The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. Add to that more than 3,000 tipsheets from our national conferences on how to cover specific beats or do specific stories and you have a resource that no reporter or editor should be without. These stories and tipsheets are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Logged-in members can view the tipsheets free online:
Search results for "public access" ...
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Evaluating State Open Records Laws and Practices
Use Ginley's Powerpoint to check up on your state's open records law and how they match up to others.
Tags: open records; public access
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Public access: It’s really quite simple
'Give us everything we want, and we’ll all get along fine'(And other tips for winning access to public records and meetings…) Know the law, and be prepared to argue it with Miller and Ludlow's tips.
Tags: public access; public records; government; sunshine law; FOIA
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Fighting for Access to Open Records
Zansberg provides lots of websites to help you get the records you are entitled to. Sites include how to get 911 tapes, FOIA requests, and public official's calenders.
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Text Mining
Bones' tipsheet shows how he mined video for keywords used by 7 party leaders during 7 convention speakers. He used excel and access to analyze the data, and determine the words used most commonly by each of the party leaders.
Tags: text mining; computer-assisted reporting; word clouds; visualization; infographics
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Data on Deadline
This tipsheet lists helpful websites to use when you need to access data on deadline. Suggested data links include the American Community Survey to campaign finance data to tracking airplane tail numbers.
Tags: data; quick hit; deadline; census; campaign finance; aviation; transportation; economics; FAA; NHTSA; automobile; consumer safety; politics; courts; federal spending; databases; reporting
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Hiding in Plain Sight: The Power of Public Records
Mulvihill provides examples of stories done with public records, and outlines your right to access. She discusses how denials of public records requests can become part of the story.
Tags: public records; FOIA; Freedom of Information Act; transparency; data; state audits; federal audits
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Private Eyes Share their Tips
Dawson's tipsheet lists helpful sources as identified by a private investigator. The first pages is a list of books. The remainder of the tipsheet details how journalists and PIs alike have lost access to information, and other threats to the future of the public's right to know.
Tags: PI; private investigator; FOI; public records; book; investigation; web search; backgrounding
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Access Arizona: Training and tips for acquiring public records and covering meetings in Arizona
This handout begins with a general overview of story ideas derived from FOI laws and guidance on creating a document driven newsroom. The second part of the handout details FOI laws specific to the state of Arizona.
Tags: Arizona; FOIA; Freedom of Information Act; open records; sunshine laws; story ideas; documents; open meetings; FOI request
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Making FOI Work for Investigations
McClure provides a list of helpful hints to consider when making FOI requests. He advises other ways of getting information if you're having trouble with compliance, time tables for FOI requests, fee waivers and much more. McClure also provides a list of helpful Web sites and a sample FOI-request letter.
Tags: FOI; FOIA; Freedom of Information; access to records; public records; obtaining documents
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FOIA Tip Sheet
Scott Reeder, a 2005 IRE Award Winner, provides a list of tips for reporters who are working on projects in which FOI requests are necessary. He gives advice on how to know what you're asking for, how to deal with uncooperative officials and more. Reeder also includes his major investigation of teacher tenure in Illinois, in which he filed 1,500 FOI requests with almost 900 governmental entities and gained 100% compliance.
Tags: freedom of information; Freedom of Information Act (FOIA); public records; requesting documents; investigative methods; gaining access to public information