“Digging for Information 11 eporter job to gather nfo an that hes ner and events tat affect thes ‘This digging: ‘What happened? How? When? Where? ‘Who was involved? Why? | Wayne Miller | The reporter is like the prospector digging and drilling the way to pay dirt, Neither is happy with the surface material, although sometimes impen- etrable barriers or lack of time interferes with the search, and it is necessary to stop digging and to make do with what has been tuned up. When possible, the reporter keeps digging until he or she gets to the bottom of ‘things, until the journalistic equivalent of the mother IGde—the truth of the event—is unearthed. | The reporter, lke the prospector, has a feel for the terrain, This sensitiv. ity—the reporter's street smarts or nose for news—helps unearth informa- tion for stories. Equally helpful is the reporter's general, knowledge. Let's watch a reporter for a Florida newspaper do some digging. Finding the Lottery Winner | lim the Sais. Knock ticket in the $5 mil- on doors. lion Florida lottery had been sold in Port St, Lucie. Sarah|Jay, a reporter for The Port St. Lucie News, had heard rumors about the winner—that someone in a meat { market knew the winner's name; that the winner could be found by talking to ° . | ‘The word from Tallahassee was that the single winReporting is At the Center. “Reporting is the essen- tial ingredient in good Journalism. Everything ebe is dressing. Whether cover- ing the White House or the school board, the reporter is the engine that drives the newspaper, the contributor ‘who makes the newscast ‘worthitife, “Forget te fancy pack- aging. The news orga- nizations that are most successfulthe ones audi- ences consider essential — are those that care most about good reporting.” Sid Bedinafiotd |__.230. Part Four Reporting Principles ~ -—____.. someone in the Roma Bakery. Jay tried the market. No luck, She fared better at the bakery, where a woman told Jay that her niece was the winner. She gave Jay the woman’s name—Pat Lino—but no phone number or address. Jay checked the (elephone company—the number was unlisted. But she did find some Linos in the directory and called, thinking she might reach a relative. “One guy was totally unrelated,” Jay says. “Another was the winner's brother- in-law, and although he. wouldn't give me her phone number he did mention that she lives in St, Lucie West, a new housing development.” Knowing that property tax records that list addresses are available, Jay checked the files for Pat Lino, She found the address and drove to the location, only to find no one there. “ft was all locked up. It fooked as though 1°4 hit a dead end, but just to be sure talked to a neighbor. He didn’t know them, he said. Nor did another. But then 1 tried one more neighbor, and she knew Pat Lino, She had Pat Lino’s daughter's phone nuunber.” ‘The neighbor called and Pat J.ino was there. But she said she didn’t want to be interviewed. “I told the neighbor that I only wanted to speak with her for a min- ute, that I'd been looking for her all day,” Jay said. Lino gave in. “In this small bedroom community, the naming of a 85 million lottery winner wwas the talk of the town. And we had it first.” The Reporting Process As reporters go about their work of digging up information, they are guided by an understanding of the nature of reporting: Reporting isthe process of gather- ing relevant material through a variety of means (ditect observation, interviews, examination of reports and documents, use of databases and Internet resources) and subjecting the material to verification and analysis. When assembled in a ews story or feature, the material gives the reader, listener or viewer a good idea of what happened. The Layers “The state’s senior scnator is planning to give a talk tomorrow at a fund-raising, dinner for the state Republican Pacty, ‘The story that xives the time, place and purpose of the senator's talk is a Layer I story. That is, it simply relays informa- tion from a source. if the reporter handling this stofy ware to dig a bit deeper and ask the senator’s press secretary whether the senator will support a particular gubernatorial candi- date in the party primary, we can say that the reporter is now operating at a deeper layer, Layer If, We have seen how Sarah Jay worked Layer I by not waiting for the state to announce the name of the winner of the lottery. ‘As we move on in our examination of joumalistic work we will mect reporters ‘ho are allowed to interpret thei findings, to find causes and consequenegs ofthe events they examine, They work in Layer IILChapter 11 Digging for Infomation 231 | The News Story and lis