Good Enough, True Enough...What's the difference?

If something is good enough, I take that to mean its okay but it can be much better. I'm not sure how this concept can be acceptable in the world of journalism. If something is "True Enough," what does that really mean? I've been reading True Enough by Farhad Manjoo and like my instructor Gil Thelen said it has made me see people differently.

I think back to the documentary "Loose Change" which challenges people to think about what really could have happened during the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon. The government and media told us, the people, that the attacks were planned and executed by Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. We were told that in defense of our beloved nation, war would be launched to defend our country. However, Loose Change told us of a government conspiracy to invade a nation in an attempt to take over the oil market. In fact, this documentary alleged the government killed thousands of innocent Americans out of greed. In this scenario, what's true enough? Is it the videos released from the government showing the Afghan people celebrating the demise of the trade centers, which could easily have been recorded from a separate celebration and taken out of context? Is it the documentary which show digitally enhance video graphics and still images that show damage to structure, which their experts say, planes could not have done? True Enough points out that people live their lives based on their own personal truths.

The controversy that came out of the 9/11 attacks are an example of selective perception. People hear what they want to hear and people believe what they want to believe. Not everyone in the United States trust the government but most are in agreeance that having a government is a necessity. For decades, centuries and maybe beyond that point there have always been conspiracy theorists. Some people believe the government is responsible for JFK's assassination, the existence of Area 51, and 9/11 attacks. Personally, I don't know what to believe. Following a career in television and being a professional photographer has taught me a few things; video and still images can easily be manipulated to reflect whatever a person wants it to reflect. So documentaries tend to turn to the "experts." Loose Change interviewed experts who said it wasn't possible that the amount of fuel carried by one plane could take down one of the twin towers. Yet one plane hit each building and both came down. However, if there is one expert who says it isn't scientifically possible for one plane to bring a tower down, I'm pretty sure there's another "expert" some where that says the opposite. According to Manjoo, experts can push public opinion more than 3 percent towards the positions they're speaking for. People rarely asks the questions, what makes that particular person an expert on the specific question? If what an experts says falls in line with a person's general perception, they will choose to believe it.

Lee Ross makes two great points in the book. He says, "“if we think we see the world the way it is then we think reasonable people ought to agree with us and we all want objectivity in media, but we disagree about what objectivity is." As someone aspiring to work in media I have to admit that I want to be able to show people my view of the world and my views of what I believe is right. I want to create documentaries myself and hopefully be able to impact the nation possible even the world. The challenge facing journalist today is the ability to be objective. To tell a story from all angle and allow the audience to decide for themselves. When it comes to 9/11 attacks I've seen two distinct views; media reporting from information gathered from military personal or government officials and I've seen conspiracy theorist using the event to refuel their fire. But I have never seen one documentary (I'm not sure that one exist) that tells both sides and include all the facts in order to let viewers decide for themselves. Not all arguments have a solutions and in many cases audience members may walk away agreeing to disagree. Let's face the facts or whats true enough, reality is that we may never know. Theories are just theories, ideas that may never be proven as fact or fiction. People are free to go one with their selective perceptions, believe what they want to believe. 

I hope that as I graduate with the next generation of eager young journalist stepping out to change the world one story at a time, that I, like most others don't succumb to the biasness of some media today.

Trial: Armed Robbery

I'm not one who goes out drinking and clubbing in the middle of the night. My life as a student journalist and holding down a job along with an internship keeps me extremely busy. Sometimes I envy those who have time to go and have fun, other times I don't.

I entered court room 51A as the court was coming back from its first recess. Judge William Fuente had not yet made it back to the bench. The jury was being escorted into the court room just as I took my seat in the front pew on the state attorney’s side. Four Bailiffs were scattered around the court room and the stenographer sat ready to begin. As Judge Fuente entered the court room all were told to rise. Prosecutor Justin Diaz called his first witness to the stand. The gentleman stood about 5’11 and wore his long brown hair in neat braids. After being sworn in he took his seat on the witness stand.

