September 1st, 2010
By Jaimi Dowdell
IRE training director
A couple of weeks ago, I was teaching at a computer-assisted reporting boot camp in San Diego. The class had been through spreadsheets and databases, and I was finally demonstrating how to deal with pdf’s. After showing some online options, I walked the class through my old stand-by: XPDF. If you’ve used it before, you know that once you get the hang of it, it’s quite simple. But learning it for the first time can be a bit daunting, as it uses the command line. That’s right, I said: The. Command. Line.
I’ve learned that newcomers to CAR aren’t thrilled with DOS commands or scary, empty windows that don’t allow dragging and dropping. This training exercise can return pained, frustrated faces – that is, until now.
Shortly after demonstrating XPDF, Chris Milholland, a senior at San Diego State University, politely leaned over and said something to the effect of, “You know there’s an easier way to do this.” In the time it took to walk the group through XPDF, Milholland had figured out how to change the properties of the tool to turn XPDF into a thing of blissful simplicity. With a few small tweaks, he’d made XPDF as easy as dragging and dropping your pdf file onto an icon. No more command line, no more furrowed brows, out spits a text file.
Milholland was kind enough to detail how you can conquer XPDF in IRE tipsheet number 3440. You can download it here or contact the IRE Resource Center at Rescntr@ire.org. Many thanks to Milholland for this new trick.
There’s no doubt that IRE’s strength can be found in its membership. This is just one example of how one member can help us all. We appreciate and need these kinds of suggestions. If you have a tip, trick or even some data you’d like to share, please send it to us.
August 25th, 2010
Shawn McIntosh, public editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Doug Haddix
IRE training director
Getting public records often takes far more effort than filing a written request and simply waiting for the juicy documents to arrive.
“It’s reporting, not requesting,” says Shawn McIntosh, public editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The best reporters realize that a written public-records request usually is just one step to get the information they need, she told participants in an IRE Better Watchdog Workshop hosted by CNN in Atlanta. In most cases, reporters need to keep working sources, finding ways around obstacles and navigating through bureaucracies.
She offered a variety of practical tips and advice to the more than 70 journalists and students at last week’s workshop. They included:
- To counter expensive charges, ask for an itemized bill. Sometimes, that alone will prompt the office to reduce the price.
- Practice law without a license. If you need to appeal a denial for public records, cite specific statutes and attorney general opinions. Copy your company lawyer on the letter, which sometimes can show an agency that you know your stuff and mean business.
- Use the power of the pen. If denied records or quoted a high cost, write a letter expressing your disappointment and requesting a follow-up meeting to discuss why the public can’t get this information without spending lots of money and jumping through bureaucratic hoops. Signal that you’re considering writing or airing a story about how the office is denying the public information or charging exorbitant prices for something that’s already paid for through taxes.
- Understand what records exist by examining a retention schedule or other list of records required to be maintained by the office. Narrow your request so that it’s reasonable and relevant.
- Consider partnering with other news organizations to mount a legal challenge.
- Understand who enforces public-records laws and work those sources – typically the state attorney general.
- Consult your state’s equivalent of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation. A state-by-state list with links is maintained by the National Freedom of Information Coalition.
August 10th, 2010
Amy Herdy, left, and Deborah Sherman
By Doug Haddix
IRE training director
Studies have shown that the actual words account for only about 7 percent of communication between two people, according to Amy Herdy of the University of Colorado.
Body language makes up 55 percent of communication, with tone accounting for the other 38 percent, she told journalists during a recent IRE Better Watchdog Workshop in Denver.
For instance, she said, reporters and producers should not approach a reluctant source with a notebook or microphone in hand. Be aware that the tools of the trade can intimidate sources. Persuade them to be interviewed first, and only later pull out the notebook or digital recorder.
“Remember that the interview is not about you,” Herdy said. “It’s all about the source.”
Besides considering the best initial approach and the effect of nonverbal signals, journalists can sharpen their skills by talking to police and attorneys about their interviewing techniques, according to co-panelist Deborah Sherman of 9News-KUSA in Denver.
Among the other tips from Herdy and Sherman:
- Get beside a source whenever possible, rather than sitting across a desk from them.
- Slowly mimic or mirror the source’s body language in a subtle way to build a subconscious bond. If the source puts his left arm on the table, after a few minutes, do the same.
- Really listen during the interview, rather than rehearsing your next question. Be adept at shifting your line of questioning if a source surprises you with an answer.
- If you have a limited chance to question a key source, ask the tough question first. Or, if the source knows what you’re after, sometimes it’s best to say: “We both know why I’m here, so let’s talk about X.”
- Too much extraneous information or detail from a source could be a sign of lying – a way to try to distract you.
