Newzhound

Tragedy and Journalists

2011-10-31T09:35:00.003-07:00

Journalists who cover trauma and violence have to tread carefully for the sake of those directly involved for their own physical and emotional health.

The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma offers journalists thoughtful help for covering a variety of difficult subjects, including suicide, violence and children, domestic violence, interviewing victims and sexual violence. It offers self-help advice for journalists who sometimes struggle to cope with the violence they see.

"Tragedies and Journalists," a booklet available online and in pdf format, offers good advice on many of these issues.

(Photo of Holly Pickett, a UM alum who covered the revolution in Libya. Photo by Remi Ochlik/IP3 Press.)

Tips for Better Interviews

2011-06-08T11:50:00.001-07:00

View more presentations from Dswibold

Resources for Covering Elections

2011-05-06T10:00:00.005-07:00

We didn't get to cover an election this spring, but elections are very much a part of most public affairs beats. Federal, state and local elections demand good, thoughtful coverage, so here are some links that may help you understand the process and the expectations for coverage:

Covering Elections: The Basics

Questions for Better Election Coverage

How to “Truth Check” a Campaign Ad

Fact-checking Election Claims

Learn More About Covering Education

2011-04-25T11:20:00.008-07:00

Good bets for help covering schools:

The Hechinger Institute on Education & The Media , Teacher's College - Columbia University
Investigative Reporters and Editors
The Poynter Institute
The Society for Professional Journalists
Education Writers Association (Check out the experts database.)
Chronicle of Higher Education

See How the Pros Write Supreme Court Stories

2011-04-14T15:28:00.003-07:00

Those of you planning to cover Friday's Supreme Court hearing might want to read a few sample stories I've found. Every case is different, but you might get some idea by looking these over.

Court hears mother's appeal in baby's slaying

Court hears arguments over the effect of wells on lakes

NH Supreme Court hears case on cigarette making

Vermont's high court hears case on public access to records

This Week on the Justice Beat

2011-04-11T10:29:00.003-07:00

Your assignment is to do one more story from the courts. I'd suggest you try a civil case, and there's a great opportunity coming Friday morning.

The Montana Supreme Court is coming to UM's School of Law to hear arguments in two cases, either one of which you easily cover for a midnight deadline, provided you do some digging in advance. Here's an outline of the two cases. Here's a link to the Montana SUPCO's website, where you can research the actual filings in the cases.

Civil Suits Make for Great Stories

2011-03-31T14:32:00.006-07:00

Honest. I swear. They tell you who's doing shoddy work, who's not keeping promises, in short, how people in your community treat one another. Lawsuits are also how we challenge laws and ordinances and hold governments accountable.

But be careful. Until a judge or jury decides the issue, lawsuits are just one-sided allegations, so be fair. Talk to both sides. Dig into the claims.

Here's a sample civil suit. Like most, it spells out what the person suing (the PLAINTIFF) is upset about and what he or she or it (a person, a business or a government) wants the defendant to do about.

Here are two versions of stories written about a sample suit. Look at how careful the writers were to include the other side and to attribute the information.

Examples of Stories about Lawsuits

2011-03-30T10:04:00.005-07:00

Pair of suits claim racial bias in Denver police stops
Supreme Court hears Wal-Mart gender bias case
Lawsuit says pot business faked patient forms
Missoula County votes to sue MDA over Imperial Oil megaloads
Yellowstone County commissioner blasts Missoula County over MDT lawsuit

Ethics on the Justice Beat

2011-03-30T09:23:00.004-07:00

We talk about ethical journalism every time we meet, but no class discussion can begin to cover it all. Here's a link to other journalists' thinking about ethical issues they routinely confront on the justice beat.

How to Write a Crime Story

2011-03-23T08:39:00.006-07:00

What to cover?

Obviously, the big crimes make big news; the more people affected - or the more prominent the people involved - the more newsworthy the crime. Violent crimes like murder, rape and robbery tend to get more coverage, but fraud and thefts can sometimes have great consequences for huge numbers of readers or viewers (a Ponzi scheme, a string of identity thefts, etc.).

Otherwise, look for interesting crimes or criminal methods or situations that pose potential threats or provide a glimpse into the behavior of those around you.

What's your lead?

Every incident is different, so focus on what makes it uniquely interesting. Crime happens every day. That's not news, so lead with what's fascinating about the story you're chasing. Lead with something that readers will remember for the rest of the day or even longer.

An Arizona tourist was charged today with shooting a nearby camper who complained about the noise and smoke coming from his campsite.

Include essential details.

Trust your common sense. If it's a robbery you're covering, what was taken? Describe the robber's method. Describe the robber. If it's a murder, who was killed? How did it happen? What clues are there to why it happened?

If suspects are arrested, give readers names, ages, addresses, descriptive details. Have they been charged? With what? What are the potential penalties? What do they have to say for themselves? What are others saying on their behalf? Is there a history here?

Include telling details.

Your skill in describing details that paint pictures in readers' minds can separate you from mediocre reporters. Did the robbers escape in a baby blue Mercedes? Did the assailant use a silver candlestick, in the conservatory?

You'll get some of that from police, but it also comes from talking to witnesses, victims and even suspects. You're willingness to go beyond the police repots will separate you from the herd.

Show readers and viewers where you got this stuff.

Journalists call that attribution. It's crucial in crime stories. It shows that you're not making this up. It tells readers and viewers who is talking and who isn't. It lets them weigh the truth of what they hear. Accurately attributing information to court records can protect you from libel judgments, too.

Keep your opinions to yourself.

Suspects aren't guilty until a judge or jury says so. Even then, the system sometimes makes mistakes. Be careful. Tell readers what you know, but be humble about what you may not know. You're not the judge or the jury.

What happens next?

Don't overburden readers with process, but it is part of the story. Has the accused entered a plea? Will this go to court?

Wednesday's Class: Meet at the Courthouse

2011-03-22T09:53:00.002-07:00

We'll meet outside the Clerk of District Court's office at 1 p.m. sharp on Wednesday. If you want a ride, meet at my office at 12:30. I have room for four riders.

We'll learn how to dig up court records, and you'll get the assignment for this week's only story. See you there.

A Great Resource for Justice Reporters

2011-03-21T11:17:00.004-07:00

CLICK HERE.

Learn the lingo so you can translate it

2011-03-21T10:22:00.003-07:00

We're moving from local government coverage to the justice beat. You'll need to learn some new jargon so that you can translate this stuff for a reasonable reader.

Here's a glossary of legal terms that should help.

Search the Invisible Internt

2011-03-16T14:24:00.003-07:00

Subversive thought for the day: Google doesn't cover most of the stuff on the Internet. Click here to see what you've been missing.

Local Resources on the Justice Beat

2011-03-14T11:04:00.001-07:00

Law Enforcement

The Missoula Police Department's info on crime activity.
The Missoula County Sheriff's Department's jail roster
University of Montana Public Safety
Montana Highway Patrol

Prosecutors

Courts

Records

Missoula County Clerk of District Court (felonies, larger civil suits)
Correctional Offender Network (records of state convicts)

It's Social Host night at the City Council

2011-03-14T10:24:00.001-07:00

Your stories on tonight's public hearing are due by midnight. It's our last City Council assignment as a class, so show me you can do this stuff.

How to Succeed on the City Beat

2011-03-04T15:25:00.003-08:00

We're covering the City Council for a midnight deadline Monday. To do well, you'll have to prepare before the meeting. I'd encourage you to read through the PAZ's public hearing item. Read the memo. I'd also urge you to read the comments about this item that Jaffe made this week.

The gist of this issue is not hard to grasp: The developer wants to build more apartments on this property than the current zoning allows. The neighbors aren't happy.

What's a City Council concerned about affordable housing supposed to do?

The News Behind the Numbers

2011-03-02T10:47:00.007-08:00

We talked in class about how public affairs reporters need to look behind the numbers in budgets to find stories about people and how they're affected.

You don't have to be a math wizard. If you can add, subtract, divide and multiply, you can follow most of what budget buildings do.

If you know how to calculate percentages, percentage increase and rates, you can see patterns that will help you explain the news. A little fuzzy on that? Here's help.

It also pays to know the tricks people play with numbers. The book "Proofiness," by Charles Seife, ought to be required reading for every journalist.

About those funny marks on your papers ...

2011-02-15T16:30:00.003-08:00

They may look like chicken tracks, but they're copy editing symbols. Here's your key to breaking the code.

You've got a date with the City Council tonight

2011-02-14T08:00:00.003-08:00

We'll cover tonight's meeting for a midnight deadline. Midnight means midnight, not 20 minutes after. Your other assignment this week is a story from your beat or the city beat.

As the Boy Scouts like to say:

BE PREPARED

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A Note on Sources

2011-02-09T07:49:00.005-08:00

My expectations for your stories:

1. Bolster your reporting with credible sources. Seek those who are the best qualified to address the subject.

2. Find multiple sources. Your reporting carries more weight if it rests on different perspectives. I won't accept stories with fewer than two sources.

3. Don't rely on friends, acquaintances, employers, family members, etc., as sources. You may think you can be impartial, but you can't.

4. No press releases, please.

Scouting for story ideas

2011-02-08T07:56:00.011-08:00

I trust everyone survived Monday's blizzard. I've recommended merit badges in survival for those of you who made it to the City Council meeting. While the event produced little news, you should have scored a few story ideas on several of your beats. Let's talk about those Wednesday.

Meanwhile, take a peek at the agendas for various council committee meetings this week.

I'll make you a special this-week-only deal, too. If you want to cover something from the city beat this week - in lieu of a story from your regular beat - go for it.