Layers of Truth Layer H-Handouts, news conferences, speeches, statements. Layer ll—Reportorial enterprise, background, reporter's observations, spontaneous events, Layer ill—Significance, Impact, causes, consequences, analysis, interpretation, Digging for the Story t282 _Part Four, Repning Pines che Jobe “A josrTalist's job fs. il Aeteh no ane Th Neg York Ties SANS CLA Most journalists say that their most important task is to Jook beneath the sur- ‘ace. Lincoln Steffens, the great journalist of the muckraking period, said the reporter's task is “the letting in of light and air.” Reporters base their work on the same conviction that guided Steffens. Their job is to seek out refevant informa tion for people who cannot witness or comprehend the events that affect them, Layer | Reporting Layer I reporting is the careful and accurate transcription of source-originated ‘material—the record, the speech, the news conference. Its strengths and its limita- tions are those of objective journalism. Layer 1 is the source for the facis used in most news stories. Information is ‘mined from material that originates with and is controlled by the source. Fact gath- ring at this level of journalism may involve going to the mayor's office to pick up a transcript ofthe speech he is to dcliver this evening or it may involve calling the mortuary holding'the body of the child who drowned last night. ‘The stories based on these facts rely almost wholly on information a source has supptied. act gathering at Layer {is the journalistic equivalent of surface mining, The reporter sinks no shafts into the event but is content to use top-layer material, some of which is presented by public relations and information specialists. Much ‘of the reporter's task is confined fo sorting out and rearranging the delivered fcts, verifying addresses and dates and checking the spelling of names. Most stories appearing in newspapeis and on radio and television are based on source- originated material. Essential Information Despite criticism of Layer I reporting, it serves an essential function. AL its most basic level, it gives the public information about the happenings in their community. The local newspaper will publish photos of dogs awaiting adoption at the County Animal Shelter and tell parents that the school lunch on Monday will be hot dogs, junior salad bar, veggie dippers and fivit salad. Tuesday, meatball sandwich, salad, buttery corn and raisins. ‘The newspaper also will provide an hour-by-hour police incident report: 1:03 am.:A loud party was reported on Lincoln Street. On request, the responsibles agreed to quiet down 2:24 asm: Williams Young of 42 Broad- way was arested for driving under the influence of aleohol. He was booked in the county jail In Layer 1, journalists report city council meetings, legislative hearings, United Way find raising, street closings, traffic accidents, basketball games, appointments of the new university president and human-rights commissioner, the verdicts at trials—an enotmous range of activities. Such coverage isgessen~ tial, especially in the area of public affairs. The public mast have access to the_ Chapter 11. Digging for Infomation 233 statements and activities of its officials, and these officials amist have feedback so they know what's oa the mind of the public. This give aud take makes responsive, consensual government possible. Pseudo-Events ‘As the mass media, particularly television, became the domainant dispensers of experience in American life, sources sought to manipulate reality to accoramnodate the media, especially television's need for pictures, The information sources real ized that press releases and announcements wnaccompanied by visual material of events would not merit more than 20 seconds on most newscasts if that. As a result, sources leamed to stage events for the press that resembled spontaneous events (Layer II) but were, in fact, as much wader the control of the source as the news release and the prepared speech. These staged events are known as media- events or pseudo-events. Following presidential State ofthe Union speech, Russell Baker of The New York Times asked one of the president’s advisers if the speech “‘was not mostly a media event, a nonhappening staged because reporters would pretend it was a happening,” “It's alf media event,” the adviser replied. “Ifthe media weren’t so ready to be used, it would be a very small splash.” Daniel J. Boorstin, the social historian, originated the term pseudo-event to deseribe these synthetic occurrences. He says that a “larger and larger propor- tion of onr experienec, of what we read and see and hear, has come