Reporting & Public Records Archives

Copyright & Use Glossary

As you gather media assets like images, videos, sound effects or music for your project, it’s important to understand the rules and regulations for use of material that is not your own. This glossary is a guide to help you understand the basic terminology of copyright and use. Copyright: The exclusive legal right, given to…

Digital Security

Even if you are not working on a sensitive story, you are a target if your colleagues are working on a sensitive story. Developing a strong security posture is paramount in the news industry. It not only affects you, it will affect the people around you. Passwords vs Passphrases When it comes to passwords, length is better…

OSI Verification

Open Source Investigations Verification This tutorial is about performing forensic analysis on social media to verify its authenticity. Often this type of analysis is used in determining: Whether social media, like photographs or videos, really depict what they purport; Fact-checking breaking news events and their chronology based on open source information, such as social media…

Vehicle and Vessel Licenses and Registrations

Licenses for drivers and for motor vehicles and marine vessels are issued by states, usually through a Department of Motor Vehicles or Division of Motor Vehicles. You’ll need to check a state government website to find the DMV agency that handles the licensing to see what information is publicly available. A private directory called Department…

Immigration and Passport Records

Immigration and Naturalization/Citizenship Immigration and naturalization/citizenship records are kept by: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services However, only historical records are available, mainly for genealogical research purposes. At the USCIS home page click on the History and Genealogy link for details on requesting those records. The National Archive also has searchable online databases of some historical immigration records.…

Campaign Statements

Candidates for public office on a federal, state and local level all must file campaign finance statements. The statements detail who has given money to their campaigns, and what they spent that money on. Similar statements also are required for campaign committees supporting or opposing ballot initiatives on a state and local level (there are…

Jail and Prison Records

People arrested or charged with state crimes in California who can’t post bail usually are kept in a county jail facility while their cases are pending. People charged with federal offenses often are also housed in a county jail facility while their cases are pending (the federal government contracts with county jails for this). People…

Financial Disclosure Statements

Politicians running for or holding elected office on a federal, state and local level often must file financial disclosure statements detailing their personal finances and business interests. These include information about their sources of income, investments they have, property they own, businesses in which they have a position or interest, and gifts and honorariums they…

Bankruptcy Court Records

Bankruptcy Court Records When people or companies file for bankruptcy, they do so in a federal bankruptcy court. Bankruptcies are governed by federal law. There are no state bankruptcy courts. There usually are a number of federal bankruptcy courts in larger states, each responsible for a particular geographic area. For a list of bankruptcy…

Legislation

To get copies of bills introduced in state Legislatures and the U.S. Congress, reporters used to have to go in person to state capitols or to Washington, D.C. But now states and the U.S. Congress have put legislative databases on the Web so you can find the bills that are pending or were passed by…