Monthly Archives: July 2015

Jul 28

Public Records Requests Lead Reporters To Good Stories

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Barbara Fought

WHTM-TV’s Amanda St. Hilaire says her trick for finding good stories is to file public records requests every week.  A general assignment reporter,  3.5  years out of college and at her second station, St. Hilaire says these requests net a … Read More →

Posted in Databases, Finding Stories | Leave a comment
Jul 21

Reporter’s Legal Guide Available at Your Fingertips

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Barbara Fought

You’re out reporting on a story and you encounter a situation in which you’re unsure about whether you can record due to privacy laws. Or you wonder if you can record police arresting someone since you’ve heard some of the … Read More →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
Jul 14

Wayback Machine Helps Reporters Sleuth Out Information

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Barbara Fought

Last week when federal authorities raided the Indianapolis-area home of Jared Fogle, WFYI-FM’s reporter Ryan Delaney immediately scrambled to get reaction. Fogel, the spokesperson for Subway, gained fame for losing more than 200 pounds by eating the chain’s low-fat sandwiches. While Ryan knew … Read More →

Posted in Backgrounding for News Stories, Finding Sources | Leave a comment
Jul 07

Pitch Stories on Renting Since Fewer People Own Homes

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Barbara Fought

Since my parents owned a home and I own a home,  I probably have a bias that most people own their home. I think a lot of news coverage shows that bias, as well.  I’m continually surprised, when I teach … Read More →

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Jul 01

Google’s Research Guru Dan Russell Offers Weekly Tips That Can Make You A Better Searcher

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Barbara Fought

note: after 6 months, ReadyReporter is back and ready to give you more tips for quicker, better, smarter reporting. One of the most popular seminars at the Investigative Reporters and Editors Conference each year is the one led by Goggle’s … Read More →

Posted in Databases, Searching, Uncategorized, Verifying Information | Leave a comment