to consist of pseudo-events.” In the process, he says, "Vivid image came to overshadow pele reality.” His book about image making opens with this short dialogue: ADMIRING FRIEND: ‘My, that’s a beautiful baby you have there!” : if 2 MOTIIER: “Oh, that’s nothing-—you should see his photograph.” i aay bee 1922 bo Boorstin says the pseudo-event hs these chavacteristics: “Ik is not spomtane- ous, but comes about because someone has planned, planted or incited it... Wis planted primarily (but not always exclusively) for the immediate purpose of being reported or reproduced. Therefore, its occurrence is arranged for the convenience i of the reporting or reproducing media. ... Its sclation to the underlying selativity “moment of spin,” says 5 of the situation is ambiguous. . ..” at Even, Huntet College: m historian aad author of PA” . . . A Sociol History of Spin. Media Manipulation : See. “The orchesteation of events for public consumption isa frequent occurrence in Where evevene always, ‘ ” for the public sind. = government and politics. Needing public attention and approva, politicians often = srg pubic spy" Een resort to media manipulation, and they often getaway with their contrivances. [a says, "think the public. his momoits, Richard Nixon wrote that modern presidents “must try to master the "believes there snout, art of manipulating the media . . . at the same time they must avoid at all costs the “only spin~-iq partbecause » rmiuiciy of the educated * cchatge of trying to manipulate the media’ rigs aie rs Staged Confrontation One ofthe most éramatc pictures of the civil sights move- fing. t ment in the South in the early 1960s showed a determined Gov. George C. Wallace234 Part Four Reporting Principles _ . blocking the entrance to a University of Alabama building, refusing to allow two black students to enroll, For Wallace, a symbol to southemers of resistance to fed- crally imposed desegregation, this was a powerful and positive image. Even when cconffonted by feccralized National Guard troops with a court order, Wallace stood fiom, Grudgingly, in the face of firepower, he stood aside. ‘The reality was far different: In secret meetings, the Justice Department and Wallace had worked out a scenario that would make both President Jobn F. Ken- nedy aud Wallace look good. Wallace would be allowed to take a stand against desegregating the university but would permit the black students to enroll under the Guard’s protection. ‘Wallace thus was able to make political capital in the South, and Kennedy appeared decisive to people who wanted the country to move faster toward deseg- rogating its educational system. ‘The Kennedy-Wallace secret pact caine to light years later. Another media ‘event some 40 years after the Alabama agreement had a much shorter life. Mission Exposed Following the quick collapse of the Tragi army, the media advisers to President George W. Bush arcanged an event to celebrate the victory. Before a hattery of reporters and photographers, Bush Janded in a fighter jet on Stagecraft The Associated Press cap- tion for this photograph of President Bush aboard an aircraft carrier reads: President Bush flashes a “thumbs-up” after decar- ing the end of major com- bat im rag as he speaks aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abrzham Lincoln off the California coast, Thurs- day, May 1, 2003. The catrier will arive in San Diego May 2, 2003, following a record A-month deployment including "Operation iraqi Ping operon a Combat did not end in 2003 but intensified with increasing deaths to lraqi dwvilians and U.S. troops. AP Photo by Scott ApplewhiteChapter 11._Digging for Information 235 the deck of an aircraft cartier. The president emerged in full light gear to cheers and a huge bannes, “Mission Accomplished.” “The scene was dramatic, a made-for-TV moment. But reporters were quick to point out that the ship was close to shore. The captain had turned it about to make itappear to be at sea. (On page 1 of The New York Times, White House correspondent Elizabeth Bumiller wrote that the event “will be remembered as one of the most audacious ‘moments of presidential theater in American history,” and she went on to write that “it was only the latest example of how the Bush administration, going far bbeyon¢ the foundations of stagecraft set by the Reagan White House, is using the powers of television and technology to promote a presidency like never before.” Bumiller wrote that President Bush's media handlers have made media events into “an art form.” Her story is Layer Ill Reporting. Trial Balloons Condit, SI One of the ways government officials manage the media is through the