By the way, I wrote this post without using a form of the verb "to be." Try it. It forces you to use the active voice.

This Week's Assignments

2011-02-07T10:35:00.002-08:00

1. Write brief story from tonight’s City Council meeting. The action begins at 7 p.m. The deadline is midnight. Here's the agenda. You might find this map helpful, too.

2. Write a story from your beat. The feature deadline is Friday at 5 p.m. Breaking news (spot news, event coverage) is due at midnight on the day it breaks.

BACKGROUNDING THE CITY BEAT: ONGOING STORIES

2011-02-02T08:57:00.027-08:00

How we behave
The social host debate in Missoula, and how it works elsewhere.

Infrastructure
Streets need work, but it's not easy. Bridges need work. Potholes need fixing. More parking anyone?

Homelessness
Surveying the problem, but hard to tackle. Panhandling is an ongoing problem, too. The city's debate about that is news.

Growth and development
It's controversial. How should the city grow? Agreement is sometimes elusive. So what is allowed? Chickens? Sign pollution?

Council members
We have a new council member. Sometimes they make news off the job. Changes in members make news.

Taxes matter
People care about this stuff.

Transportation news
Bikes, buses and big rigs make headlines.

Human rights
Missoula's anti-discrimination ordinance made statewide headlines, and the so did the response. It's an ongoing issue.

Take a Tour of Missoula's Virtual City Hall

2011-01-31T10:13:00.005-08:00

We'll be covering the City of Missoula next week. You can prepare for that by looking through the city's official website. Please make sure to sure to look over the City Council. You can also sign up to get a weekly e-mail telling you what's on the council's agenda for the next meeting.

Other key links include:

A daily incident report from the Missoula Police Department.
Press releases and news.
Agendas and minutes.
The city's budget.
Some good Q&A help.

You can also catch up with news on the beat at Missoulian reporter Keila Szpaller's blog, missoularedtape.com. I'd also urge you to sign up for Councilman Bob Jaffe's e-mail listserv. It's a good way to watch ideas develop into action.

A Handy Guide to Local Government

2011-01-31T10:08:00.003-08:00

The Missoula League of Women Voters has great links to local government resources. Check out the right side of the page, too.

Your Beats and First Assignment

2011-01-26T08:03:00.013-08:00

Beat Assignments:

City Government: Mark Boatman, Miranda Dalpiaz
Cops and Courts: Spencer Veysey
Natural Resources and Conservation: Taylor Anderson, Chris Wood
K-12 Schools: Chelsy Ranard
Higher Education: Dameon Matule, Lindsey Sanders
Local Economy: Beth Beechie, Dillon Kato
Health: Tom Holm, Ian Keffler

First deadline

By 5 p.m. Friday I want you to send me by e-mail a list of the major local agencies (city, county, state, federal) that govern your beat. The list doesn't have to be long.

I also want a 200-word paragraph explaining a recent local story on your beat that you think has "legs." Suggest how you might update or advance that story within the next week.

Welcome to Newzhound

2011-01-24T10:29:00.004-08:00

Come on in. Take a look around. We'll use this site in many ways this semester. Check in for:

- Assignments and deadlines.

- Tip sheets and links to help with your reporting and writing.

- Examples of good reporting.

- Discussion about journalism ethics and the law.

By the way, here's your first assignment:

By 8 a.m. Tuesday, send me an e-mail with your first and second choice for a beat to cover. I’ll let you know your assignment by the day’s end.

The choices are:

1. The local economy – Lots of stories here. How are people in your community faring in this recession? What’s the market for jobs? Housing? Energy? Retail trends? A good way to start is update an ongoing story or localize a national one. What challenges do business owners face? What challenges do their workers face?

2. Missoula K-12 schools – You’ve got inside knowledge here. Education is about preparing people for change. So how’s that going? It’s also a big cost to taxpayers. How’s that money being spent?

3. Higher education – You’re a consumer as well as a student, so start asking questions. How well is this place preparing you for change? What works and what doesn’t? What’s new? What big projects and changes are leaders working on? Who’s running the place?

4. Missoula cops and courts – Again, lots of stories. This beat is big and newsy. You’ve got city police, a county sheriff’s department, the highway patrol, campus security and an array of federal cops (FBI, DEA, Homeland Security, ATF, etc.) You’ve got city, county and federal courts too.

5. City government – These folks are responsible for the safety and well-being of everyone in Missoula. You name it, the city deals with it. It provides police and fire protection, plans for growth, and maintains clean air, clean water, parks, streets and sidewalks. That’s the short list. This is a big beat with lots of news potential.

6. County government – Take the previous beat and apply those responsibilities over an area of roughly 2,600 square miles. Counties also act as an agent for state government. County courts prosecute crimes against the state. Counties collect property taxes and run elections. County officials maintain rural roads and plan for growth. They also share responsibilities with city officials for things such as transportation, libraries, public health, etc.

7. Health – Here’s another huge beat, especially today. From the latest on swine flu to the quality and availability of health care, this beat has lots of interest – and lots controversy. Think about breakthroughs in research and new treatments and care. Who’s providing what health care in your community? How good is that care? What does it cost? Who isn’t being served?

8. Natural resources and the environment – There’s no better place to cover this stuff than right here. The issues include climate change, wilderness policy, timber and mining policy, wildlife management, water and air pollution, environmental health, recycling, sustainable agriculture and industry. This beat is global with lots of local players.

9. Other – No list can cover everything, so if you have an idea of something with significant public policy angle, let me know. Here are a few I would consider: agriculture, sports/athletics policy, transportation, media/communications changes, etc.

Reporting in the Line of Fire

2010-12-08T14:58:00.006-08:00

For more about reporters at risk, see The Committee to Protect Journalists.

'So How Do You Know That?'

2010-12-08T10:30:00.007-08:00

That's one of the best questions a public affairs reporter can ask.

Comparing what your hear with the vast knowlege in your head is the crucial next step. Does that make sense? Does it add up?

A little math can help. Here's a basic online primer with examples from today's discussion.

On the Record: There's Truth in Public Documents

2010-12-02T07:52:00.004-08:00

The key is knowing where to look. The Society of Professional Journalists has put together a great guide to help you figure out what to look for in public records, where to find them and how to persuade record keepers to turn them over.

Civil suits can make great stories

2010-10-11T11:49:00.005-07:00

They really do. Honest. They tell you who's doing shoddy work, who's not keeping promises -- how people are treating one another. If you really want to know what's going on in a community, check out who's suing whom.

Beware, however. Until a judge or jury decides the question, lawsuits are just one-sided allegations, so be fair. Talk to both sides.

Here's a sample civil suit. They usually spell out what the person suing (the PLAINTIFF) is upset about and what he or she or it (a government or corporation) wants the defendant to do about.

Here are two versions of stories written about the sample suit. Look at how careful the writers are to get the other side and to attribute the information.

Tips for Backgrounding Court Cases

2010-10-11T08:47:00.004-07:00

Check the web for stories, but don't use anything that you don't verify independently.

See if your guy has a history. Conweb can help with those convicted of felonies in Montana.

The county's jail roster lists people being held pending the outcome of their cases.

Get the records. You can look up felony records at the clerk of district court's office. You can check misdemeanor records with the clerks in lower courts: Justice Court for Missoula County cases, Municipal Court for city of Missoula cases.

Next Week's Beat Assignment: Go to Court

2010-10-07T15:48:00.012-07:00

Congrats. You've all been assigned to the courts beat for the week of Oct 11-15. Your task: Sit in on a session of Justice Court or a District Court law and motion session and dig up a story. The story will be due by midnight of the day you choose to go to court. I accept any stories after midnight Thursday.

Justice Court criminal sessions are held every day and run from about 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. You'll see people making their first appearance on all sorts of charges, most of them minor ones. The accused won't say much and the process consists of having the judge tell them about the charges and arranging for bail. If you see a case that intrigues you, go to the Justice Court clerk and ask for a copy of the charges and the affidavit. And then write it up.

District Court law and motion sessions are scheduled for different judges on different days. Check the schedule a day or so before you go and do a little records homework. By the way, I see that Judges Deschamps (yep, same family) and Harkin are holding their sessions Tuesday. The other two judges are taking the week off. Sorry. Look for a sentencing or an arraignment. Remember that they only do felonies in District Court.

What's newsworthy? Serious crimes, obviously. Minor crimes involving interesting circumstances could make news, too.

Local Resources for the Justice Beat

2010-10-07T15:40:00.002-07:00

Law Enforcement

The Missoula Police Department's info on crime activity.
The Missoula County Sheriff's Department's jail roster
University of Montana Public Safety
Montana Highway Patrol

Prosecutors

Courts

Records

Missoula County Clerk of District Court (felonies, larger civil suits)
Correctional Offender Network (records of state convicts)

2010-10-06T10:54:00.003-07:00

We're moving from local government coverage to the justice beat. You'll need to learn some new jargon so that you can translate this stuff for a reasonable reader.

Here's a link to a glossary of legal terms that should help.

This week's deadlines

2010-09-14T12:26:00.003-07:00

You've got a beat story due no later than midnight Saturday this week.

Breaking news (stories about timely events like crimes, disasters, court actions, debates, key decisions) need to be filed by midnight of the day they happen. That's the nature of breaking news.

Less timely news features (trends, profiles and behind-the-scenes looks at people or issues on your beat) are due later in the week.

Be mindful of the competition. It pays to be first in this business.

