This account was written for the MidAtlantic News Research Conference on July 18-19, 1997.
I am a researcher in the News Research Dept at the News & Observer in Raleigh. Our department consists of researchers, archive enhancers, photo archivists, database specialists and resource specialists. There are 4 researchers who work from at least 8 a.m. until about 11 p.m. (sometimes later). There is a researcher on call every weekend as well. ********* July 8, 1997 11 a.m.: Arrive at work (my normal hours are from 11-7, Monday thru Friday), after 10 days of vacation. Of course, today is the day that my co-researchers are either on vacation or in the Durham bureau, so it's going to be a busy day. Check my voice mail and return any calls. Check my email and answer the most important first. It could take all day to go through 10 days of email! 11:15 a.m.: A request comes in from business which needs immediate attention - a couple of guys are wanted for spending peoples investment money. Our reporter needs any articles, an autotrak search and house and dmv information. 12 p.m.: Take a break to read more email and eat some lunch. I'm slowly but surely whittling the email down. 1 p.m.: A request comes from Our child welfare reporter needs several articles having to do with abuse by foster parents. Wants anything about changes with the child protective services and reunification. 1:30 p.m.: Go back to the business department request about our money-stealing thieves. Spend about 20 minutes on hold with the DMV, but come up with exactley the information I need - the house address and the types of cars. That will help with the rest of the research. 2:30 p.m.: Have finally finished all the research on the thieves. Did an autotrak, which gave us all the previous addresses that these men have lived at, where they live now, relatives, neighbors, etc. Our correspondent in Washington, DC, has called, wanting articles about ozone standards in North Carolina, and what Governor Hunt has to say about the clean-air regulations. 3 p.m.: One of the sports reporters needs the contract and salary of about 5 different college coaches from around the U.S. Just needs a nexis search. 3:30 p.m.: Just hear on the news that a Blackhawk helicopter has crashed at Fort Bragg. Check to see if the newsroom knows about this, and what they will need from me. Pass on a request from our health reporter to Chris out in Durham. It's going to get wild here. 3:45 p.m.: The repoter covering the crash wants any major articles over the past several years about major Blackhawk crashing, not only at Fort Bragg, but nationally. 4 p.m.: It is now known that eight people were killed in the crash. The editor in charge of the story on the crash wants a list of all the major crashes since the Blackhawk was first used (in 1982). This could take awhile. 4:45 p.m.: The Washington correspondent calls, needing immediate attention (imagine that). He needs to know if Gordon Gray (father of former White House chief counsel C. Boyden Gray) was ever president of the UNC system. Also needs to know what four major plants in the North Carolina produce. He also wants to know the exact location of two CP&L plants in Roxboro. Need to place the call to CP&L before they close. Told him the other would have to wait until morning if possible due to the crash. Said that was fine. 5:30 p.m. Spent the last hour in Nexis trying to find major articles about the Blackhawk crashes and any deaths related to this. Now just trying to piece it together. 6 p.m.: Chris calls. He's answered a help request from a metro reporter who needs some Wake County information. But he doens't have access in Durham to the Wake County info and needs me to do it. I told him I was up against the wall, and it might take awhile to do. He decides to head back to Raleigh. Just then, Charles, our evening researcher arrives. He'll take the request. 7 p.m.: Finish the chronology of deaths by Blackhawk Crashes. Waiting for the editor to give the okay to head out. Finish reading my email. 7:45 p.m.: Editor says fine, just what we need. I'm outta here.
A Day in the Life
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Last Updated: 09/16/02
Amy Disch
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