floating» “haaed ‘ of trial balloons. The technique involves letting reporters in on inside information,” SBeneate by . ane, wish {© promote something. usually about an appointee of a possible new program. The material is to be used tye aproduct’o ‘without attribution, The information is published or used on television and cable. = Gayo, 3 polial andi Public reaction is then gauged. If the public rejects the floated material, no one * or ‘olficehoeer —without. can be blamed as there is no source named. Ifthere is acceptance, then the official arguing ther case on may be named, the program adopfed. To counter this form of media management, Pes at ent adits reporters strive to attribute information. a ec ee * its eagemess to iiform the Dangers of Layer I pub, hes before aco ‘When reporting is confined to Layer I, the distinction between jourpafism and re eoisopbc toch public relations is hard to discern. The consequences for society can be serious, as Joseph Bensman and Robert Lilienfield, sociologists, explain: ‘When “public relations” is conducted simultaneously for a vast nvraber of insti- tutions and organizations, the public life of a society becomes so congested with ‘manufactured appearances that itis difficult to recognize any underlying realities ‘As a result, individuals begin to distrust all public Iacadles and retreat into apathy, cynicism, disaffilation, distrust of media and publie institutions... The Journalist unwittingly often cxposes the workings of the public relations man or information specialist, if he operates within a genuine journalistic attitude. Worthwhile Information ‘Some staged events do produce news —the civil rights demonstrations in the 1960s, picketing by the local teachers union, Certainly, dozens of source-originated events are newsworthy —the toxt of the mayar's speech, the details the mortuary supplies about the child’s death, the announcerient that the university football program has been placed on probation for booster activities that inchuded payment to athletes. é236 Handling the Handout Chicago American, would tell young reporters, One of Romanoff's charges was Mervin Block, who recalls an encounter with Romanoff: More Costly When news releases from food chains in Chicago announced price cuts on thousands of items, the Chicago newspapers bannered the stories on. their front pages. One such headline: battle,” as another paper said in a headline over one of its stories, consumers were actually paying more on a unit, or per-ounce, basis. consumers were being the newspaper stories that took the handouts at face value. Many of the items that ‘were reduced in price were also reduced in weight. Peanut clusters went from 72 cents a packet to 69 cents, an apparent saving of 3 cents. But the packet went from 6 ounces to 5¥4 ounces. With a little arithmetic, a reporter could have figured out that this was actually an increase of 6 cents a packet, Some items were putfficized “Dorr be a handout reporter,” Harry Romanoff, a night city editor on the | remember his giving me a fistful of press releases trumpeting movie monarch Louis B. Mayer's expected arrival atthe Dearbom Strect Railroad Station. An howe later, Romy asked me what time Mayer's train would be prlling in. I told him, and ‘when he challenged my answer, F cited the handouts: one from the Santa Fe, one from Mayer’s studio (MGM), aud oue from his destination, the Ambassador East Hotel, All agreed on the time. But that wasn’t good enough for Romy. “Call the stationmaster and find out.” Inflation Breakthrough Food Prices to Drop Here Despite the rash of siories about liow the shopper “may save 15% in price ner of consumer affairs demonstrated that the city’s led by the store announcements aud consequently by ‘The Chicago commisbecause they stayed at the same price “despite inflation,” according to the hand- ‘outs and the stories. True enough. A 70-cent can of beef stow was still 70 cents. But the new can contained half an ounce less than the old can, The moral of this little tale of the peanut clusters and beef stew is: Even when operating in Layer I, check and check again. Layer Il Reporting: When reporters initiate information-pathering and when they add to Layer 1 ‘material, they are digging in Layer TI. Whenever the situation moves beyond the control of those trying to manage it, the reporter is working in Layer II. The transition from Layer I to Layer IT can be seen at a news conference. “The reading ofa statement provides the source-originated material (1). The give- and-take of the question-and-answer period is spontaneous (II). When the source declines to answer questions, the reporter should