Public Records-- Everyone Leaves A Paper Trail

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.