Computer-Assisted Reporting

Chapter 11

JOURN 305

Online Press Services

Many major companies have a corporate site where you can get the latest press releases and earnings reports

There are also several aggregate sites, such as PRNewswire and Businesswire

The Future

Google is in the middle of a huge text archiving project that aims to scan every published book

The resulting database will be searchable on Google

– Some copyright complaints have hindered the project

Online Databases

Google– General search– University research– TV transcripts

Using Databases

Full-text databases: All content is searchable…not just the headline or “abstract”

Search Tips

Boolean search commands: A technique to get better search results– Use AND, OR, and NOT in between your

keywords

Search Tips

Use quotes to search for a specific set of words

For example:– Search: “United States” will give you all items with

the words “United States” rather than items with “United” and “States”

Online Databases

Edgar database of SEC filings

www.sec.gov

U.S. Census Statistics

Population statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau are available at www.census.gov

Government Transcripts

Read transcripts of presidential speeches and other government meetings at www.whitehouse.gov

Legal Databases

Get the text of statutes and proposed laws from the Library of Congress at http://thomas.loc.gov

Online Resources

Legal Case Rulings– www.findlaw.com – Review database of significant course cases past

and present

Online Databases

Lexis-Nexis www.lexis.com

Book Text Search: “Search Inside”

Amazon’s “Search Inside” feature allows you to search the text of published books

Public Information Search

Some controversy over how much information should be made public

Example:– Megan’s Law database for registered sex

offenders

Library of Congress

Library of Congress entire database is online at: http://catalog.loc.gov/

This is a free online resource containing one of the world’s largest databases

Ask A Librarian

Library of Congress has also started a free research service: Ask a Librarian

http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/ This web site allows you to

ask free research questions to a librarians

– They will send you an answer within five days

Copyright Database

Online database of copyright filings available at:

http://www.copyright.gov/

Freedom of Information Act

Enacted in 1966 since the public has a “right to know” what the government is doing

Government is required to disclose records to the public upon request

Freedom of Information Act

There are some exemptions This applies only to federal agencies and

does not include:– Congress– Courts– State and local governments– Private Businesses

FOIA Requests

To make a request for a government document, you must be very specific

The request must be in writing There is no centralized FOIA office or staff…

so the request must be made to the specific federal government agency that has your document

Trendspotting

Internet databases can be used to determine trends that might not be otherwise be exposed– Examples:

Political donations Statistically significant developments Racial profiling trends School score trends Election trends

Congressional Records

Database of congressional records is accessible at:– http://thomas.loc.gov

Follow the Money

Find out how much money is being given to politicians at:

www.followthemoney.org

Opensecrets.org

Find out individual donors to campaigns and causes at:

Opensecrets.org

Factcheck.org

http://www.factcheck.org Non-profit site that aims to monitor the

factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases.

Getting Tips from the Net

You can find good tips by keeping in touch with bulletin boards, chat rooms, and Usenet postings

BEWARE of false information!

Use Caution

Always consider the reliability and credibility of the source – especially if your tip comes from the Internet

Things to Consider

Authority Accuracy Objectivity Currency Coverage