understand that he or she is hack in Layer 1, dcaling'with materiat controlled by the source ‘The reporter who, after she is told by the police that the hotel was hurglarized al 5:46 am,, looks up the time of sunrise that day. Her enterprise enables her to write, “The burgiar left the hotel in early morning darkness.” ‘The reporter who writes thatthe state purchasing agent has awarded (o a local dealer a contract for a fleet of automobiles is engeged in Layer I journalism. The investigative reporter who digs info the records to learn that the contract was awarded without bids is working at the second level. Women for Sale When Lena H. Sun, The Washingion Post’s correspondent in China, heard of tho practice of selling women to men seeking wives, she looked for a victim so that she wouldn't have to rely on secondhand accounts. On the cutskirts of Beijing, she found Ma Linmei who was, Sun wrote, “a virtual prisoner. The main road is more than an hour away by foot, down a steep, rocky path. She hhas no money, and she can barely speak tie local dialect. No one will help her escape.” Her husband had been unable to find a bride locally and traveled thousands of miles to Yunan Province in southwestem China to buy a wife. Sun interviewed Ma, who told her, “I miss my home. I miss my mother. I'm always sick, If T had money 1 would zun away.” But ina way, Ma was luckier than many women, Sun fourtt, Thousands of others “are abducted by traders in human flesh, who trick them with promises of ‘g00d jobs and a better life far from home, The traffickers often rape and beat the ‘women before selling them into virtual bondage, often with the full knowledge and cooperation of local Communist Party officials...” Some of he victims, she reposted, are as young as 14, Some are Jocked up, oth- ers shackled to keep them fiom rnning away. “Some have had their leg tendons ‘cut to prevent them from escaping,” Sun reported. Chapter 4 Sold for $363 ‘hough Ma Linmel for ram heme and mar Had toa man se does not tke, Shes uj than most bought wives. Many are brutalized, kept in virtual captivy. Lenfit sin, The Woshnor os__. 288 PartFour Refoning Piwibles | oe Computer-Assisted Reporting Projects ! Journalists who use the computer to analyze material work in Layer Il. When E he was database editor of the Austin American-Statesman, Jeff South teamed up i ‘with reporters to write informative stories, Here's how one begins: _ Some of the highest-paid employees of Dozens. of city employees regularly ‘Austin city government arcn't doctors, law- ear more than $15,000 a year in overtime, ‘yers and department heads. They're electti- Ninety have received more than $50,000 in cians, water workers and mechanics who overtime pay over the past four and a half dd thousands of dollars to their salaries years, and two-thirds of those emplayees through overtime. ‘work for one department: the electric uty. By examining city payroll records, South and Mike Todd found the city had paid out more than $8 million in overtime in a year. A union official said the amount raises questions about proper staffing, equity in salaries and safety. ms Tr computer analyses of database and other material, South found 402 dams {in Texas “could collapse” with heavy rains, that despite the law a sixth of Texas drivers do not have auto insurance, and a fourth of Texas public schools had no ‘black or Hispanic teachers. Peter Bisler of USA Today dug into old records —100,000 pages of declassified documents—for his series on government contracts that put workers at risk and fed fo the pollution of many areas in the country. The material was placed in an Excel spreadsheet. For Bisler’s detailed explanation of how he handled the report- AED ing, and excerpts from his stories, see Poisoned Workers & Poisoned Places in NAW Plus. Investigative Reporting i “Those who dig deepest in Layer II are called investigative reporters. Their work falls into two categories—looking into systemic abuses and checking on illegal activities. The police department that regularly stops black motorists is engaging ina systemic abuse. The city purchasing agent who awards contracts without call- ing for bids violates the law. A Systemic Abuse Judy Johnson of The Anniston Star heard that some people in an Alabama com munity were having trouble getting credit from banks and finance companies. She decided to investigate. She spent months examining records of mortgages and land transfers. “I compiled them into lists year by year, looking for patterns, i building a history,” she sais. . | . She talked to people turned down by banks. Through the years of horrowing from a local businessman, one