Municipal

We have updated this post, originally published on June 5, 2018, to include new figures, research and other information.

Health warning labels that use strong causal language deter consumers more than labels with weaker language, a new study in the American Journal of Public Health finds.

Massachusetts charter schools that give their donors a seat on their governing boards raise more money, take on less debt and have greater enrollment growth than those that don’t, recent research finds.

When journalists covering elections focus primarily on who’s winning or losing — instead of on policy issues — voters, candidates and the news industry itself suffer, a growing body of research has found.

In June, New York became the fifth state to require its schoolchildren to be vaccinated despite their parents’ religious beliefs or philosophical objections.

Lagging home values and high foreclosure rates among Hispanics, one of the nation’s largest voting blocs, helped Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election in Florida, a new study finds.

After covering a major tragedy such as a mass shooting, it’s helpful for editors and reporters to review their work. What did they do well? What were their shortcomings and oversights? How did their coverage impact audiences, communities and victims’ families? And just as important: How can the newsroom do a better job next time?

Unfortunately, in the case of mass shootings, some news outlets might have to deal with a next time.

There’s a phenomenon economists call “agglomeration economies,” where a collection of companies become more efficient by being close to one another. The idea holds for people, too. When people cluster in dense places like cities, they share insights and resources. Strong social connections make for good economics.

Education reporters nationwide are looking for fresh ways to tell their annual back-to-school stories. Because I covered education for the Orlando Sentinel and other news outlets for more than 15 years before joining Journalist’s Resource, I remember the struggle. Consider this post a journalism gift of sorts: Three great back-to-school story ideas with the matching research to get you started.

As the U.S. prepares for the 2020 census, news outlets nationwide will be working to help the public understand the importance and impact of the once-every-10-years population count.

To help journalists bolster their coverage, we reached out to two experts — a research professor at George Washington University and a former director of the U.S. Census Bureau — to ask them to point out weaknesses in and ways newsrooms can improve their census coverage. They offered great feedback.