Kenneth J Chester had a night out that I'm sure will stay with him for a life time. According to Chester's testimony he and his friend Jethro Green were out at the Alibi Strip club on Dale Mabry when a Hispanic male approached them stating that someone wanted to talk to them outside. Chester, a well dress Hispanic male, was buying drinks for his friends as he sported his $7,000 gold chain with diamond pendant, $5,000 Rolex, and 1.4 karat diamond earrings. As an upcoming musician Chester felt the need to protect his image. So he walked outside at the request of the unknown person to address any problem another person may have with him. Chester's friend Green trailed behind him and as the rounded the corner to the side of the strip club, I wasn't surprised when Chester explained what happened next. He and his friend Greene were held at gun point and the unknown man who requested their presence outside was the man to pull out the gun. When asked by Diaz, why he went outside at the request of someone he didn’t know, Chester simply answered, “to settle the problem.” According to Chester’s testimony, after the gun was pulled he was able to run and try to get help as he heard the gun go off. Jethro Greene was shot and taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Chester testified that the man who asked to them to leave the club and eventually pulled the gun on him and his friend as the defendant, Roberto Ramos. To give a clear distinction of who Chester spoke about prosecution asked him to describe the man’s clothing as he sat in the court room. Ramos was represented by two defense attorneys who didn’t ask a lot of different questions. In fact the defense attorney spent about 30 minutes asking Chester the same questions in a different way in hopes, I’m assuming, his answer would change. When prosecution finished they called two more witnesses to the stand; Officer William Wilson and Officer Darla Portman who both testified to finding a shell casing.

I watched the faces of jury members. I tried to read their expressions to see if any of them believe the defense. I couldn’t figure out what angle the defense was actually taking. The attorney asked several times if another man had been hanging out with Chester and the victim. Chester repeatedly told her it was just the two of them. After three and a half hours the court went into the recess for lunch. I wish I could have stayed to hear Prosecutions last witness or even to see if the defense would even call a witness. Hopefully, I’ll be able to follow up with the case after the jury reaches a verdict.

Personal Opinions and Journalist...Bad Combination?

I'm happy to admit that as the semester comes to an end, I'm finally getting the concept of blogs. By getting the concept, I mean that my blog is about my personal opinions and my views of things I've experience throughout the semester. I see myself keeping my blog active throughout my career. So far, I'm free to write what I want, my opinions aren't restricted and my views are mine to share with whomever wants to read about it. But not everyone in the world of journalism is free to express their opinions about any topic.

William March took time from his vacation to come in and speak with my class about his career in journalism. As a political writer for the Tribune, March's job description requires that he keep his personal political opinions to himself. In fact, according to March, if you asked what his political affiliation is, he wouldn't tell you. Now of course, as journalist or even a curious bystander if  I really wanted to know, I could go to the supervisor of elections office and obtain his voter registration information. After it is public record, but as March concluded at the end of his time with my class, if you want to know where he stands politically, you're going to have to look it up.
 
During his time with us, March shows some of his favorite websites to visit when looking for information. His lecture began with a story he wrote by following the money trail of soft money contributions being given to Bill Clinton's political campaign. March was able to uncover a web of deceptive doings surrounding that particular person's company and his political contributions to the campaign. According to March, money laundering is one of the most difficult crimes to catch. March explained to us that his investigation began with a google search for Florida corporate records. Having an idea of what you want to find out is important to becoming a good investigative reported. As I start to investigate a story, I've found that what helps me is mapping out what I already know about the subject and then asking myself what am I trying to find out?

I'm really glad we had the opportunity to hear from March. Listening to his lecture gave me a lot of new avenues to look into for my profile project. I don't plan to leave any stone unturned. Thank goodness I bring my laptop everywhere I go because the next phase of March's lecture was guiding us through some of his favorite websites and helping us understand exactly what information certain websites could provide us with.
"When you aim to run down election information you're aiming at a moving target," said March as he reminds us that election sites and locations information changes with every election. So for those of us who enjoy a challenge we never have to worry about the research level of the job becoming repetitive.





