Journalists have a role as watchdogs.
Windy March came to visit with us this week, and he taught me a valuable lesson.
While it is journalists jobs to report on the news, and inform citizens about what is going on, it is their duty to be a watchdog on politics and to report it to the people. For ordinary Americans, it is too hard to keep an eye on everything that happens in politics on a national, state and local level.
People do not have the time or the resources to keep track of every bill that is passed, or discussed. People have too many things going on, so they rely on the media to tell them what is important, what is being passed, and what is “fishy.”
The role of media on the public’s interests is very important, because the media is responsible for providing information to their audience, and that information directly affects people when it has to do with politics.
The best way for journalists to be watchdogs on politics, is to keep a close eye towards them, and everyone around them. This would be extremely hard to do if it were not for Public Records.
Windy explained to us how valuable Public Records can be in reporting on politics, and politicians.
One thing that Windy reminded us of, that can often be mistaken by journalists and citizens, is that although there are some politicians trying to get away with a lot of things, there are probably more of them that are trying to help and do good.
With public records, we are able to separate the two types of politicians and we are able to keep an eye on everything that is going on.
Public records can be a valuable source for journalists, but it is that tool along with many others, such as observation, interviewing and researching that helps to make a well-rounded journalist.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Public vs. Private-- A Very Thin Line
There is a very fine line between public and private.
In the world of journalism, that fine line can mean an important breakthrough story, or an empty story idea.
On Thursday, Preston Trigg came to talk to us from the Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s office. He came to talk to us about the types of public records that that office can provide journalists and everyday citizens with.
The main types of documents he was there to talk about were the property taxes. This was important because it shows you who pays their taxes, and how much their house is worth, which could be valuable in figuring out if people are getting money from places they shouldn’t be.
The most intriguing part of his lecture to me was the thin line between what the courts consider public and private.
He told us that all calls and emails of public officials were available to the public through public records requests. The he began to tell us some of the exceptions.
He told us that if someone uses a government issued email account to send private messages, then it is not available through public records, but if they sent an email through a private email about official business, then it was available.
Then there was the phone situation.
If an official uses a government issued phone for private matters, then it is private, but if they use a private phone about official business then it is available.
What I took out of this was that there are many ways for officials to get around the public records laws. They could use a spouse or child’s phone. I feel that any business that is conducted on government issued devices should be allowed for viewing by journalists and the public.
If officials are worried about their private matters becoming public, then do not use equipment provided to you by the citizens.
In the world of journalism, that fine line can mean an important breakthrough story, or an empty story idea.
On Thursday, Preston Trigg came to talk to us from the Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s office. He came to talk to us about the types of public records that that office can provide journalists and everyday citizens with.
The main types of documents he was there to talk about were the property taxes. This was important because it shows you who pays their taxes, and how much their house is worth, which could be valuable in figuring out if people are getting money from places they shouldn’t be.
The most intriguing part of his lecture to me was the thin line between what the courts consider public and private.
He told us that all calls and emails of public officials were available to the public through public records requests. The he began to tell us some of the exceptions.
He told us that if someone uses a government issued email account to send private messages, then it is not available through public records, but if they sent an email through a private email about official business, then it was available.
Then there was the phone situation.
If an official uses a government issued phone for private matters, then it is private, but if they use a private phone about official business then it is available.
What I took out of this was that there are many ways for officials to get around the public records laws. They could use a spouse or child’s phone. I feel that any business that is conducted on government issued devices should be allowed for viewing by journalists and the public.
If officials are worried about their private matters becoming public, then do not use equipment provided to you by the citizens.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Jail Is a Very Different World Than Ours
Jail is a very different world.
On our last field trip, we visited the Hillsborough County Jail on Orient Road, and it is a field trip I will never forget.
Walking in, they had us lock up all of our things in a locker. I thought we were there just to see the public records, but what we actually saw was much, much more.
They took us on a complete tour of the whole facility.
They took us through the process of getting a DUI. I think this was such a chilling experience, because DUIs are so common among people our age.
We saw the observing area, where police will watch the DUI arrestees for 20 minutes, followed by the Breathalyzer machine.
After that is where the tour got real.
