For any journalist, the best database is the one created by the reporter. Natu- rally, a reporter who covers a specific beat will concentrate on their own field.
A business reporter, for example, will list the local chamber of commerce (handy for business openings and broad business news), the city manager (who will know about businesses expanding or neighborhoods rezoning for business locations), and the spokespersons for the top businesses in the region.
Health reporters will concentrate on local hospitals and clinics, whereas education reporters will need school principals and school board members on their list.
General assignment reporters, who cover a number of different topics, cast a much wider net for news sources. It is important to note that these contact lists do not include the names and numbers of competing stations. It is stan- dard practice to monitor the competition, but you will not rely on them to find stories for you.
In addition to public information officers for the city, county, and police sta- tions, your contact list should contain:
■ Local and state health departments, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
■ The local school district, nearby universities and technical schools, and the state department of education
■ The Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau, and any leading unions
■ County, circuit, and state courts
65 Summary
■ The state legislature and governor’s office, plus the contacts for the representatives and senators who represent the area in Washington
■ City departments, including parks and recreation, the visitors’ bureau, historical society, social services, public works, and the public library
■ Nearby military bases
■ Regional airports
■ Local nonprofits, including the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and Habitat for Humanity
■ Federal departments that may be of interest, including the Census Bureau, the Treasury Department, or National Aeronautics and Space Administration
It is poor journalism to simply revisit the same sources newscast after newscast, so you must resist having the mayor or another local figure pop up repeatedly for various stories. While some interviewees are simply better on camera than others, you perform a disservice to your audience by merely relaying the same person’s viewpoints. You are a journalist, not a cheerleader—check your Web sites and sources frequently, but make sure you do not give the same people a soapbox for themselves.
FIGURE 4.9
summARy
Unfortunately, most radio or TV news organizations do not give their reporters enough time to use the various information sources described in this chapter. Reporters spend most of their time working on breaking
news stories. Investigative stories require a lot of research time and are expensive to produce. Most stations want at least one story a day from their reporters, which doesn’t allow much time for checking court records or filing FOIA requests.
If you do have an opportunity to work on stories that require in-depth research, the information in this chapter should be extremely helpful. The FOIA is an important asset if you want to examine the actions of govern- ment at any level—town, city, state, or federal. The library at your college or university has numerous documents that will reveal more about the federal government, how it works, and what mistakes it makes. The report of the GAO, a congressional watchdog, and the Congressional Directory are also useful.
You should also familiarize yourself with the various business publications, indexes, journals, and magazines in your library and learn about the ability of the Internet and databases such as LexisNexis, which have cut reporter research tremendously.
Finally, the undisputed best resource for investigative journalism in this country is the Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), located at the Univer- sity of Missouri’s Journalism School. In addition to publishing books, tip sheets, and resource guides, IRE sponsors boot campus, scholarships, fellow- ships, and other programs for those interested in investigative journalism. Its Web site is www.ire.org.
Test your Knowledge
1. What is the Freedom of Information Act?
2. Why is the FOIA so important to journalists?
3. List the different points that should be made in a letter requesting information under the FOIA.
4. Journalists can learn about the government and how it operates through various records and publications. List some of the most important ones and explain how they are useful.
5. How can computer databases be useful to reporters?
6. What kind of information can reporters obtain from police and court records?
7. What is the greatest limitation of city directories?
8. How can social networking sites help reporters find out information about individuals?
67 Exercises
ExERCIsEs
1. Suppose that you are filing an FOIA request with the Defense Department because you have a source that claims that when he worked for the Acme Tool and Die Company in Centerville, a government contractor, as many as 60 percent of the products produced in the plant were rejected for various reasons. Prepare the FOIA request.
2. Pick three corporations among the Fortune 500 list and find out the names of the top officials who run them.
Also list any other companies that are owned by one of these parent corporations and find out the names of any corporations or individuals who own a substantial number of shares in a parent company.
3. Use a database service to find out how many articles were published last year about Diane Lane. List the names of the publications along with the titles of the articles and the dates they appeared.
4. Visit the local courthouse and find out the names of those who were convicted of drunk driving during the past month.
5. Create your own list of contacts, including the names of sources, their phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and business information. You will frequently revise this list, but expect to start with at least 30 contacts.
6. Research yourself or a family member by starting with only a name or address. Document your steps so you can track how you “discover” the information.