woman had accunmilated $50,000 in high-interest Toans. Among her Joans was one for a four-year-old car she and her ifasbandy — ——. Chapter 11. Diggingfarinformwrion 239 bad bought from the businessman’s used car lot, The model she bought cost her slightly less than a new ear would have cost her. Jobnson showed how the poor, who cannot obtain credit from large lend- {ing institutions, are victimized by private fenders. Her series won national recognition. legalities Shortly after his graduation from joumalism school, James Dwyer of The Dispatch in Hudson County, N.J., was checking the bids of merchants hoping to sell supplies to a vocational school. His instructor had told Dwyer that bids some- times are manipulated and that examining them can be rewarding, Strange Bids Pwyer noticed that some of the bids seomed to be typed on the same typewriter, He also noticed that the prices for ladders, dust cloths, shovels and other items were high. Even when the supplies were purchased in quantity, prices were higher thant they would have been for goods sold as individual items in hardwate stores, For example, the school paid $564 for ladders that local stores sold for $189. He visited the school and found enough dust cloths to keep the school’s funiture glowing for a couple of centuries. ‘Dwyer tried to locate the firms that made the unsuccessful bids, He could not find them. He theorized that the agent through whom the goods were sold had invented bidders, and using these fake firms to enter high bids on faked statio- nery, the agent made his firm the low bidder. Dwyer’s investigation confirmed his theory and a grand jury took over after his stories appeared, Payroll Deadbeats A reporter had been told by an out-of-office politician that some city workers were political appointees who never showed up for work. An idea: Examine parking tickets in resort areas issued to vehicles with New York license plates. He compared the names on the tickets with names on the city pay- toll. Lo and behold, he found Florida traffic tickets for New York City employees on days they were supposed to be working. Investigative Narrative Investigative reporters Donald L. Barlett aud James B. Steele Jooked into the costs of the war in Iraq and came up with some staggering sums, They knew that anuinbets can be numbing. They summed up the thinking that went into their story: Ir'snot enough to drop abig number into * a story—as difficult as it might have been 10 find that nurnber—and expect people to be wowed, of even grateful, Jot of our effort involves coming up with a perspective that ‘will succeed in comnecting our findings with the experiences andor feelings of those we hhope will read about them... «allowed to contind to" its--than aprovocat lnesigaive repr.” The Seaitle Times. ‘Among the Times investigations: “Coaches. Who Pray,” 159 middle had been repfnianded for. sextial misconduct with players and most had heer coach and teach. = “Landslides aid Log ing,” Weyeihauser’s fogging practices were destroying thelerdscape ‘and putting watetsheds alisk - { A BR ees sam &89A 9 IRRndn-prott néwstoor that «produces investigative © Jaurnaiim n the public interest". as ai js to prodhice “journalises that shines a. “light-on the: exploitation of the weak by the stiong and ‘on the: failure of those with ower to vindicate the ust placed in ther.” To provide the necessary coatext—and 2 pretoxt for readers fo take a chance on hear- jng more of what we had to say—vie cane up ‘with words that paint a stark comparison to the reconstruction realities of an earlier war. ‘Their lead: ‘To date, America has spent twice as much {in inflated-adjusted dollars to rebuild Traq as it did to rebuild Japan—an industrialized country three times Iraq's size, two of whose cites had been incinerated by atomic bombs. Mistreated Warriors Anne Hull oud Dana Priest used the narrative approach to {heir stories about harsh conditions for injured soldiers and marines at the Waltor Reed Army Medical Center. This writing developed from the reporting techniques they used, They would “just hang out and watch people,” said Hull. “Typically, for a narrative, we go report and hang out to build scenes and describe something. “One of the first places we went was this hotel on the military post called the Mologne House. It looks like a nice Ramada Inn. I's inconceivable what we see, soldiers with their missing limbs, theyre maimed, they're burned, they're drag- ging 1V poles, and they have catheters. Alt 220 rooms are occupied by wounded from Irag and Afghanistan and, quite often, their wives and children are crammed into rooms with them. Its a reaily surreal