Sites Used frequently:
google- political contributions
http://www.fec.gov/ (political contributions)
http://www.irs.gov/
http://thomas.loc.gov/
http://election.dos.state.fl.us/campaign-finance/contrib.asp

Animals: Public Meeting 2

For those who have pets, I'm sure their like family. I personally have two cats and I love them dearly. But if you asked me if I spent $60 a year per cat to get them rabies vaccination and another $20per cat to buy them a name tag that says they got their vaccination, I'd tell you NO. I don't see a point in spending extra money to keep them vaccinated from outside diseases when I have inside cats. In fact, the only time my cats venture outside is if their on a leash and with me. I'm not running the risk of them getting hit by a car or eaten by an alligator (which roam freely in my condos).

Tonight, I attended the Hillsborough County Animal Services public meeting. I have to admit I learned a great deal about their services, what they do for the community, and where some of the money spent at the vet actually goes. The HCAS is in need of financial support or the whole department may be in jeopardy of going under. We all know the economy is affecting almost every human being in form or fashion in the United States. I never thought about how much the economy affected animals. HSCA uses money earned from adoptions, tags sales (once rabies vaccines are administered), and county budgets to fund the feral cat program, animal cruelty investigators, and pay for veterinarians who take care of the animals at the shelter.
But the program is losing money and if they don't come up with $1.3 million for the  FY12 (budget moving into 2012) they will have to cut over 14 jobs.

Director Bill Armstrong headed tonight's meeting. His job is difficult to say the least. He is not only in charge of keeping the department a float during these tough times, but he also has to make the tough decision of deciding who should get to keep their jobs, if the department can't raise the $1.3 million by the middle of next year. Currently, the state requires animals who goes to any clinic to be vaccinated for rabies at the owners expense. With that the county reimburses vet offices 10% of sales to offset the cost of labor used to file update vaccination information with the state.  Armstrong talked about possibly eliminating the10% reimbursements to vets to save jobs although vets account for over 80% of the sale of tag and licenses for the estimate six hundred thousand pets in the state. Veterinarian Dr. Arthur Simon, who owns a private practice, attended the meeting and spoke of his concern to continue reimbursement to vet offices. Dr. Simon also explained that vets too are losing money and struggling to stay open as well. He's had to cut back on hours for staff because he says he would rather cut hours than cut jobs. With the economy the way it is I often ask myself, do I put gas in my car, pay my rent, utility bills or do I spend what little I have on something I feel unneccesary for my cats?

However, if we don't band together as a community we may lose the benefits of Animal Services forever. I want to take a look at some of the benefits of having animal services. Animal Serivce implemented the feral cat program. This program provides spay and nutures for free and at a very discounted rate if you found a or recued a cat or dog. Also if a stray cat or dog is found in the street they are often brought to the Humane Society of other paticipating clinics to be spayed and nutured. Animal services is trying to reduce the over population of stray cats and dogs by catching them and sterilizing them. Also if there's a scary looking, big tough dog roaming around your neighborhood with out an owner, who would you call to pick it up? The answer, animal services. If someone is being cruel to an animal or the neighbors house next door smell of strong ammonia. One phone call and animal services shows up to rescue 20 cats or dogs living in filthy unmanageable conditions. Those animals are taken to the shelter to be check out by a vetrenarian and for those that can be nursed back to health, are treated and put up for adoption. All of this cost money and is in need of state funding. So I've learned that donating a bag of food here and there isn't enough.

I've decided that I can make the sacrifice. Save a little money and take my cats to the vet, maybe one at a time. I can pay for the vaccine (which they should have just in case they ever get outside) and buy a tag and license for them. Not because I think its necessary but because it helps fund a well needed program. If we don't band together for these animals, which can't tell us if something is wrong, then who will?

Budget

Preston Triggs was back again to speak with my class about learning to decipher company budgets. When I initially heard the word budget, I wanted to run screaming. As Triggs put it, "I'm a writer, numbers aren't my thing."

I imagined learning to read a budget would be one of the most difficult things to accomplish in my journalistic career because numbers are like a foreign language to me. Surprisingly deciphering a budget is fairly easy if you know what to look for. Throughout this semester all I've been hearing is follow the money. But what's the point for following the money if I don't understand how to read what I find? Triggs gave advice for that, if you don't know what it means...ASK. According to Triggs, budget officials are usually a great source since they understand the budget but aren't involved with the decisions regarding it.

