Vol. 21, No.4/Summer 1999
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Everything You Ever Wanted to
Know about Public Records Link directly to: Major Players Public Record Web Sites By Leigh Poitinger The lights dimmed, music swelled, words of wisdom dropped from the sky Well, OK, there wasn't music, but there were some dimmed lights and many words of wisdom during the News Division's continuing education course at the annual SLA conference in Minneapolis. The course, entitled "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Public Records," was a fact-packed session moderated by Michael Sankey of BRB Publications. Speakers included Bill Krueger, an investigative reporter at the Raleigh News & Observer; John Ullmann of the World Press Institute; John Martin, a researcher at the St. Petersburg Times; and Dorothy Shea, a researcher at the Palm Beach Post. Public Records from a Reporter's Perspective The morning session focused on public records from a reporter's perspective. Bill Krueger, who started off the session, is on of those unusual reporters who, by his own admission, loves to really dig around in primary records. In addition to many fascinating examples of stories that he has worked on involving public records, Bill's words of wisdom included these tips:
John Ullmann, a journalist with the World Press Institute and former editor of "The Reporter's Handbook," not only had words of wisdom but also delivered them with the style of a preacher. John presented a whirlwind tour through most of the mainstays of public records: real estate records, civil court suits, tax courts, bankruptcy courts, search warrants, juvenile courts, probate courts, UCC filings, vehicle registrations, fictitious business names, secretary of state filings, FOIA, annual reports, labor agencies, and permits. After regaling the crowd with tales of how public records can get the bad guys, John also offered six rules about public records and the web:
Public Records from a Researcher's Perspective The afternoon session kicked off with a review and comparison of the major online public records services by John Martin of the St. Petersburg Times. He covered the major features and pricing of CDB Infotek, DBT (Autotrak), Information America, KnowX, IRSC, and Lexis-Nexis. John also stressed the importance of investigating regional services in your area, such as Merlin in California. His other tips included: Benchmark Online Services:
Guide Reporters through the Records Maze:
Coping Strategies for Dealing with Public Records:
Dorothy Shea of the Palm Beach Post finished the session by discussing where to find public records and how to educate yourself and reporters. The public records market has become more competitive in the past few years, and it changes frequently. Keeping up is a full-time job! Dorothy also offered some search tips for public records. Where to find Public Records:
How to educate yourself and reporters:
Search tips:
Leigh Poitinger is the news research webmaster at the San Jose Mercury News. Her email is lpoitinger@sjmercury.com THE MAJOR ONLINE PUBLIC RECORDS PLAYERS
OTHER PUBLIC RECORDS WEB SITES
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