scene.” ‘The work of Hull and Priest was recognized with a Pulitzer Prize for public service journalism. Speed Kills, Courts Shrug This was the headline over the first story in a series by a reposting ream fiom The News & Observer in Roleigh, N.C. The series origi- nated in a telephone eal] to the newsroom. “If you go to the courthouse and look around,” the caller saéd, “you'll find long lines in every county of people waiting to get their speeding tickets reduced or dismissed. Reporters Pat Smith, Mandy Locke and David Raynor acquired a state data~ base of 3.4 million traffic court cases. They made a stunning discovery. Less than 3 percent of the drivers cited for speeding were convicted, despite the fact that moze people die from speed-telated collisions than from drunk driving, ‘The frst article in their four-part series, “Speed Unlimited” began this way: Nancy Moseley has always had aleavy slammed into Williams’ pickup at 60 mph, foot. Eventually, she killed with it. Moseley, 44, had been caught driving foo fast eight times since 2001. But every time, her Fawyer cut a deal to preserve her right to drive. It took killing Joe Williams, a 76-year old retiree, in,a head-on collision to get her off the road. Last summer, Moseley 15 mph over the speed limit. Speed-related aecidents kill about 10 peo plea week in North Carolina, dveording othe UNC Highway Safety Research Center. That's far more than are killed in accidents involving alcohol. But while state legislators gid court officials have gotten tough on drunken diiv- crs, they have eased up on speeders ailDigrafortfamaton 20 ‘The series found that “almost 80 percent of speeding defendants—well over half'a million a year—get off easy.” ‘Three days after the final article in the series appeared, the state senate voted 49-1 to approve a bill that closed several of the Toopholes through which bigh- speed deivers had escaped. The bill then became law. Finding Sources ‘As you may already have gathered, there are two basic types of sources, physi- cal and human, Physical sources range from databases of political campaign dona tions to the minutes of city council sessions. ‘They include census data and crime statistics, We will be looking at sources in greater detail in Chapter 14, but we'll pause a moment here to look at how a veteran repottor handles kuman sources. Jeffiey A. Tannenbaum of Bloomberg News puts the names of the most help- ful sources in his files. “Someday, they may come in handy,” he says. But what about finding sources for a subject entirely new to the reportcr? “Ficst, look for institutional sources,” Tannenbeum says. “If you're writing about pizzas, there's a national association of pizza chefs.” For his story about the growing power of the states” attomey generals, he asked the New York attorney general if there was an association of all 50 officers. He was given the telephone number of the organization. Tn gathering information from news sources, he says, “One source Teads to another, Pethaps only the seventh one in the chain has what you need.” ‘When do you know you have gathered all you need? “Only after the informa- tion the sources have provided is getting redundant, and the sonrces are failing to supply new sources,” he says. Layer Il! Reporting Reporters face a public increasingly interested in knowing all the diinensions ‘of the events that affect their lives. ‘The result has been a joumalism that has expanded beyond accounts of what happened. Reporters are encouraged to tell readers, viewers and listeners how and why it happened, to desoribe the causes and consequences of the event. ‘When the U.S, Senate passed a tax cut bill, Edmund L. Andrews of The New York Times wrote in his lead that the bill is “mostly for the-nation’s wealthiest taxpayers.” He went on to point out that the Senate failed to act on tax breaks ““neluding deductions for college tuition and a savings eredit for low income people...” Layer Il reporting tells people how things work, why they work that way, ot why they don’t work. Bad Swap When The Seatile Times learned that the U.S. Forest Service had traded away a verdant area along the Green River for a logged-over, debris-filled242. Part Four Reporting Principles. — - = we isting somehow helps: 5 me organize my thoughts, nels me focus, Franky, ‘don't undeistand hove Columnists who ever leave | Ale offices dot 5 £0 eas)-40 get lost a yourselt =o me, the best = columns are reoted in veal reporting.” Thomas L. Fednan, © anothec Ties columnist, Says he wos tanghtearyin bis caer “that whether ‘you're waiting news, 2° “opinion or analysts, iit isn't based on shoe leather "Tepoiting it iso"t worth a