I also learned that when writing a story off of a budget, its important to locate the information that stands out. Trigg advised us to look for the areas in the budget that have increased and decreased. Government budget in Florida are public record. Budgets are usually divided into parts: revenue, expenses, and sometimes debts. Revenues cover the money coming in, expenses explain the money going out, and debts are usually in the form of bonds. I'm a professional photographer. I own all my equipment and when I take jobs I have to figure out my budget. How much am I going to charge for my services (revenue) and then the cost of supplies (expenses) for items such as printer ink, photo paper. Because I own all of my equipment I have no debt. But as a small business owner I've never sat down to create a budget. I have a regular full time job so I don't rely on my small business to support me financially. I realized today though, if I want to be a serious business owner and grow my business to a point of true financial relief I need to create a budget.  

Triggs presentation was very helpful to me for a few reasons. First, the person I am doing a profile on is the Supervisor of Elections. So when being told to followed the money, not only can I follow it but I'm also able to dig a little deeper by inquiring why certain things in the county's budget may have increased or decreased. Second, not only did his presentation empower me to create a personal business budget for myself but also gained knowledge in deciphering following the money.

Public Meeting 1

I went to the Mango Recreation Center for a public meeting regarding the road expansion for MLK and Williams road. I expected the meeting to be packed with citizens looking to express their views on the construction slated to begin early next year.

The actual meeting was hosted by engineer/ project manager Ben Keniesly and lasted a mere 20 minutes. There was really no need for me to take off from work as I did. If I had known the meeting would be so short I would have scurried over on my lunch break and been back to work within an hour.  Keniesly showed a video explaining what the project is about. The county is looking to reduce heavy traffic congestion by implementing a $4 million project to expand Williams Road into a four lanes. I did learn that the county will pay the property owners for the land they build over. Unfortunately property owners aren't concerned with the little pay out they receive from the county, they are more concerned with the depreciated value of their land that the new four lane intersection will cause.

I could count on two hands how many people actually attended the meeting. Seven of the people in attendance were USF students I recognized.  Most trying to complete a public meeting assignment for their photo journalism class, the other a reporter for the Oracle. The three property owners who attended the meeting were not very happy with the counties plans.  Keniesly, got an ear full. Both property owners offered an alternative solution. I didn't think either was realistic and I could tell by the response  Keniesly gave to their alternative options, that he didn't think their solution would be entertained either. The first property owner suggested that the county buy his entire property for $1 million and he would go away quietly. If the county offered me a million dollars I'd walk away with out a peep as well. That obviously wasn't going to happen. I was shocked when the gentleman left angry when  Keniesly didn't accept his offered right away. The other property owner suggested that they do the expansion on the other entrance of the street. Granted the county approved a detailed $4 million expansion plan. I know the purpose of these public meetings are to address the concerns of residence but it seemed more like the purpose of this meeting was to convince residence to accept the project.  Keniesly and the property owners went back an forth for about half an hour. As I suspected, no resolution came about.

The only residences/owners who attended the public meeting where those who's pockets would be directly affected from the expansion. Like the old saying goes, money talks and when you dip into someones pockets they begin talking. There were no residence in attendance who spoke up for the expansion, I guess in their absence the county assumes they appreciate the road expansion to ease traffic even though the residence at the meeting threaten to obtain lawyers. But, I do appreciate that these public meeting exist. Its so important to allow people to have a voice.

Death: catergorized and easily referenced

I started USF as a pre-med major. I wanted to be a cardiologist and save people with a broken heart (bad pun I guess). I realized toward the end of the second year of my studies that I didn't love medicine. I never wanted to be one of those doctors whose job, was just a job. The idea of death never bother me. We live, we make our mark on the world, and then we die. I never put much thought into what happens to the bodies we leave, once we cross over to the other side.