Covering City Hall

2010-09-13T08:58:00.009-07:00

We're off to meet the Missoula City Council tonight. The show starts at 7 p.m., so get there early and grab a seat on the aisle leading from the door to the speaker's stand. The council chambers are at 140 W. Pine St., next to Sean Kelly's.

Your stories are due by midnight tonight.

By now you should have read the council's agenda and the city's argument for the special tax districts that are up for discussion tonight. Missoulian reporter Keila Szpaller previewed tonight's action in this morning's paper. You'd be smart to give her story a read.

We'll prepare for tonight's work in class. But here's some style information you might find useful.

The Missoula City Council - That's its name, so capitalize it the first time you use it. You can refer it the council (lowercase) after that.

Titles - Formal titles like mayor and councilwoman are capitalized only when they precede a name, as in Mayor John Engen or Councilwoman Pam Walzer or Councilman Bob Jaffe. You can refer to them by their last names on subsequent references. Other unelected officials are often given a formal title, such as City Attorney Jim Nugent and Police Chief Mark Muir but most others are best described by what they do, as in Bruce Bender, the city's chief administrator, or Steve King, who runs the city's public works department.

Wards -Council members represent six wards, but you don't need to offer the ward description with their names unless that's important to know, as it might be in a tussle between areas of the city over, say, street repairs. In that case, I'd say Councilman Bob Jaffe, whose Ward 3 includes the University area, called for ...

Stories on the City Beat

2010-09-08T09:52:00.007-07:00

Welcome to City Hall. We'll spend time there over the next few weeks learning how it works and how it affects the lives of folks in Missoula. We'll see who has the power there and how they use it.

A good way to learn that is to follow a controversy, and we've got one brewing. Here's the gist: The mayor wants to add a couple of new taxes to start pumping more money into building and maintaining streets and parks. (The city has had a devil of a time finding money for this kind of work.)

It won't cost a typical taxpayer more than a 12-pack of a national brand beer, but any new taxes right are bound to raise eyebrows. The idea's critics also point out that for at least the next year, taxpayers won't see any new road or park work. Instead, the tax will allow the city shift money around to avoid laying off employees and reducing other services. The mayor says he's cut his proposed budget enough already.

Missoulian reporter Keila Szpaller is covering the story closely for the paper and for the paper's city blog, missoularedtape.com.

Do some reading there and on the city's website because we'll be covering Monday night's public hearing on this for a midnight deadline. Yep. By the way, you can sign up here for an advance peek at Monday's City Council agenda.

A Handy Guide to Local Government

2010-09-01T11:59:00.006-07:00

The Missoula League of Women Voters has great links to local government resources. Check out the right side of the page.

Public Affairs Beats, Fall 2010

2010-09-01T07:26:00.003-07:00

Here are the beat assignments, based on your requests. Stay tuned for your first assignment.

Justice:
Heather Pimley
Alyse Backus
Paige Huntoon
Daniel Mediate

Economy:
John Crepeau

Higher Ed:
Ali Murray
Lynn Campbell

Natural Resources/Environment:
Hannah Ryan
Samantha Abel
Katherine Kettering

K-12 Schools:
Scott Ranf
Julia Williamson

Health:
Adrienne Ellsworth
Jon Tweeten

City:
Alyssa Small
Emily Creasia

Welcome to Public Affairs Reporting

2010-08-23T09:36:00.012-07:00

Come on in. Take a look around. We'll use this site in many ways this semester. Check in for:

Assignments/deadlines
Tip sheets
Examples
Links to help with your reporting and writing.

Your first assignment:

Choose a public affairs beat that you will cover for the semester. Here are the choices. Pick two from the list below, rank them, and send your choices to me in an e-mail by midnight Monday, Aug. 30. Along with your first choice, include a couple of paragraphs summarizing an ongoing local story on that beat and tell me how you might update it. (What questions would you ask? Who would you talk to?)

1. The CITY BEAT - You'll monitor the institutions that govern urban life in Missoula, including City Hall. It's a big beat, which is good because you'll find lots of stories. The trick is to hunt for news that will mean something to your readers.

2. K-12 SCHOOLS - Another big beat, with lots of news. You've got tens of thousands of students and parents to serve.

3. HIGHER EDUCATION - A crucial beat in Missoula. A lot of people want and need to know what's going on at the University of Montana.

4. The JUSTICE BEAT - Crime and punishment is a staple of community news coverage. We've got lots of law enforcement agencies and courts in this town, and they're always producing news.

5. The ECONOMY - Your job is to give readers they what need to make good decisions about their financial lives. Believe me, this is a rich beat.

6. HEALTH - Everyone cares about this, so we need good, timely reporting on health threats and trends in treatment, costs and access. The health care is big business in Missoula.

7. NATURAL RESOURCES/ENVIRONMENT - Another huge beat in Montana, with enormous consequences for the well-being of your readers. From wolves to weeds, the stories are everywhere.

Study Tips for Monday's Quiz, and a Few Good Links

2009-11-20T10:22:00.016-08:00

I'll split the quiz between justice and eduction topics. Those of you who took notes on Wednesday's short discussion on justice terms and procedures should be in good shape. Here's a link to legal terms you might encounter.

For the education questions, I'd like you to be able to tell me how Montana's higher ed and K-12 systems are governed and funded. You will also need a sense of their histories and the challenges ahead.

Actually, you'll find everything you should need on the education powerpoint in Swibold's professor's folder on the journalism sever.

By the way, here's a good story on a civil case from today's Missoulian.

One more thing, the Chronicle of Higher Education is running a good series this week on journalism education. Click on the graphic above for a link to the stories.

Higher Ed in the News

2009-11-20T09:45:00.009-08:00

New York Times

Momentous decisions are being made that could affect the cost and quality of a college education. Here are two tales about the problems of two states: California and Montana. (Kaimin reporter Jayme Fraser's story is a great example of smart news writing on the fly.)

Here's a NY Times slide show of student protests in California.

Plea bargain in murder case has a long history

2009-11-04T12:50:00.004-08:00

The Missoulian's Tristan Scott did a good story last month previewing the Lincoln C. Benavides plea deal in the Florence murders case. It goes down Thursday in U.S. District Court.

Covering Wildfires: Resources for Reporters

2009-10-26T10:02:00.010-07:00

InciWeb (Incident Information System): Details from various federal and state agencies on latest fire activity and contact information for those fighting the fire.

National Interagency Fire Center (Boise): Lots of information, stats, procedures for fighting fires on public lands.

Firewise: A national program designed to inform people who live ear wildlands.

Federal agencies that fight or monitor fire: National Forest Service (search by forest, i.e., Lolo National Forest, Bitterroot National Forest, Helena National Forests; also the service's northern regional headquarters are in Missoula), Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. After a disaster, FEMA may arrive on the scene.

Montana Department of Natural Resources: Responsible for wild fires on state land (and there's more of it out there than you think.)

Society of Environmental Journalists: Here's a tipsheet on wildland fire coverage.

Know the lingo: Here's an online glossary of firefighting terms. Be careful in your translations.

Stories: Impacts on humans, wildlife, ecosystems, economy; fire management policy, prevention, disaster aftermath (emergency housing and necessities, rebuilding loans), investigations.

Ethics: Here's a guide produced by journalists on how to provide more effective coverage of tragedies and disasters.

Covering the Justice Beat: Local Resources

2009-10-14T09:40:00.004-07:00

Law Enforcement

The Missoula Police Department's info on crime activity.
The Missoula County Sheriff's Department's jail roster
University of Montana Public Safety
Montana Highway Patrol

Prosecutors

Courts

Records

Missoula County Clerk of District Court (felonies, larger civil suits)
Correctional Offender Network (records of state convicts)

This Week in Public Affairs Reporting

2009-10-10T08:38:00.004-07:00

This week's assignments:

A story from your beat.
In-class assignment (Wednesday)

Opportunies:

Esquire's Chris Jones, this year's Pollner prof (that's him in the picture), delivers the annual Pollner Lecture at 7 p.m. Monday in the University Center Theater. Should be good.
Newwest.net is offering student journalists a free pass to sessions of its annual real estate and development conference, which kicks off Monday afternoon. Lots of story possibilities for those of you with local economy, environment and government beats. Clicke here for details.

Last Deadline Council Story Monday Night

2009-10-04T09:45:00.013-07:00

We're covering Monday night's City Council meeting, and there's no doubt about the big news. After two years of work and no small controversy, the council is likely to approve a new zoning ordinance. (So what? What might that mean to your readers? What's the reaction?)

You could easily put together a few background grafs before the meeting, based on information from the city's special zoning Web site, which offers answers detailing why the city pursued this and what major changes Missoula residents can expect. Do do a good job of translating this.

For good background on the legal controversy, see the Missoulian's Friday story. The paper's city reporter also posted a pdf of the judge's decision.

Of course, zoning isn't the only newsworthy matter on Monday's agenda.

We're Covering the City Council Tonight

2009-09-28T08:39:00.003-07:00

I expect you to produce a story from tonight's Missoula City Council meeting for a midnight deadline. We'll discuss some possibilities in class, but you can prepare for that by digging through the agenda.

Your other assignment this week is to produce a short bio on your City Council candidate. Those are due to me by e-mail by classtime Wednesday. You can find a lot online, but I want you to verify everything with your candidate (who's likely to be at tonight's meeting).

You'll also want to arrange an interview with him or her for the candidate feature, which is due a week from Friday.

