Everyone leaves a paper trail.
Everything you do is documented and stored away for people to find.
That paper trail is called public records, and it is journalists’ best friend when trying to report on someone. There are many different types of public records that can be used to find out people’s backgrounds, especially elected officials.
Research is the first step of any reporting, and the best way to start that reporting is to file a public records request. Journalists, and ordinary citizens, can put in public records requests for a variety of things including phone records, email records, criminal background checks, job history, business ownership information and mortgage information, among many others.
When requesting public records, there are many challenges and questions that one may come across. It is important to know what you are entitled to, as well as what is available to you.
It is important to know that although public records are available to anyone, that there is a cost for the records, and there must be time to retrieve the documents.
All copies are 15 cents, and any work that is needed to be done should be charged to the customer at the lowest rate of pay of an employee that can do it. This means that the lowest paid employee at the office that can complete the request is the rate of pay that you should pay.
In an ever-changing world, public records and the amount of information that one can find is also continually growing.
Public records are part of an open system of government, and especially in the state of Florida, these documents are made available. Governor Charlie Crist has established the Sunshine Laws which enable a completely open type government for reporters and the public to know exactly what goes on in meetings, and in all of government.
Public records are an imperative way for us to keep an eye on the government, and an extremely useful tool in reporting and journalism.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Technology and Public Records
In a changing world and society, it is getting even harder and harder for journalists to uncover the truth. Gone are the days, in which politicians met in open forums and held town hall meetings, and here are the days of email, twitter text-messaging and Blackberries.
For journalists, this poses a problem.
Before, writers and reporters could go to a meeting to witness how government and legislature were coming together, but now they have to do some digging and prying.
Public records have always been an intricate part of the way that reporters bring the truth to the public. Today, they continue to be a main source for many articles, reports and stories. The vast majority of information that one can find in public records includes, but is not limited to: housing records, work records, criminal backgrounds, business details, etc.
From public records, one, in essence, can track someone else’s life through a stack of papers at 15 cents per copy. Just go downtown, and put in some requests, and you can know anything you would ever need to know about a person. That is, until now.
As it is with many aspects of life, new technology is causing problems for journalists looking to public records for their answers. Over the years, new ways of communication have been developed which has made it easier for people to remain private, as well as harder to keep track of.
Phone calls, emails, text-messages, instant-messaging and use of PDAs and cell phones like Blackberries and iPhones have made it much harder to keep track of what is going on.
This new technology is making it easier for politicians to negotiate and discuss policies that used to be discussed in an open forum for the public and journalists to hear.
The ever-changing technology will continue to cause struggles for journalists, and like everyone else, we will have to learn how to adapt.
For journalists, this poses a problem.
Before, writers and reporters could go to a meeting to witness how government and legislature were coming together, but now they have to do some digging and prying.
Public records have always been an intricate part of the way that reporters bring the truth to the public. Today, they continue to be a main source for many articles, reports and stories. The vast majority of information that one can find in public records includes, but is not limited to: housing records, work records, criminal backgrounds, business details, etc.
From public records, one, in essence, can track someone else’s life through a stack of papers at 15 cents per copy. Just go downtown, and put in some requests, and you can know anything you would ever need to know about a person. That is, until now.
As it is with many aspects of life, new technology is causing problems for journalists looking to public records for their answers. Over the years, new ways of communication have been developed which has made it easier for people to remain private, as well as harder to keep track of.
Phone calls, emails, text-messages, instant-messaging and use of PDAs and cell phones like Blackberries and iPhones have made it much harder to keep track of what is going on.
This new technology is making it easier for politicians to negotiate and discuss policies that used to be discussed in an open forum for the public and journalists to hear.
The ever-changing technology will continue to cause struggles for journalists, and like everyone else, we will have to learn how to adapt.
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