My public affairs class final field trip is the one I would deem the most memorable. We went to the local Medical Examiners office where Dr. Vernard Adams talked to us about the ME's role in society and then took my group on a tour of the facilities. The ME has two missions; to investigate unnatural death and dispose of unclaimed bodies. The ME's office is a business and its run just like that. Death is categorized for easy reference. For instance if you die due to a homicide your case file will have a red tab on it, white for natural causes, black for suicides, etc. Files are kept in the main administrative building, the bodies are kept in the next building over. Some unclaimed bodies will be donated to  the anatomical board for medical studies. The ME's office receives over 200 unclaimed bodies per year. Surprisingly only a couple of those bodies will be accepted by the anatomical board. Even they have stipulation. For example the bodies they accept can't be more than 10 days old, have no identifying marks, no mutilation, etc. As grotesque as it may sound, the anatomical board seeks out the "perfect" dead body. But what happens to the others? Well as a paid service by the county, the ME office must dispose of them. In an effort to save money, all bodies disposed of by the county are cremated. The ashes hitch a ride with a paying customer for crematory services and are dumped over the gulf.

In the file room there a stacks of case files dating back over 30 years. The information in the case files are public record as long as the case is not open as an active homicide. However, autopsy photos are no longer public records. Dr. Adams reminds us to make sure we ask for the entire case file during our journalist careers instead of just the autopsy report. Dr. Adams encourages us to get familiar with the ME's investigative offices. There we could look over files and check on the progress of cases (that are not open homicide of course). Typewritters are still used to fill out death certificates and other standard forms. I didn't know companies still manufacture type writers. The most startling fact I walked away with was that the ME sees about 150-200 suicides per year and about 80 homicide. Dealing with love, finances, family and friends are the things that make life so hard, but I never imagined the rate for suicide being higher than homicides.

After the tour of the administrative offices we went to the next building which was the toxicology lab. There we learned that the entire building does not circulate air. The air in the building is all pushed up and out through ventilaters in the ceiling. Of course they keep it pretty cool inside which explains having an electric bill of over $25,000 per month. Next stop, the morgue. Initially, Dr. Adams wasn't going to take us inside the morgue because an autopsy was being performed. When we saw the other group inside, he agreed to take us in. Dr. Adams warned us that if we couldn't stomach it, not to go inside. We all put our brave caps on and entered the morgue. The body on the table didn't look real. In fact it reminded me of the bad Halloween decor I'd seen at Busch Gardens once. The organs had already been removed and the blood was already drained out. I could see the inside of the cranium and the empty torso. The thought which kept runnig through my mind; God is so amazing to have created such complicated beings both inside and out. We also went into the freezer where the other bodies were kept. Dr. Adams explained that the office tried to complete autopsies within 24 hours of a body arriving but as long as its kept in the freezer it will not rapidly decompose. Another interesting fact, the more fat you have on your body, the faster you decompose because your body is more insulated.

Like I said the beginning, this was definitely the most memorable field trip. I enjoyed all parts of the field trip. Coming from a medical background and having a career focus on journalism the lecture on public records kept my attention as well as the tour of the medical facilities. But, if asked to take the tour around the facilities again, I would politely decline.

APME-Blog Live



I'm excited to participate in a live blog forum for the APME convention at the  Poynter Institute in beautiful St. Petersburg Florida. As a native of Florida I'm often taken back by the beauty of this state. The institute is located off the water across from USF St. Pete campus. I'm honored to be here.

Jennifer Conklin is speaking on behalf of the Mcclatchy Southeast virtual newsroom which consist of 4 newspapers combining information to deliver news as a single virtual outlet. The outlet provides news to Biloxi, Bradenton, Columbus, and Macon. The newspaper has 2 designers that design for the 4 newspaper outlets which cut cost. They now have a special session, Bradenton had a pink page of newspaper for Breast cancer awareness. One news outlet completed the section and then shared it amongst the other outlets. Other outlets had the takes of putting their own advertising which saved money and time.


In just about every business, corporations are looking to deliver the same great quality work while operating with a more cost efficient budget. The theme of the convention today circles around that concept. How can media continue to thrive, especially newspapers, while operating with a smaller budget? The answer....convergence. Not only are newspapers now discussing virtual print but they are also figuring out ways to deliver news to the same areas but at a cheaper cost. The Newport Daily news was able to save money while cutting some jobs by sharing some of the job responsibilities of their daily operations with the Chicago Press. Chicago produces, designers and outputs the paper for the Daily Press. The Daily Press will no longer have to decided which nation world articles to report. Chicago Press produces 80% of the Daily Presses information. Chicago handles the editing, final slotting, and content. Newport News Daily Press produces 20% of the papers outlet which save on cost and time.