The Best Ledes Pop and Sizzle

2009-09-24T16:00:00.005-07:00

Think public affairs writing has to be dull? Here's what the Wall Street Journal's Scott McCartney wrote after covering a recent meeting of aviation officials:

Listen up, airlines: You need to fix the problem of leaving people stranded on miserable, smelly airplanes with little food, water or patience—and you can. Lots of your peers say so. (Summary lede) ...
On Tuesday, a diverse group of aviation professionals gathered in Washington to debate solutions, including urging Congress to force airlines to give passengers the option of leaving a plane after three hours of runway jail. In conversations outside the staged event, these engineers, former airline executives, airport managers and pilots' union leaders offered common-sense solutions. (Support for the lede.) ...
Click for the rest of the story.

City Election Assignments and Deadlines

2009-09-24T14:59:00.006-07:00

Photo by Tiffany Wilson

Here's the list of who is responsible for what:

Candidate Bios and Features:
Mayor John Engen (Lily)
Ward 1: Dave Strohmaier (Danielle), Ryan Morton (Kate)
Ward 2: John Hendrickson (Emerald), Roy Houseman (Hannah)
Ward 3: Bob Jaffe (Roman), John Quandt (Josh)
Ward 4: John Wilkins (Justyn)
Ward 5: Dick Haines (Layla), Mike O'Herron (Joe)
Ward 6: Marilyn Marler (Hollis), Kathy Greathouse (Kyle)

Issues:
Growth (Evan)
Traffic problems (Piper)
Recreation (Jed)
Job/business development (Jessica)

Deadlines:
Candidate bios (Wednesday, Sept. 30), candidate and issue features (Friday, Oct.9

Meet Eli Saslow of the Washington Post

2009-09-18T09:04:00.005-07:00

We're having a special guest in Monday’s class. Eli Saslow from the Washington Post is in the area , and he's agreed to stop by for a chat. He’s a truly big deal, and in preparation for his visit, here are a couple of clips that show what an amazing writer and reporter he is. Please give them a read.

Here is a story he wrote a few days after a deadly Metro crash in Washington, D.C.

Here is his story about the speech that launched Barack Obama's climb to the White House.

News ledes: A refresher course

2009-09-14T10:27:00.009-07:00

LEDES FOR BREAKING NEWS of obvious importance should get to the point quickly. You don't have to stuff everything in there, just the crucial information. Check out these samples:

* (AP) A new audiotape, reportedly from Osama bin Laden, denounced President Obama on Monday as no different from his predecessor and warned that anti-American attacks would not stop unless the United States ended the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

* The Flathead County attorney said Friday that felony charges will not be filed in the case of a fatal boat crash on Flathead Lake that killed a Whitefish man. (Kalispell Daily Interlake)

* Kent teachers have approved a new contract and are heading back to their classrooms. (Seattle Times)

* The Missoula City Council on Monday adopted the 2010 budget proposed by Mayor John Engen - a plan that isn't expected raise taxes this fiscal year. (Missoulian)

* Kalispell state Sen. Greg Barkus is back in Kalispell, and said he remembers little of the circumstances of an Aug. 27 boat crash near Bigfork that injured him and four others, including U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg. (Flathead Beacon)

* Missoula County health officers expect a wave of so-called swine flu cases as the school year moves deeper into September. (Missoulian)

GOOD FEATURE LEDES SHOW what's interesting about stories that aren't obviously important. Check this out:

The tiny male bat didn't expect to wind up in a biologist's hand when he set out in search of a nighttime snack along Box Canyon Creek.

After being snagged in a net, weighed and measured, the unhappy creature gnashed its teeth and squirmed as Pat Ormsbee stretched its wing for inspection.

The light from a headlamp shone through the translucent tissue, revealing bones tinier than toothpicks.

"This is one of the key things we need to be looking for," Ormsbee said, scanning for rips or scars that could signal infection with white-nose syndrome, the mysterious blight that has devastated bat colonies in the northeastern United States. ...

SOME LEDES TO AVOID:

1. A Topic Lede: President Barack Obama gave a speech today on the importance of education (or any other vague topic. No news here.) A variation: The School Board argued for hours last night over financial matters. (So what? What did they say that was newsworthy?)

2. The Question Lede: Should nonresident UM students get a break on the cost of big game hunting licenses? (That's lazy.)

3. The Quotation Lede: "You can't compete with free," says Fred Dowling, owner of a local music store for nearly 30 years. (What's the context here?)

THE IMPORTANCE OF BACKGROUND

Don't assume every reader is up to speed with ongoing stories. You'll make more sense to more people if you bring them up to date. This crucial background graf is from a story on the work Montana law professors are doing on a controversy over physician-assisted suicide.

Montana is awaiting a decision from its Supreme Court on whether physicians can help terminally ill patients who choose to die. A state district judge says they can because Montana's constitution specifially guarantees every citizen's dignity. But Montana's attorney general argues that the practice could lead to unwarranted deaths.

First you read: What's up with Missoula?

2009-09-12T13:32:00.006-07:00

Here's the agenda for Monday night's City Council meeting. Click on the background links. Educate yourself as best you can, but bring your questions and two potential story ideas to Monday's class.

You might also check out the latest postings to missoularedtap.com.

Resources on the City Beat

2009-09-09T12:30:00.006-07:00

The City of Missoula's Web site has links to:

Who's who on the City Council.
A map of city wards.
Council agendas.

Missoulian reporter Keila Szpaller's local government site, missoularedtape.com, is a good place to look for background.

Some style issues for your city coverage:

Let's identify the council as the Missoula City Council on first reference and the council on subsequent ones.

Let's identify council members this way: Councilman Bob Jaffe, Councilwoman Stacy Rye.

You don't have to identify council members by ward, unless that's pertinent to the story

Deadlines and how to meet them

2009-09-09T08:58:00.003-07:00

BREAKING NEWS: If you have breaking news of obvious immediate importance (spot news, scoops), file the story no later than midnight of the day it breaks. Talk to me, too. No promises, but you may have something the Kaimin would want to publish.

NEWS FEATURES: The earlier the better, but the hard deadline each week is noon Friday.

How to format and file your stories:

1. Send them to me as e-mail attachments in Word. My e-mail: dennis.swibold@umontana.edu.

2. Double-space all copy. Indent paragraphs. Put your name, the date and a short description of the story ("Mayor resigns") at the top left of the copy. Then leave three inches of blank space before you begin the story.

Beat assignments and first deadline

2009-09-02T08:46:00.005-07:00

Local economy: Kara O'Connell, Emerald Gilleran

Health: Justyn Field, Piper Haugan

Higher education: Roman Stubbs, Josh Potter

Missoula K-12 schools: Lily Rabil

Justice: Hanna Stiff, Layla Turman

State government: Joe Pavlish

Natural resources & environment: Jessica Cosgrove, Kate Whittle, Evan Phillippe

The following need to see me: Danielle Lellek, Jed Nussbaum, Kyle Spurr, Hollis Kenney

You'll get your first beat assignments in class today. I'll be asking each of you to do some research on specific stories or issues on your beat. By 5 p.m. Friday, each of you is to submit a written written pitch (via e-mail) for a story that you will do the following week.

The pitch will include:

A sentence describing what the story is about.
A sentence or two describing why the story is newsworthy now and some background.
A list of sources you need to contact to do this story (names and phone numbers).

The deadline for your first beat stories is noon, Friday, Sept. 11. You may, however, submit them earlier.

Choose a beat and let's get rolling

2009-08-31T10:54:00.006-07:00

By 8 a.m. Tuesday, send me an e-mail with your first and second choice for a beat to cover. I’ll let you know your assignment by the day’s end.

The choices are:

The local economy – Lots of stories here. How are people in your community faring in this recession? What’s the market for jobs? Housing? Energy? Retail trends? A good way to start is update an ongoing story or localize a national one. What challenges to business owners face? What challenges to their workers face?

Missoula K-12 schools – Everyone knows somebody with a kid in local public and private schools. Education is about preparing people for change. So how’s that going? It’s also a big cost to taxpayers. How’s that money being spent?

Higher education – You’re a consumer as well as a student, so start asking questions. How well is this place preparing you for change? What works and what doesn’t? What’s new? What big projects and changes are leaders working on? Who’s running the place?

The justice system – Again, lots of stories. This beat is big and newsy. You’ve got city police, a county sheriff’s department, the highway patrol, campus security and an array of federal cops (FBI, DEA, Homeland Security, ATF, etc.) You’ve got city, county and federal courts too.

City government – These folks are responsible for the safety and well-being of everyone in Missoula. You name it, the city deals with it. It provides police and fire protection, plans for growth, and maintains clean air, clean water, parks, streets and sidewalks. That’s just the short list. This is a big beat with lots of news potential.

County government – Take the previous beat and apply those responsibilities over an area of roughly 2,600 square miles. Counties also act as an agent for state government. County courts prosecute crimes against the state. Counties collect property taxes and run elections. County officials maintain rural roads and plan for growth. They also share responsibilities with city officials for things such as transportation, libraries, public health, etc.

Health – Here’s another huge beat, especially today. From the latest on swine flu to the quality and availability of health care, this beat has lots of interest – and lots controversy. Think about breakthroughs in research and new treatments and care. Who’s providing what health care in your community? How good is that care? What does it cost? Who isn’t being served?

Natural resources and the environment – There’s no better place to cover this stuff than right here. The issues include climate change, wilderness policy, timber and mining policy, wildlife management, water and air pollution, environmental health, recreation on public lands, recycling, sustainable agriculture and industry. This beat is global with lots of local players.

Other – No list can cover everything, so if you have an idea of something with significant public policy angle, let me know. Here are a few I would consider: agriculture, sports/athletics business and regulation, transportation, media/communications business, etc.

