A common idea in recent years among the information-hungry public is “doing your own research.” People have lost trust in traditional news sources, so they scour the dark, fact-lacking corners of the internet to find out what’s really going on.
I call this the bucket brigade approach to information gathering. It can work, but it doesn’t make much sense in other areas of modern life.
For the most part, people don’t make their own shoes, they don’t build their own cars, and when their house is on fire, they don’t rouse the neighborhood to form a line to the nearest watering hole.
At Wisconsin Watch, our driving purpose is to provide a small brigade of nonpartisan, fact-focused journalists to research topics on behalf of our readers — with transparency surrounding where we find information. One way you can take full advantage of that free service is to submit questions via Ask Wisconsin Watch.
So far this year we’ve answered reader questions about how unauthorized immigrants pay taxes, how federal firings are affecting Wisconsin veterans and whether the cash giveaways Elon Musk gave voters during the spring election were legal. Separately, we were pleased last week when so many people responded to our callout for questions and perspectives about measles in Wisconsin. Those responses are already shaping our coverage.
Send us your questions about Wisconsin government and civic life and then instead of doing your own research, enjoy another relaxing Wisconsin summer.
Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup.