Up next is Media General
There is a virtual consolidated editing center. They are installing CCI which went live in Tampa last week. All copy editing will be done in Tampa and Virginia for all media generals companies. All editing teams can communicate with each other when editing for multiple outlets. Media General is relocating the Richmond center to become a remote editing center. The idea is to get papers out at the most cost beneficial ways. They will be testing AOL video camera's so the news organization can have virtual meetings about. All print articles for Media General will go through the two editing centers.

The convention is being held to protect the journalism from suffering the effect of the downward economy as well as the growing the growing use of online news people. The fact is that people are choosing to get their news from more immediate sources such as web content. News paper sales are dwindling and newspapers have had to come up with more ways to stay afloat.

Steve Andrews

I decided on a career in journalism because I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to give a voice to those who otherwise wouldn't have one. Meeting Steve Andrews today reminded me just exactly how much journalist could make a difference.

Andrews showed my public affairs reporting class a investigative stories he's done in the past. The most compelling story was that of an elderly autistic man who was allowed to lay in a nursing home as a cancerous sore festered on his face. Andrews gave the class tips on how he was able to use public records to expose the wrong doing of corporations and people in power.

I learned that if wrong doing is done on a computer purchased with tax dollars, any information on that computer becomes public records. The findings of investigations performed by state agencies are also public records. Andrews also gave my class some vital advise, when it comes to your method of investigative reporting we also must ask ourselves, how is our method going to look in court? I've seen aggressive reporters before, they are often looked at as the bully which people often try to avoid. Some find it a compliment but to me, there's a difference between earning a respectful name for yourself and bullying it out of people.

I greatly enjoyed out time spent with Mr. Andrews, it was trully an honest to sit in on his lecture.

To the library we go...

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that as a journalism student, it has been quite some time since I've stepped foot in our school library. It was evident by the look on my face when I saw how much the library had been remodel. But nonetheless, I didn't go to the USF's library to check out a book, or do research on a term paper. I was at the library to learn how to do detailed research using the academic databases provided to the student at the school.

Our teacher for the tour was Cherl Mccoy, the coordinator of Collection Development and Government. She opened our eyes to a number of useful websites to help us on our way as young journalist. Mccoy also went as far as to create a special link of government databases and useful site specifically for my public affairs class.

I have to do a lot of research on a public official for a report. For a while I've been a little apprehensive about starting. We learned about so many areas to do research in and finding a step 1 has always been the most difficult part of research for me. With so many angles I stare at the person's name and wonder where should I begin. With Mrs. Mccoy's help, I realized that the best place to get organized and really dig deep is with my own school. Before my public affairs reporting class, I would have began this monumental project by typing my person's name into google.com and going from there. As the weeks go by, I've realized more and more how empowered I''ve become. I graduate in December and I feel more confident in my ability to go out and do the job I've worked so hard to be able to do. I've documented the web links provided to us my Mrs. Mccoy and I plan to keep them for a lifetime, because you never know when they will come in handy. Now granted I want to work as a producer but even a producer has to know where to look. As I continue in my life's journey whether I live here in Florida; with its open Sunshine Laws, or move out of state; where I'll have to work extra hard to access information, I know that I have knowledge and know how to succeed.  

Clerk of Court

I had quite in interesting time in Downtown Tampa last week. Although I spent 40 minutes in the Florida sun walking around downtown, I never actually made it to meet my class at the county center. I was inside the correct building, I even later found out that I was pretty much at the door, but was redirected by security who told me on board members were allowed in the conference that my class was located in. Fortunately for me, the field trip was recorded and placed online. Thank goodness for Professor Thelen preparedness...

I recognized her face from the website. In fact when you log on to http://www.hillsclerk.com/ Pat Frank's face is the first thing you see. Frank has been extremely influential in the faster progression of time that documents are processed. Her office began coordinating with the sheriffs office in order to process documents faster. Inmates used to wait months to be transferred from county jails (at tax payer expense) to state prison due to the slow process of paperwork.