We walked from the DUI Check room to the booking room. Every door in jail is controlled with two doors, so you have to enter the little room in order to get through. The security at jail is unreal, and it is amazing that anyone ever escapes.
We entered the security room, and we could see all the criminals that were waiting to be booked. There were probably 20 in there awaiting booking, which wouldn’t be that shocking, except for the fact that it was 2 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon!
They took us through the stages that actual criminals go through. Booking, then personal items, then fingerprinting and then medical. The whole time we were standing there, the criminals were staring at us, like we were intruding on their area. A very chilling experience.
Following that, we were brought into the jail courthouse, where we saw an actual court appearance on the television. It was amazing to see how technology is used in jail.
After the courtroom we entered the cell blocks. This was the craziest part of the tour for many of us. We entered the area where inmates are actually held. They were all just walking around the block. It was very different from what I had pictured. Once again, I got that feeling that we were intruding on their area.
Luckily, we were not in there long, and then went on to explore an empty cell.
Following the tour, we were brought into the public records area, where they were under construction. I think the tour helped to show us how many different parts of jail are public records. Everything from the arrest from the cop car camera, to the arrest report to the DUI holding room, to court appearances, to security video are all public record.
I feel like it is a very valuable asset to have rights to all that information when trying to put together a story.
This trip was one I will not soon forget.
On our last field trip, we visited the Hillsborough County Jail on Orient Road, and it is a field trip I will never forget.
Walking in, they had us lock up all of our things in a locker. I thought we were there just to see the public records, but what we actually saw was much, much more.
They took us on a complete tour of the whole facility.
They took us through the process of getting a DUI. I think this was such a chilling experience, because DUIs are so common among people our age.
We saw the observing area, where police will watch the DUI arrestees for 20 minutes, followed by the Breathalyzer machine.
After that is where the tour got real.
We walked from the DUI Check room to the booking room. Every door in jail is controlled with two doors, so you have to enter the little room in order to get through. The security at jail is unreal, and it is amazing that anyone ever escapes.
We entered the security room, and we could see all the criminals that were waiting to be booked. There were probably 20 in there awaiting booking, which wouldn’t be that shocking, except for the fact that it was 2 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon!
They took us through the stages that actual criminals go through. Booking, then personal items, then fingerprinting and then medical. The whole time we were standing there, the criminals were staring at us, like we were intruding on their area. A very chilling experience.
Following that, we were brought into the jail courthouse, where we saw an actual court appearance on the television. It was amazing to see how technology is used in jail.
After the courtroom we entered the cell blocks. This was the craziest part of the tour for many of us. We entered the area where inmates are actually held. They were all just walking around the block. It was very different from what I had pictured. Once again, I got that feeling that we were intruding on their area.
Luckily, we were not in there long, and then went on to explore an empty cell.
Following the tour, we were brought into the public records area, where they were under construction. I think the tour helped to show us how many different parts of jail are public records. Everything from the arrest from the cop car camera, to the arrest report to the DUI holding room, to court appearances, to security video are all public record.
I feel like it is a very valuable asset to have rights to all that information when trying to put together a story.
This trip was one I will not soon forget.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
HCSO: A Bulk Of Information
There is a lot of information out there.
When searching for records of criminals or of what the County Sheriff’s Office is doing, there are so many tools at your disposal.
Unfortunately, I was not able to make the trip to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office to see what they had to offer with Public Records, but that did help me with a different aspect of my research.
By searching the web site for the HCSO, I found an unlimited amount of search tools and public records options. There are so many things and so much information you can gather just by visiting their Public Records page.
I started with jail records, and found that there were ways to search for current names serving jail time, past jail mates, arrest inquiries and so much more.
One of the more useful pieces of information that I found for regular citizens was the section entitled Traffic. This section allows you to log on and choose from a variety of links including: County Road Closures, Traffic Information, Current Traffic Accidents and Top Accident Locations. I feel that this may be the most utilized section for everyday use, because it alerts you of the most up-to-date problem areas for your commute.
Another section is the Warrant Inquiry Section which allows you to search through arrest warrants to see if any of your friends have an arrest warrant out in their name… or maybe even you. The HCSO also puts all of their press releases online, which makes for a great starting place for a story if you are a journalist, or if you are assigned to the Police Beat at your paper.
All-in-all, I feel like the HCSO web site is a very useful tool for citizens and journalists alike.
When searching for records of criminals or of what the County Sheriff’s Office is doing, there are so many tools at your disposal.
Unfortunately, I was not able to make the trip to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office to see what they had to offer with Public Records, but that did help me with a different aspect of my research.
By searching the web site for the HCSO, I found an unlimited amount of search tools and public records options. There are so many things and so much information you can gather just by visiting their Public Records page.
I started with jail records, and found that there were ways to search for current names serving jail time, past jail mates, arrest inquiries and so much more.
One of the more useful pieces of information that I found for regular citizens was the section entitled Traffic. This section allows you to log on and choose from a variety of links including: County Road Closures, Traffic Information, Current Traffic Accidents and Top Accident Locations. I feel that this may be the most utilized section for everyday use, because it alerts you of the most up-to-date problem areas for your commute.
Another section is the Warrant Inquiry Section which allows you to search through arrest warrants to see if any of your friends have an arrest warrant out in their name… or maybe even you. The HCSO also puts all of their press releases online, which makes for a great starting place for a story if you are a journalist, or if you are assigned to the Police Beat at your paper.
All-in-all, I feel like the HCSO web site is a very useful tool for citizens and journalists alike.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
A New Type Of Journalism
The old style public affairs reporting is dead.
Over the years, journalism, and especially newspapers, have changed dramatically. There is a new generation which wants its news in different ways. They don’t want to wait until the morning to get the headlines from a flimsy black and white stack of paper. They don’t want to wait until 6 p.m. to find out what happened during the day. They don’t want to wait until 11 p.m. to get their late night news.
People want news delivered directly to them in new, fresh ways, as it is happening.
That is the truth about where the news is heading.
It used to be the 6 p.m. and 1 p.m. news, and now it is 24/7 news coverage on channels like CNN, Fox News and MSNBC.
It used to be the morning paper, and now it is online, and smart phones and Twitter.
It used to be breaking news at lunchtime, and now it is a scrolling ticker on the bottom of every channel. We want the news, and we want it now.
That is not the only thing that has changed about journalism over the years.
Instead of a column on the side of a newspaper, or an article in Time Magazine, we have interactive graphics and ways for the public to dig and find the information that they want out of the story.
When Chris Davis from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune came to talk to us about Public affairs reporting, I thought it would be about filing for reports and piecing together a 500 word story for a daily paper, but he showed that there is so much more that we can do now.
His “stories” about real-estate flipping and the murder mystery, intrigued me and showed me a new type of journalism. It is the type of journalism that fit’s the needs of the public, and while many are saying journalism is dead, I say that it is evolving… for the better.
Over the years, journalism, and especially newspapers, have changed dramatically. There is a new generation which wants its news in different ways. They don’t want to wait until the morning to get the headlines from a flimsy black and white stack of paper. They don’t want to wait until 6 p.m. to find out what happened during the day. They don’t want to wait until 11 p.m. to get their late night news.
People want news delivered directly to them in new, fresh ways, as it is happening.
That is the truth about where the news is heading.
It used to be the 6 p.m. and 1 p.m. news, and now it is 24/7 news coverage on channels like CNN, Fox News and MSNBC.
It used to be the morning paper, and now it is online, and smart phones and Twitter.
It used to be breaking news at lunchtime, and now it is a scrolling ticker on the bottom of every channel. We want the news, and we want it now.
That is not the only thing that has changed about journalism over the years.
Instead of a column on the side of a newspaper, or an article in Time Magazine, we have interactive graphics and ways for the public to dig and find the information that they want out of the story.
When Chris Davis from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune came to talk to us about Public affairs reporting, I thought it would be about filing for reports and piecing together a 500 word story for a daily paper, but he showed that there is so much more that we can do now.
His “stories” about real-estate flipping and the murder mystery, intrigued me and showed me a new type of journalism. It is the type of journalism that fit’s the needs of the public, and while many are saying journalism is dead, I say that it is evolving… for the better.
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