New to the beat? Try updating an ongoing story

2009-08-28T11:03:00.009-07:00

Getting up to speed with an ongoing story is a good way to start on the beat. The first thing you should do is read everything you can about the issue. Let's use Missoula's ongoing debate over panhandling to get started.

1. Has this been covered in the press? It's useful to see what's been reported before, but remember that you need to verify or credit anything that you didn't witness. Look particularly for what IS NOT in the story. Are there unanswered questions? (If so, answering them could make for a story.) How could this be updated?

New West's story
The Missoulian's story
The Wall Street Journal (Really? No kidding?)
A Wall Street Journal video (Wow.)

2. Can I find original documents on this? Chances are good. Laws and policies don't come out of thin air. In this case, everything springs from Missoula's city government, and the City Council, in particular. It all started as somebody's idea and then went through a, gasp, process.

Writing about process is boring, but knowing the process can help you find sources and records. In this case, it helped me find the following:

>Minutes of a debate, in which elected City Council members argued the pros and cons of a new panhandling law (cities and counties call laws ordinances.)
>A draft of the ordinance itself.
>One council member's e-mail discussion of the issue.

So what new angle are you going to take?

Welcome to Newzhound

2009-08-28T09:25:00.003-07:00

We'll use this site as a place to post announcements, assignments and information on topics and resoruces for the semester.

In the meantime, you'll need to register with Blogger.com so you can comment to the posts.

Anatomy of an Investigation: "The Electronic Wasteland"

2008-11-14T09:21:00.004-08:00

Watch CBS Videos Online

After months of work, CBS's 60 Minutes aired this story on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2008. Producer Solly Granatstein and correspondent Scott Pelly found that some American companies who advertise safe collection and recyling of hazardous e-waste were actually dumping those products in developing nations whose people often work at great risk to salvage valuable but toxic metals from the waste.

The story built on an investigation done last summer by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress. GAO officials posing as foreign buyers found eager sellers among 43 American companies trying to circument EPA regulations in the disposal of e-waste.

CBS reporters found themselves under surveillance when they followed a container of such waste from its collection in Colorado to its eventual home in a badly polluted Chinese community near Hong Kong.

Here's a link to a print version of the story.

"unSpun" Assignments

2008-11-13T13:10:00.003-08:00

The Presentation Schedule

Nov. 24:

Chapter One - From Snake Oil to Emu Oil, Chris Arneson

Chapter Two - Bridesmaid's Bad Breath, Megan McLean and Mike Gerrity

Chapter Three - Tall Coffees and Assault Weapons, Karen Garcia and Jessica Whalen

Dec. 1:

Chapter Four - UFO Cults and Us, Danielle deBouver and Andrew Dusek

Chapter Five - Facts Can Save Your Life, Allison Maier and Heather Roussi

Chapter Six - The Great Crow Fallacy, Brenna Braaten and Ashley Klein

Dec. 3

Chapter Seven - Osama, Ollie and Al, Matt McLeod and Erin Gallagher

Chapter Eight - Was Clarence Darrow a Creationist?, Charles Pulliam

Issues for Justice Reporters

2008-10-27T09:28:00.006-07:00

BEAT COVERAGE: Poynter, Power Reporting, Covering Crime and Justice

PROJECTS: Wrongful convictions, "Wasted in Wisconsin," Pro Publica, "Forensics Under the Microscope"

ETHICS: Covering Crime and Justice, At the Virginia Pilot; SPJ case studies

Local Justice Resources

2008-10-27T09:25:00.006-07:00

State and Local Resources

Montana law gives you access to:

Daily incident reports – They’re often skimpy and filled with code. But they’re a start.

Daily arrest reports – Name, DOB, charge.

Jail logs – Who’s in jail, arresting agency.

Other Local and State Web resources

Missoula Police Department

Missoula County Sheriff’s Department

Missoula County Detention Facility.

Montana’s court system. Find links to various branches and resources of Montana’s judicial system, from the state Supreme Court down to Municipal and Justice of the Peace courts.

Montana’s laws. It’s all here, but Title 45 is the state criminal code. You’ll find descriptions of different crimes and any sentencing guidelines.

Montana Supreme Court decisions. You can read them yourself.

Montana State Law Library. Look up old court decisions. Contacts here can help you research a case.

Montana Department of Justice. We elected a state attorney general, who acts as Montana’s top prosecutor. He also represents the state in lawsuits. His department covers everything from law enforcement and forensics (State Crime Lab) to gambling regulation. It also keeps state crime stats.

Montana Department of Corrections. Officials here track everyone convicted of felonies. They have databases of violent and sexual offenders and everyone currently in the state prison system.

Learning about the Law

2008-10-20T10:05:00.010-07:00

Here's a guide to Montana courts and answers to questions about the state's legal system. Here's a guide to legal words phrases. Here are some you need to know from the start:

-Actual malice, Affadavit, Answer, Appeal, Arraignment
-Bail/Bond, Bankruptcy, Beyond a reasonable doubt
-Circumstantial evidence, Class action suit, Complaint, Compensatory damages, Concurrent sentences, Consecutive sentences, Cross examination
-Damages, Defamation, Double jeopardy
-Felony
-Grand jury
-Habeas corpus, Hung jury
-Indictment, Information
-Judgment
-Liability, Libel
-Mistrial
-Parole, Plaintiff, Probation, Preliminary hearing, Preponderance of the evidence, Probable cause, Punitive damages
-Remand
-Settlement, Statute of Limitations, Subpoena
-Voir dire
-Warrant

We're Going to Court Monday

2008-10-17T08:36:00.005-07:00

That's right. Let's meet in the second-floor lobby of the Missoula County Courthouse at 2:15 sharp. We'll sit in on a Justice Court session, the honorable Justice of the Peace Karen Orzech presiding.

We'll report on a story for a midnight deadline, so bring your notebooks, recorders and pens. We'll also make a quick visit to the Clerk of District Court's office, the honorable Chris Arneson guiding.

Get Ready for Monday's Council Meeting

2008-10-05T14:54:00.002-07:00

Take a look at the City Council’s agenda for tomorrow night. Remember, we’re covering stories, not meetings, so pick a couple issues that you think might be worthy of covering and be prepared to talk about them in class. In other words, do some background work.

Also, I’m changing the assignments for the week. Besides Monday’s council story, I’ll ask you to polish your candidate interview story, based on my comments. Be working on the story from your beat about the election, but we’ll make that due early next week.

See you in class.

Revealing Questions for Candidates

2008-10-01T12:16:00.011-07:00

Here are some of my ideas. Add your own as comments.

1. Who are your heroes? Why?

2. Have you ever voted for someone in the other party? Who and why?

3. What advice does you spouse give you about campaigning?

4. How would you rate the press coverage in this campaign?

5. What's the strangest suggestion you've received from consituents?

6. What's the hardest job you've ever done?

7. What's the best book you've ever read?

8. What's the best advice you've ever been given?

Covering Elections: The Basics

2008-10-01T10:35:00.006-07:00

Here's a list of things journalists should consider when they cover elections.

1. Background your candidates -- We've already talked about this, but it's important. Who are these folks? Who are their friends and supporters? Who is endorsing them? Who is giving them money? What's their history? Where do their private and public histories intersect?

2. Illuminate candidates' stands on the issues -- You'll get some of this by covering debates, forums, press confernces, speeches, etc. It's important not only to cover what they say, but to verify the accuracy of it. Track their comments on an issue over time to see if they changing the tune. Are they pandering to the crowd? What issues are they ignoring? Are voters' opinions on issues being solicited? In call of this, be sure to put the issues in context. How does this affect my readers?

3. Cover the "horse race" -- The press overdoes this, partly because it's easy, but it still matters. Pay attention to the polls (Are they credible? Valid statiscially?). What strategies and tactics are the candidates using? How effective is a candidate at organizing, raising money, etc. How is the electorate changing? How are registration and voting laws affecting the process? Look for oddities in the collection and counting of votes? Is the process fair?

Better Election Coverage

2008-10-01T09:15:00.003-07:00

Some questions election reporters should ask themselves:

1. Are we covering the "horse race" (stories about polls, campaign tactics, personnel) at the expense of issues?
2. Are we asking questions voters care about?
3. Who is going uncovered?
4. What issues are going undebated?
5. Are we trying to get to the truth of campaign allegations?
6. Are we giving voters and candidates an opportunity to respond?

Good Election Fact-Checking Sites

2008-10-01T08:38:00.003-07:00

PolitiFact.com -- Another good site sponsored the St. Petersburg Tims and Congressinal Quarterly. Check out the "Truth-o-Meter" and the new "Flip-o-Meter."

Factcheck.org -- Probably the best all-around election fact-checking site. It succeds in being a nonpartisan resource that moves quickly to sift the truth from fiction from national campaigns.

How to "Truth Check" a Campaign Ad

2008-10-01T08:36:00.002-07:00

Stories sifting fact from fantasy in campaign ads are becoming more frequent as checking them becomes easier to do. Here are some examples in print and broadcast.

Some pointers for doing your own 'Truth Check' story:

1. Insist that candidates provide sources to back up their advertising allegations. Most will. In fact, check the sponsor's Web site first. If they refuse to offer proof, you've got a story they're really going to hate.

2. Most often, candidates will point to their opponents' voting records. Look up the bills and votes yourself. Don't rely on their opponents' "spin." If we're talking about state legislation, go to the Montana's Legislature's site. Click on "bills" for the right session. You can search by bill number, sponsor or general topic. It's easy to verify a vote or see what a bill would do, but often the bill's costs are the issue, so be sure to look at the "fiscal note," which is the state's best guess at costs for taxpapers. If we're talking about federal legislation, go to the Library of Congress' Web site.

3. After you've seen the facts, bounce your finding off of both candidates or their people. You can include their reaction in your story. They may offer you more context or sources, too.

Some pitfalls:

A. Make sure you're reporting a candidate's final vote on the issue at hand. Legislators may vote many times on a single bill: at the committee stage, on amendments to a bill and finally on the bill as amended. Here's an example: In 1997, state Sen. Mike Taylor initially voted to deregulate the wholesale price of electricity, a highly controversial idea in Montana. But he changed his mind on the third and final vote, making him one of the few Republicans to ultimately reject the idea. He's running this year for the state's Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities.

B. The questions legislators face are not always black and white. For example, a legislator could support a sale tax as an additional tax or as a substitue for eliminating or cutting other taxes. The effect on taxpayers could vary enormously.

C. Beware of singling out a lawmaker's vote as his or her only vote on some controversial issue. Often Democrats and Republicans will offer similar solutions to some problem. A Republican legislator who votes against a Democratic version may vote for his party's solution instead.

Contact Info for Legislative Candidates

2008-09-26T13:04:00.002-07:00

Those of you looking for contact information on Montana legislative candidates can find it here.

The Paper Trail: A Guide to Backgrounding People

2008-09-23T19:23:00.009-07:00

You'll be surprised at what you can find that's readily available: news clips, business directories, phone and criss-cross directors. You'll find much of that and more online from your local university library. Google, Lexis-Nexis, social networking sites -- of that can help, but don't overlook public records when you're investigating an individual. Not all of them are online, but many are.

Here are some public records that may prove helpful:

BIRTH RECORDS (Montana makes them available 30 years after a birth.)

SCHOOL RECORDS (Dates attended, degrees conferred, theses written, dissertations. No grades. No school disciplinary action.)

PROPERTY RECORDS (Counties have this stuff: Who owns what, property assessments, taxes paid and unpaid, improvements, even a map.)

MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE RECORDS (You can see a marriage license but not the application. Divorces are civil actions.)

BANKRUPTCIES (Individuals have to file with a U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Lots of detail here about what people own and owe.)

DRIVERS' LICENSES, OTHER LICENSES (Hunting, fishing, etc. You may not get to see the application but you should be able to find out if a person is licensed for these activities. It will cost you a couple of bucks, but you can check with the Montana Highway Patrol to see if someone has speeding tickets.)

PROFESSIONAL LICENSES (Most states keep these records for doctors, nurses, lawyers, public school teachers, pilots, cosmetologists -- anyone who needs a license to do their job. You can find out what the qualifications are for different jobs, or if someone is, in fact, licensed.)

COURT RECORDS (Criminal and civil histories -- convictions, judgments, complaints, depositions, affadavits for probable cause, affadavits for warrants, etc. Sometimes private records -- health, income, etc -- will show in a civil or criminal court case if they are offered in evidence. Much of this is on file at the court house, although some things are online. Check out Missoula District Court dockets.)

PRISON RECORDS (Who's there? Why? In Montana, you can find that stuff on CONWEB. Yep. That's what they call it.)

MILITARY RECORDS (It's not online, and it takes a while, but you can verify of service, rank, medals and commendations.)

CONCEALED WEAPONS PERMITS (Check with the Sheriff's Department.)

LENDING INFORMATION (UCC filings document some loans. Check with the county clerk and recorder, Secretary of State.)

PUBLIC EMPLOYEE SALARIES (Check with the human services officer in the agency that employs them.)

VOTER REGISTRATION INFO (You can find out if someone voted but not how they voted.)

VOTING RECORDS (Local government minutes, legislative and congressional journals, vote-tracking sites, Project Vote Smart, etc.)

CAMPAIGN CASH (Check the Federal Election Commission's database for donations to candidates for federal office. Another place to go for federal campaign cash is opensecrets.org . For campaign finance infomation on local legislators, check with the county election officials. For statewide candidates, cheick with the Montana's Commissioner of Political Practices. For contributions from previous Montana election cycles, check http://www.followthemoney.org/)

ELECTRONIC ACCESS LAWS

For state-by-state laws on access to public records, check with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

WANT MORE?

Take the Net Tour offered by the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting.

Monday Sept. 15 Assignments

2008-09-13T17:47:00.006-07:00

Remember that we'll meet Monday at the regular time BUT in Room 316 to hear from Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter Maurice Possley. Please see his work that I linked to on the Sept. 4 post. BRING THREE QUESTIONS, and I'll expect to hear you ask them.

Also, I'm giving you your choice Monday night:

1. You can cover the City Council meeting for a midnight deadline. (Planning and zoning issues)

Or ...

2.You can cover the gubernatorial debate on campus for the same deadline. That event starts at 7 p.m. in the Montana Theatre, PAR/TV Center. Candidates Republican Roy Brown, Democrat Brian Schweitzer and Libertarian Stan Jones will be there. Will you?

If you choose the debate, focus your story on the exhanges that show their differences on the issues and in style. Hit the highlights. Don't speculate on who won or lost, but you can report about the crowd an its responses to the answers. (Rememeber, this will be on TV too.)

Here's some background on Gov. Schweitzer: http://www.votesmart.org/summary.php?can_id=40832

Here's some background on his Republican challenger: http://www.votesmart.org/summary.php?can_id=20942

Here's some background on third-party candidate, Stan Jones, a Libertarian: http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=40338

Tonight's Agenda

2008-09-08T07:53:00.003-07:00

For those of you who couldn't find it over the weekend, here you go.

Tips for Writing on Deadline

2008-09-08T07:44:00.003-07:00

1. Have a good idea of what the story might be before you begin your reporting. That way you're thinking about potential ledes from the start.

2. As you're taking notes, mark passages or quotations that support the potential ledes rolling around in your head.

3. When you start to write, see how far you can get without looking at your notes. Then go through the notes to fill in the blanks for quotes, examples, etc.

Ask Tax Man: What are Property Taxes?

2008-09-08T07:33:00.003-07:00

I'm so glad you asked. It’s important to understand how property taxes work because they’re the biggest source of tax revenue for local governments (cities, counties and school districts). The state and feds rely more in income taxes.

THE MILL LEVY

Property taxes are based on a property’s value. Once the value is determined, local governments assess – or levy – something called a mill. Think of one mill as $1 in taxes for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value. (Another way to express it would be $.001 for every $1 of taxable value.)

Here’s how it works: If my home has a taxable value of $3,000 and the city decided to levy 100 mills, then my tax bill would be $300, or $100 for each thousand dollars of taxable value.

You can also see why actual tax bills vary around the city, though every pays the same 100 mills. Property values vary. The state calculates taxable values by looking at sale prices and then applying various deductions and tax rates that vary based on the type of property. For instance, in Montana homes and most businesses pay the same tax rate. Farmland and property owned by nonprofits pay a different rate.

HOW LOCAL GOVERNMENTS DETERMINE MILL LEVIES

First, the city adds up the taxable values of every piece of property within the city limits. Let’s say it’s $100, 000, 000. (That’s called the city’s tax base.) Then the city multiplies the tax base by the value of one mill ($.001). The result is how much city would raise for each mill it levies:

Our example:

$100,000,000 (total taxable value in the city) X .001(one mill’s value) = $100,000 (what one mill in taxes will raise citywide)

Let’s say the city decides it needs to raise $60 million. If you divide $60,000,000 by $100,000 (what one mill would raise) you get 600 mills. That means each property owner in the city would have to pay $600 for every $1,000 of their property’s taxable value.

THINGS THAT CAN MAKE PROPERTY TAXES RISE

1. More government spending. (New bond issues, inflation in the cost of services, shifts in state and federal spending.)
2. Higher property values. (Every few years the state reassesses all the property in Montana. It’s a nervous time.)

ONE THING TO REMEMBER: IT ALL ADDS UP

A person’s property tax bill includes mill levies from the city, the county, local school districts and even state government (mostly for education). We even pay special property taxes in our individual neighborhoods for things like street repairs, sidewalks, street lighting, etc. They call these SIDs, or Special Improvement Districts.

WANNA SEE TAX MAN'S PROPERTY TAX BILL?

It's a public record.

Coming Soon: Justice Reporter Maurice Possley

2008-09-04T13:12:00.007-07:00

Mark your calendars. On Monday, Sept. 15, we will meet from 2:10 to 3:30 p.m. in Room 316 to have a discussion with Pulitzer Prize-winning criminal justice reporter Maurice Possley, formerly of the Chicago Tribune. Please click on the links at this site to read his work. Your assignment: Prepare at least three questions for him and post them as comments to this blog entry.

Assignments

2008-09-03T12:01:00.007-07:00

For this week:

Your first beat stories are due to me by 5 p.m. Friday. Send them as WORD e-mail attachments, and follow the copy preparation rules (double-spaced body copy, white space at the top of the first page, etc.)

Also, this weekend, please check the City Council's agenda for Monday night. Click the links. Get as familiar as you can with the issues. Bring your questions to Monday's class.

Next week:

We're covering Monday night's City Council meeting for a midnight deadline.

You'll also be expected to write a story from your chosen beat.

Covering the City Beat

2008-09-03T10:30:00.003-07:00

For the next few weeks we’ll be covering the City Beat and its most important institution, city government, which is responsible for:

Protecting the public – It enacts ordinances to control public behavior; funds, hires and manages police and fire departments; monitors local air and water quality; provides sanitary sewer service; identifies and fights health threats, oversees the building of roads, streets, sidewalks and street lighting; monitors and inspects building construction.

Planning for growth – It reviews and approves new subdivisions and the extension of city services; establishes what type of buildings can go where (zoning).

Enhancing the quality of life – Establishes and maintains parks; funds and directs recreation programs; sponsors and oversees public events (farmers’ markets, festivals and concerts).

Raising money to pay for all that – Plans for spending (builds a yearly budget), raises money through general property taxes (those everyone pays), special property taxes (those paid by a few for a special purpose like sidewalks), fees (building permits, business licenses, development fees), and grants or loans from state or federal governments.

HOW CITY GOVERNMENT WORKS IN MISSOULA

The city hires professionals and lumps them into departments to oversee all of these activities.

Voters also elect a mayor to ensure that the departments are doing their jobs. In Missoula the mayor also presides over City Council meetings.

Voters two people from each of six districts, or wards, to sit on the City Council. The 12-member council makes the big decisions on services, growth and taxes. The council consists of several committees that study different needs and make recommendations to the full council.

The council meets every Monday (except for holidays and fifth Mondays of each month) to conduct public hearings and make decisions on items brought to it by its committees, the mayor and residents. An agenda is posted at least two days before each meeting so residents and city officials alike can prepare to participate.

THE REPORTER’S JOB

Give residents information they need to understand and participate in decisions that could affect their well-being. Be watching for impacts on services and taxes

Beat Assignments

2008-08-26T14:14:00.008-07:00

Here's a list of beat assigments based on your requests. There's still time to change your mind, however. No one picked natural resouces/environment so that's still available.

The beats:

1. Justice I (cops and misdemeanor courts) -- Gerrity, Garcia

2. Justice II (state and federal district courts) -- Arneson, Gundlach

3. K-12 education (Missoula public schools) -- McLean, Whalen

4. Politics (2008 election) -- Dusek

5. Public health -- Klein, Gallagher

6. Higher education -- Maier

7. Minorities -- Rawn, deBouver

8. City and county government --Braaten

9. Natural resources/environment -- Roussi

10. Engergy/transportation -- Pulliam

Welcome to Public Affairs Reporting, Fall '08

2008-08-25T11:03:00.002-07:00

Here are your first assigments:

A. By midnight tonight, send me the story from the short speech I gave in class. Send it as a Word attachment to dennis.swbold@umontana.edu

B. By 9 a.m. Tuesday, send me an e-mail with your first and second choices for a beat to cover. I’ll let you know your assigned beat by the day’s end. (Make sure you use your grizmail account.)

The choices are:

1. Local government: How are city and county governments dealing with issues such as public safety, transportation, growth? How are your readers affected? Read: Governing. Major institutions: City Council, County Commission.

2. K-12 education: Tens of thousands of Montanans are either enrolled in local schools or have children attending them. All of us pay tax to support the schools. What are children learning? How are they performing? Is the education community meeting students’ needs in the 21st century? What educational controversies do schools face? Are schools spending taxpayers’ money productively? Read: Education Week. Major institutions: Missoula County Public Schools.

3. Higher education: As consumers of higher ed, you have a vested interest in how the system works (or doesn’t work, as the case may be). Follow the changes and controversies: cost, access, changes in administration, curriculum, interaction with societal issues and controversies. How are colleges performing? Read: The Chronicle of Higher Education. Major institutions: UM, ASUM.

4. Justice I: You’ll cover breaking crime and disaster news in the Missoula area. This beat involves making the rounds constantly. Major institutions: Missoula Police Department, Campus Safety, Missoula County sheriff’s Department, Missoula Fire Department, Municipal (city) and Justice (county) courts.

5. Justice II: You cover cases in district (state) and federal courts. How is justice being served? What’s happening in newsworthy criminal cases? Who’s suing whom in civil cases? Major institutions: Missoula County District Courts (We have four district judges who handle cases involving violations of state law or civil cases between Montanans.) We have a federal courthouse with a U.S. district judge and a U.S. magistrate. (They handle cases involving violations of federal laws and suits between citizens of different states or against federal agencies.)

6. Public health: You’ll cover issues of interest to the public health, like outbreaks of disease, new diseases (West Nile) or health trends of concern (obesity, smoking, etc). You cover changes and controversies in the local health care system (access to services, costs, changes and trends in treatment options). Read: The Nation’s Health (http://www.apha.org/publications/tnh/default.htm). Major institutions: City-County Health Department, St. Patrick Hospital, Community Memorial Hospital, UM’s Curry Health Center.

7. Natural resources, the environment: You’ll look for local angles to environmental controversies such as climate change, air and water quality and the health of forests, grasslands and wildlife habitat (wildfires). Read: High Country News (http://www.hcn.org/). Major institutions: U.S. Forest Service, the EPA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Montana Department of Environmental Quality, city air and water quality officials, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Lots of environmetal organizations too: Clark Fork Coalition, Five Valleys Land Trust, Friends of the Bitterroot, Wilderness Society, etc.

8. Energy/transportation: This beat gets more important with every jump in gas prices. What’s happening with access to and costs of energy? Utility rates? What’s new in alternative fuels? Public transportation? Alternative modes of transportation? What’s happening to roads and runways? Access and cost of air, rail or bus travel, etc. Read: http://www.freetrademagazinesource.com/37/categories.aspx?AffiliateID=84797996&gclid=CPjB3te9opUCFR8ViQodhX8xjw
Major institutions: Mountain Line, Missoula International Airport, local and state street and highway departments, federal Department of Energy, Northwestern energy.

9. Undercovered communities: Think of it as the minorities/civil rights beat. What sort of discrimination do you see? What stories are NOT being told about minority communities? You should find a lot of stories among not only racial and ethnic minorities but with the disabled, religious minorities, fringe political or social organizations, gay, lesbian and transgender people, etc.

10. Politics: You’ll be covering elections, and there are a million ways to do it. We have local contests galore and you can find local election angles to national campaigns as well. Read: Local, state and national election news. Major institutions: Local party central committees, county election officials (they run the elections), Montana Secretary of State, Montana Commissioner of Political Practices, Federal Election Commission, etc.

News Features and Profiles

2007-11-27T13:29:00.000-08:00

Need some models for your in-depth news feature? Check out work of your fellow journalism students nationwide at the Hearst Journalism Awards Program. Look at the Features, In-depth and Personallity/Profile entries.

Keep Those Ballots Coming

2007-11-05T09:20:00.000-08:00

If it's too late to get your municipal ballot in the mail, you can drop it off at the Missoula County Elections Office, 200 W. Broadway. County officials also will accept ballots at the following locations, from 7 am. to 8 p.m., on Election Day only:

Rattlesnake School, 1220 Pineview Drive
Paxson School, 101 Evans
Russell School, 3216 Russell
Hellgate Elementary, 2385 Flynn Lane
Cold Springs School, 2625 Briggs

Is Justice Served?

2007-10-31T10:28:00.001-07:00

Cops and courts writers face such a steady stream of daily stories that they sometimes overlook articles about how the justice system works. It's a rich field for enterprising journalists. For great story ideas, check out Covering Crime and Justice, a Web-site produced by some of the nation's top justice journalists and featuring basics of beat coverage and a great assortment of story ideas.

Another thing to keep in mind is your obligation to see that the system is fair. Sometimes cops and prosecutors go too far. Check out the National Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers for examples. The folks at Truth in Justice have some resources too.

The Endorsements Assignment

2007-10-18T10:53:00.001-07:00

Here's what I need from each candidate group by midnight Monday:

1. How much money has the candidate raised and spent as of Monday?

List the totals for each category. (You may have to add up the totals from a couple of reporting periods).
List the major donors (say $100 or more) and provide their city and occupation, if available.

2. List the organizations and prominent people ((Parties, business groups, etc.; mayor, other council members, politicians, etc.) who have endorsed them.

Resources on the Justice Beat

2007-10-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

Missoula Police Department daily public reports
Checking these skimpy reports is a start. Look for more serious sounding events and those with A8 or A9, indicating they were serious enough for a report to be written. A good beat writer will also make daily calls, early in his or her shift, on routine sources, usually, detectives, to see what's new.

Missoula County jail roster
The public jail roster reflects charges listed at the time of booking. For the current status of the charges against an individual, contact the Missoula County attorney's office 258-3246. The roster can tip you off to arrests that didn't appear in the city public reports because they were made by other law enforcement agencies.

The Laws:

State criminal laws

Missoula municipal ordinances

Federal criminal code

State and tribal courts

Federal courts

The Ponyter Institutes links for crime reporters

The Budget: It's About People, Not Numbers

2007-10-08T08:47:00.001-07:00

By now, you should know that writing about public affairs is writing about people, not processes, not dry statistics or numbers. That goes for even the most number-driven story: budgets. The critical questions are the same as always:

Who wins?

Who loses?

Why?

Whose taxes are going up?

Whose services are being cut?

Once you understand the the answers, the trick it to write about them without getting lost in the numbers. One key is to use only the meaningful numbers and make comparisons that readers will easilty grasp. Here are some tips that might help.

One of the pitfalls in writing about spendig or taxes is making accurate comparisons over time. Because inflation eats a way at a dollar's buying power, you'll need to adjust for its impact. Here's a handy calculator that can help you do that.

Resources for Backgrounding Candidates

2007-10-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

Ask for a résumé or CV. Smart candidates these days have Web sites and post résumés and other interesting stuff there. Ask them to help fill in any unexplained gap, and double-check items that sound unusual or too good to be true.

STUFF YOU CAN CHECK ON YOUR OWN:

A. Education: You can’t get their grades, but you can confirm the dates they attended a school and degrees conferred. Be on the lookout for exaggeration.

B. Awards and honors: Check for publicity concerning such by contacting people or associations that confer them. Again, be on the lookout for exaggeration, especially in things they tout, as in a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War.

■ You can verify claims of military service by checking Military.com.
■ Poynteronline has a good tip sheet for military info.

C. Occupations: If there’s reason to be skeptical, check these directly. How long did they work there? What positions did they hold? How did they leave? Voluntarily? Check employer Web sites, association directories, etc.

D. News history: Check the archives of your local newspaper for mentions. Go back several years. Why were they in the news? (If they’ve moved here recently, check the paper where they used to live.) Always check Lexis-Nexis, Newsbank and other news databases.

E. Criminal and legal history: Check with the Clerk of District Court for felony charges or civil suits filed in Missoula County. Justice and Municipal courts have misdemeanors. You can check the state’s criminal history database, but it will cost you $11.50 per request. However, searching the state’s correctional offender network to locate people in prison is free. So are the state’s sexual/violent offender databases. You can get federal information though a database called PACER, but it costs. (I have an account.) Again, the Web is a good starting place.

F. Political/Public service history: Again, start with a basic Web/News search, but there are other databases, including minutes of government meetings and government directories. You can also check to see if they’ve given money to state or federal candidates. If you’re researching the voting record of a state or federal elected official, check with the good folks at Project Vote Smart.

G. Property and taxes: If they own property in Missoula County, you can look up its physical description, location and tax information. To see if they own property elsewhere in the state, check the Montana Department of Revenue’s Web locator.

H. Business records: If people own businesses, you can check to see what type they are and who represents them. Remember that incorporated businesses can own property, so search the property-tax databases for that information too.

I. Bankruptcy: Bankruptcies, in which individuals or businesses seek protection from their creditors, are filed in a special federal court. You can get this through PACER. The nearest U.S. Bankruptcy Court is in Butte.

OTHER ELECTION/GOVERNMENT TOOLS

For information about a Montana candidate’s past fund-raising, check the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices site. It can lead you to information about lobbyists, too. For information about groups running so-called issue advertisements (“527 groups”) , see Opensecrets.org.

Covering the Candidates

2007-10-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

Besides covering tonight's City Council meeting, I want you to file a photograph and a short biographical report on your council candiates this week.

Due by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5 -- A jpeg. photo and biographical information on your candidate. Keep it short and answer the following:

Name and Ward (also indicate whether your candidate is an incumbent) :

Age:

Occupation:

Marital or domestic partnership status:

Education: (degree and major)

Professional and military experience:

Public service:

Party affiliation:

Due by class Monday, Oct. 8 --

Q&A (10 questions)

Background report

Writing on Deadline

2007-09-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

It's rarely easy, but you will get better with practice.

Preparing -- even for a few minutes -- helps tremendously. Otherwise, get in the habit of thinking of a simple lede or headline as you report. You'll tweak it as new information comes in, but the process gets you ready to write.

One trick that works for me is to write a bare bones version of the story without looking at my notes. I'll flesh out the details and add quotes from my notes on the second run-though. That way I don't get bogged down in details at the start.

Here's some other advice on deadline writing from the pros.

This Week: Council, Taxes, Election

2007-09-24T09:47:00.000-07:00

We'll be covering tonight's Missoula City Council meeting. The story deadline is midnight. You're on your own as far a prepping for the assignment, but you know the drill by now. Don't go tonight without an idea or two for the story. Bring questions to class.

No beat story this week, but I want you to start digging into the City Council candidate you'll be be assigned to cover today. We'll draw for candidates and teams.

We'll be talking about the property tax in today's class. Here's some official literature on the subject from the Montana Department of Revenue, which administers taxation. The tax, which provides money for cities, counties and schools, is collected at the county.

Let's Hear it for Hillview Way

2007-09-16T19:34:00.000-07:00

Barring any surprises, it's the public's night to tell the City Council what it thinks of the a $3.3 million plan to rebuild Hillview Way, a twisty, dangerous road serving Missoula's South Hills. Missoulian reporter Keila Szpaller gave you a good look at the project last week, so you should be well prepared. She followed up with another good piece Monday.

If that's not enough, here's a map of the project and a fact sheet produced by the city's Public Works Department.

Take good notes so you can give readers a sense of the debate. It's hard to say if the council will vote on this after the hearing. If it does, you'll want to build your story on the decision and reaction. If it doesn't, then give readers a sense of the hearing (without getting lost in the process.)

You might even draft a few grafs of background ahead of time.

Your other assignment this week: A story from your beat.

Assignments for the Week of Sept. 9

2007-09-10T08:21:00.001-07:00

Here's what's due this week:

A story from Monday's Missoula City Council meeting. Deadline: Midnight Monday.
A story from your beat. Deadline: If you've got breaking news, the story is due by midnight of the day it happens. News features are due no later than noon Friday.

Local government reporters: There's a city primary election Tuesday. See me after class for details.

Covering City Hall: Preparation is the Key

2007-09-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

The action starts at 7 p.m. Monday night at the weekly Missoula City Council meeting. Get there (140 W. Pine St.) early and grab a seat where you can see who's talking. Before you go:

Read the agenda and follow the links on issues you think might be newsworthy.
Read Missoulian reporter Keila Szpaller's story in Sunday's paper about "roundabouts."
Go to the paper's archive link and click on advanced search. Look for any other articles on "roundabouts" over the last 12 months. (Hint: You'll have to change the search dates.) You should find an earlier story about the Miller Creek Road project.

You should also take a look at Keila's Monday story about a controversial plan to rebuild Hillview Way, a dangerous road that curves through Missoula's southern hills. The story anticipates a public hearing on the project scheduled for Monday the 17th. Good beat reporting like this gives people a chance to participate in the process.

Welcome to Public Affairs Reporting

2007-08-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

I'll use this space to continue class discussions, post assignments and publicize your best work. It's also a handy reference guide to links that can help you on your beats. Don't be shy about diving in. For starters, you might check out these tips from the pros for covering a beat.

On the Record: Backgrounding Business

2006-11-28T19:10:00.000-08:00

Learning how to learn about a business can come in handy.

In some ways, businesses are like individuals: They own things (property records), they pay taxes (property-tax records) and they sue people or get sued (court records), and they can go broke (bankruptcy filings).

Beyond that, they also leave special paper trails with:

-- Licensing agencies, agencies than permit corporations (Secretary of State's office)
-- Regulatory agencies (OSHA, EPA, FAA, FTC, state and local agencies, etc.)
-- Agencies that contract for products and services, or that grant business loans (SBA, CDBG, etc.)

What you can learn may also depend on what kind of business you're investigating.

Privately held businesses are generally owned by families or small groups of individual investors, who share the profits and the risks. They do not sell shares to the public. Typicially, you'll find less public information about them, although you may find plenty through trade or business sites, such as Hoover's.com. (Its free service offers basic info and links to news and press releases. Try searching for Mars, Incorporated. The pay service will look up company's public paper trail.)

Publicly traded companies share the profits and risks with shareholders, who buy and sell shares to the public in stock markets. To protect shareholders from being swindled, such companies are regulated by federal and state governments.

The federal regulator is the Securities and Exchange Commission, which To requires such companies to file a whole string of public reports, which can tell investors -- and reporters -- a lot about the way the company operates. You'll find annual and quarterly financial reports, announcements of major changes in ownership, etc.

In Montana, the State Auditor regulates companies that sell securities (stocks and bonds) and insurance. The auditor occasionally investigates wrongdoing and can instigate prosecutions through the courts.

Nonprofit companies or organizations are a different breed of business altogether. Most are exempt from paying taxes, and in return for that special treatment they must file an annual report (IRS Form 990 or PF990) that outlines what they do, how much money they take in and spend, who runs the show, etc.

Companies are required to keep copies of these reports for inspection but you can also order them from the IRS or find them online through an outfit called Guidestar.

On the Record: Backgrounding Individuals

2006-11-28T13:31:00.000-08:00

You may be surprised to find at what you'll find on Google, Lexis-Nexis, Facebook, etc., but don't overlook public records when you're investigating an individual. Here are some public records that may prove helpful:

Birth records (Montana makes them available 30 years after a birth.)

School records (Dates attended, degrees conferred, theses, dissertations. No grades.)

Property records (Deeds, property assessments, taxes paid and unpaid.)

Marriage and divorce records (You can see a marriage license but not the application. Divorces are civil action.)

Bankruptcies (Individuals have to file with a U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Lots of detail here about what people own and owe.)

Driver's licenses and other licenses (Hunting, fishing, etc. You may not get to see the application but you should be able to find out if a person is license for these activities.)

Professional license information (Most states keep these records for doctors, nurses, lawyers, public school teachers, pilots, cosmetologists, etc. You can find out if someone is in fact licensed.)

Court records (Criminal and civil histories -- convictions, judgments, complaints, depositions, etc.)

Some military records (Dates of services, rank, medals and commendations.)

Concealed weapons permits (Check with the Sheriff's Department.)

Some lending information (UCC filings document some loans. Check with the county clerk and recorder, Secretary of State.)

Salary information for public employees (Check with the human services officer in the agency that employs them.)

Voter registration information. (You can also find out if someone voted but not how they voted.)

Public officials' voting records (Local govt. minutes, legislative and congressional journals, Project Vote Smart, etc.)

State and federal campaign donations (Check followthemoney.org for donations to state candidates. Check opensecrets.org for contributions to federal candidates.)