accountable for huge expenses pulled from public funds. In response to reporters’ inquiries, officials are already promising changes.

Horrific deaths, brutal treatment: Mental illness in America’s jails

(Virginian-Pilot, Aug 27, 2018)
This investigation compiled a database from lots of sources, tracking jail deaths of people with mental illness.

A nonprofit got special loans and tax breaks for low-income housing. Dealmakers collected millions in fees. And buildings deteriorated.

(Chicago Tribune, Aug 16, 2018)
With audio and a 3-D rendering of the building, explore how a nonprofit’s failure is impacting vulnerable people’s lives.

We Were So Glad We Read These

The similarity of summer songs, charted by Sahil Chinoy. The fertility benefits offered in the journalism industry, by Rachel Schallom. A nine-part collaboration between the Texas Observer and Quartz that explores the complexities of water and borders in a warming world. A fascinating database of collaborative journalism projects. A detailed breakdown of the pay gaps across major U.S. newsrooms from Elaine Chen, Cecilia Lei, Annie Ma, and Jonathan Ng. A thorough explainer on women’s pockets and their many insufficiencies.

P.S.—This Roundup Also Comes in Email Flavor

This roundup comes right to your inbox when you sign up for our biweekly Source projects newsletter.

• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook