Introduction: For many of the kinds of stories you’re going to be doing, you’ll need to know how to get certain kinds of information, primarily but not exclusively online. Some information is only a Google away, but a lot of it has to be requested, formally or informally. In this module, we will talk about proprietary information, public information, and the differences between the two, and we’ll discuss how to get them in different forms.
Learning objectives:
- Finding legal information online
- Filing FOIA requests
- Verifying information
- FOIA and ethics
Steps to completion:
Background:
- Read over the following as well as finding news coverage on your own of the recent change to Georgia’s Open Records Act regarding collegiate athletics departments. Write a blog post in the Module 5 category using the tag “open records” explaining the new law and whether you believe it’s fair to journalists, other records requesters, and the public’s interest by Sept. 28.
- Read over the complaint in the Jenkins, et al. v. NCAA, et al. case and write up a short blog in Module 4 summarizing the case and potential stories arising from it using the tag “Jenkins” by Oct. 3.
PENDING: Read stories by CBS Sports reporter Jon Solomon and tweet three questions at him (@jonsolomoncbs) about how he got information he used in at least one story by Oct. 3.
Reflective:
- Class discussion Sept. 29: FOIA, open records, fishing vs. searching
- PENDING: Class discussion Oct. 4:
Guest speaker: Jon Solomon
Exploratory
- Go over the individual storyboard and fill in/edit the missing sections for your story by Oct. 3.
- For your topic and your team’s topic, make lists of potential records you might need to explore your questions. Write up a blog post discussing those records and how you might go about retrieving them. Summarize in the individual storyboard linked above Post in the appropriate category using the tag “open records to get” by Oct. 5.