Article Summary - Non-profit

This article talks about the importance of journalists covering non-profits and now to do it properly. There are four main reasons for covering a non-profit, which are money, impact, influence and social contract. Campbell, the article writer, said that Guidestar is a strong reference point to ruse for your research. He also said many issues with non-profits can be found with those making below $25,000 which makes them exempt from filing a 990.

In “Connect the dots” by Robert Anglen showed how you use social media and other methods to see which charities interact with each other. As an example, Anglen showed how 22 charities were tied to the televised ministry, Don Stewart Association. The organization had received more than $29 million over 3 years and a lot of the of it was funneled through other charities to pay the salaries and other expenses.  Anglen used this information to come up with several story ideas.  He wondered are charities allowed to do business without disclosing the relationship to donors? He also found that the IRS only audits 1% of all charities. Anglen’s focus on this helped lead several authorities launch investigations into charities.

“Solid Foundation” by Lew Kamb showed some other ways a journalist can use 990 forms. He used an example of the Boy Scouts of America and a housing complex. Kamb was able to research and uncover stories without the help of any source.  

Finally, in the last article, Tisha Thompson showed a inquisitive side to journalism by investigating “planet Aid” boxes around her neighborhood. She used 990 forms to uncover the charity was connected to a very shady organization called Tvind from Denmark. Once again, she had no human sources and only used a 990 to find this information.