Name: Anna Butler - Data Consumer Location: Denver, CO Age: 34 Occupation: Freelance Writer
An investigator and award winning blogger, Anna worked for 8 years at the Washington Post, but now freelances. She has been recognized by Matt Drudge, RT News, and others.
Anna studied at NYU and enjoys skiing, biking, and craft beers.
Bio - THE JOURNALIST
"Watchdog journalism is a state of mind for the whole newspaper: Journalism that gives power to people."
• Uncovers waste, fraud, or misuse in Federal spending • Pursues information related to recipients or Federal programs with attention to use of funding consistent with intended purpose, waste, data discrepancies, geographical distribution, etc. • Seeks answers based on a hunch or specific question; often topical and timely.
• Not enough detail on spending descriptions or financial recipients to conduct investigations. In some instances, data does not go back far enough to tell the whole story • Stories are fragmented because of how child companies are split across records; difficult to get the big picture • Lack of transparency in primary sources of data displayed on USASpending
• Transparency is paramount • Cares about serving the American public • Skeptical: will cross-reference with other systems that also document Federal spending • Will use other legal means to seek information (subpoenas, FOIA request, etc.)
• Link to primary sources or surface them easier (clear, traceable path back to data source for reconciliation) • Provide more detailed records of spending • Provide robust search and filter capabilities. Save searches • Make the financial reporting systems easier to understand • http://www.poynter.org/2005/slapping-a-headline-on-watchdog-journalism/67427/
Technological - 3/5 Financial - 4/5
Software - Tableau
Browser - IE & Chrome
Phone - Android
Computer - Windows Laptop