After watching the lecture I spent some time on the clerk's website. For a whopping $109.00 and sealed with true love's kiss, I could tie the not. No glitz, glamour, or stress of wedding planning...sound enticing? The website also has a full list of fees the court charges to file certain cases, that helpful in asking oneself is it worth it to pursue legal action in certain cases. Family law is definitely intriguing. Its interesting to see if someone is paying their child support on time. If you're dating someone and you happen to know their SSN and case #, you can find our if they're really paying their child support on time. There is also a link to the office of Vital statistics. Which comes in handy when needing to pull up Birth and Death Certificates, marriages licenses and of course, divorce.

Due to volumes of paper work needed in complex cases attorney's can upload pleadings automatically to official court files through e-filings. The clerk of court has become more efficient and organized through the use of technology according to Pat Frank during her lecture. There have been a number of services and offices created to help people who are need of general information as well as young reporters who need access to vital accurate information to inform the public.

I thought my class had pretty much learn most of what we'd need to know to be good investigative journalist until I really took the time to explore all the information made available to the public through the county clerks office.

Strongest Survive

Have you ever seen the television series The Wire? The series follows the lives of drug dealers, drug businessmen, city council members, and the everyday drug users on the streets of Baltimore Maryland. When detectives have a difficult time catching the big money dealers they learn the best way to get evidence; follow the money.

Preston Trigg, Director of Administration and Special Projects at the Hillsborough County Tax Collector's office agrees. As young journalist he advised us that following the money is the best way to get a strong story. The Tax collectors office receives and distributes over 2 billion dollars annually. Best of all there a record of every dollar sent and received. During election years politicians are always promising to lower this tax or end that tax. Looking into a particular politicians record at the tax collector office would certainly help. Why would I trust a politician to lower taxes if that person doesn't pay their taxes or even vote. Everyday i attend class I learn more about what information is public knowledge by Florida's Sunshine laws. Being able to access such information to be a good journalist is necessary, I often wonder how difficult it is for journalist in states that don't have such laws as the Sunshine laws available to us here in Florida.

Its also important for potential homeowners to take advantage of the information available to them at tax collectors office.  Understanding property tax information can really help homeowners as the budget for their future. Homeowners can also protect themselves by viewing property tax records to see if the home they are looking to purchase is being priced over what its worth or if their has been significant damage to the home that an appraiser may have missed.

Its so important to ask questions. As journalist we can't be to shy to say "can you explain  that to me?" Its also important to talk to everyone. The secretary, janitor, anyone that people generally don't pay attention to, can probably provide you with the most information. So its important not to disregard someone because of their job status. You never know if becoming that persons associate opens the door for you to obtain a lot of helpful information.

JAIL: There's no place like it

I never imagined that one day I would be going to jail. No cell phones, keys, or electronics of any kind allowed. I have to admit, the idea of visiting Orient Road Jail was intriguing and a little nerve racking, especially when I was led pass a group of inmates decorated in orange jumpsuits. Today, my Public Affairs Reporting class stopped in with Orient Road Jail to learn more about obtaining public records.

Our first stop on the tour was the brains of the facility: operations. The deputies assigned to operations are in charge of keeping a close eye on all of the camera monitors throughout the facility. They control who goes in and out of the facility by allowing access through the locked doors.  Orient Jail processes 77,000 inmates per year, most of whom are repeat offenders. The jail logs every moment of deputies and inmates through the use of surveillance cameras.Inmates are housed in pods not cells and with a one deputy to 72 inmate ratio the use of video surveillance has helped keep the facility under control. For the eager journalist or curious civilian, all video captured in the facility are public record unless a specific video is being used as evidence. 

Orient is also one of the few facilities in Hillsborough County that is not over crowded. With safety measures being the high priority of the facility, jail administrators have come up with a few creative ways to allow media access to high profile cases such as Dontae Morris, who is accused of murdering two Hillsborough county officers. Inside the jail's very own courtroom are two cameras mounted on the ceiling to allowed direct media coverage of inside the courtroom. The facility then feeds the footage to all media outlets requesting it. In some extraordinary instances the jail may also allow one camera crew into tight areas as long as they agree to feed the footage to any news outlet requesting the shots.

I appreciate our tour guide Lieutenant Allen and Lieutenant Downy. They and the other officers at the facility do an amazing job keeping control of those who may have broken the law.

HSCO

My class recenty went on a field trip to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's office. They provided us class with  information on how they operate and what we should look for as journalist to get information for a story.

Public records are a vital part of a good journalist's career but knowing where to look is an even more important aspect of our jobs. J. D Callaway, Director of Communication, and Crystal Burmudez helped us learn more. We sat in a quaint conference room as Callaway and Burmudez explained what to look for in the records provided by the office.

With a three per day minimum journalist have free range to locate charge reports, face sheets, criminal affidavits and more. Criminal affidavits are public record and can be obtained at the jail, however more detailed information is available once a prosecutor files charges at the courthouse which can take weeks depending on the crime. The HCSO holds public in their computer systems dating back to 1996. Reporters can use the charge reports which list an arrested person's name, address, current employer, and arrest locations to build a solid foundation for any story. Callaway explained step by step the best way to explore a strong story. He advised my class to first gather information online, the obtain the arrest affidavit from the jail, before heading to the location of the incident and talking with witnesses. Taking the steps to gather information properly prepares us to ask the important question to neighbors, friends, and family regarding the arrestee.

I learned that there is so much paperwork filed in all types of incidents. Traffic reports are with held from public records for six months after an accident occurs, eight page DUI reports are filed in which an officer may arrest an impaired individual without reading Miranda rights, and when a warrant is a served the person arrested is entitled to see all the documents the state has against them.

Investigative Reporters: Friend or Foe?

 Investigative reporters help to keep the public informed and are the reason that some rules and regulations are changed. By bringing more public awareness to wrongful doings investigative reporters are almost a vital resource to media outlets.

Investigative editor for the Sarasota Herald Tribune, Matt Doig, spoke with my Public Affairs class at USF today. He, along with a small team of reporters for the Herald Tribune may investigate a story for months until they gather all the necessary data to report the story to the public.

When asked about his interview style, Doig has a simple, yet effective response: find a common ground. His advice caught my attention because I currently work for an automobile insurance company and a key technique supervisor would like us to utilize is finding a “common ground" with every customer we talk to. My job is based over the phone so we are taught to listen to the background listen for a dog or ask how that particular customer's day is going. Doig says interviewing is the best part of his job and people tend to open up to him because he uses the technique of finding a common ground with those he interviews.

An important part of investigative reporting is using public record to uncover the truth. Investigators at The Herald pulled every real estate transaction in the state’s book for the past decade during an investigation of real estate fraud. Using a database, they were able to connect 55,000 cases of potential real estate fraud. Due to their willingness to dig deep into public record to come up with irrefutable proof, the Feds has names Florida as the number one state for housing fraud in the country. Reporting this type of information to the public helps people not fall victim to fraud by knowing what warning signs to look for.

The investigative team at the Sarasota Herald knows firsthand the power that can come out of database reporting. As I continue in my Public Affairs I hope to also understand how to use public records to build powerful stories that keeps the public informed.

Tim Nickens Visit

I enjoyed Tim Nicken visit to our class on Monday. He gave a lot of examples of where the Sunshine Law has been useful in reporting.

What stuck with me the most was Nickens advise of not being afraid to ask questions. I think that one of the most important things he could have left us with. When reviewing public files I know that I may not understand exactly what I am looking at. It's very comforting when a professional in the journalism field gives us the advise of not being afraid to ask what something means.

Being able to follow a paper trial and understanding what you are looking for is also important for a good journalist. Nicken gave the advise of knowing where to look. I was surprise when e is a lot of information out there and if we don't know where or how to find information of lot of vital time could be wasted. By following a paper trail or having documented evidence of   what we are looking for can help us built a strong story and in some cases if someone refuses to talk to us, we can built a story base solely from public record.

A good example that Nickens gave us is when a public official had 6 millions dollars in there budget for a classroom building. After a reporter pulled the public records for the building plan and found out that the money was going toward a private runway at an airport. I think public records are necessary to keep those in power from going  a stray. I know that not every person in power does not start out being greedy or doing things wrong to benefit themselves but reality is that it does turn out that way from quite a few. The Sunshine Laws are very important and I way a little surprised to find out that Florida has some of the strictest Sunshine Laws. I find strict public records laws necessary in all states.