bucket of bron. stubble, reporters dug into the program that permitted such disadvantageous exchanges. Then reporters went beyond theit investigation to suggest ways to fix the program. ‘The Times suggested seven reforms, from selling unwanted government land to the highest bidder to allowing the public to have a voice in determining what land should be exchanged or sold and in negotiating the sale or exchange. Quick Passage In the early days of the presidency of George W. Bush, Con- gress enaoted a law making it harder for people to erase their debts by fling for bankruptcy. Philip Shenon of The New York Times pointed out that President Clinton had vetoed a similar bill in his last weeks in office but that the current version had quick and easy sailing, Shenon showed why: ‘The bill’s quick resurrection after Mr. ‘Bush's inauguration was seen a5 evidence of the generous campaign contributions ‘made to each party by the credit industry. It also reflected the growing power of Tob- byists in a government in which the White Hlouse and Congress are run by business- friendly Republicans. Easy Credit The AP story from Chicago began: William Rodriguez trudged home through rain and snow and wee-hour dadkvess, He was only 23, in good health and known as a happy-go-lucky feliow. Yet he would be dead before sunrise, Rodriguez, had purchased rat poison on his way home from work, and as he walked he ate the poison. Why? The AP assigned two reponers to find out. Their digging turned up the answer—easy credit. Rodriguez owed $700 to merchants for furniture, clothing, a television set. He couldn't meet the payments, and the creditors were threatening to tell his employer. The story galvanized the city’s enforcement agencies. Rodriguez had been sold low-grade merchandise and had been given credit at usurious rates. The leg islature reacted by lowering interest rates. The law is known as the “Rodriguez Law.” < Voter-Conscious When the New Jersey state legistature passed a bill banning state Medicaid payments for abortions, it ignored nine federal district court deci- sions in eight states that ruled similar bills were unconstitutional. The reason for the legislators’ action was described in this Layer II sentence from The New York Times: “Approval of the measure reflects the influence of the CatholicChureh, which opposes abortion, in New Jersey: About 55 percent of the state's ‘Keitered voters are Catholic.”Chapt Rigg fr nformtion 248 Putting I, fl and Ill to Work Let us watch a reporter mine these three layers for his story. City Planner Arthur calls the local stations and newspaper to read to reporters a statement about a new zoning proposal. The retease contains facts 1, 2 and 3. At the newspaper, reporter Berard looks over the handout, tells his city editor that Land 2 are of no news value but that 3—climination of two-acre zoning north of town—is important and worth exploring in an interview with Arthur. The editor agrees and assigns Berard to the story. Before leaving for the interview, Berard checks the Internet fora story about a court decision he recalls that may be related to the proposed regulation, He tele- phones another city official and a real estate developer to obtain additional infor- ‘mation. With this background and Arthur's statement, Benard begins to develop ideas for questions, He jots down a few, 4, 5 and 6. ‘During the interview, City Planner Arthur repeats 1, 2 and 3. Reporter Ber- nard asks for more information about 3, the elimination of the minimum two-acre requirement for home building. Bernard also brings up his own subjects by ask ing questions 4, 5 and 6. New themes develop during the interview: 7, 8 and 9. Back jn the newsroom, Bemard looks over his notes. He sees that his hanch about 3 was correct. It was important. Arthur's answer to question 5 is newswor- thy, he decides, and fact 7—the possibility of low- and medium-cost housing in the area——which developed during the interview, may be the lead. Bernard needs conynents on the impact of'7 froin developers. A couple of calls and the possible consequences, 10, emerge. The developers confirm their interest in building inexpensive housing. Looking over his notes, he spots background from the Internet, If, that is now relevant and also will go into the story. ‘The story will contain facts 3, §, 7, 10 and 11. Bemard devides he will fashion 7 and 10 into. lead, and he worries about haw (o blend 11 into the story ata fairly early stoge without impeding the How of Arthur’s explanation. He has found that back- ‘ground is sometimes difficult to work smoothly into the story. He writes this lead: ‘A proposed change to climinate the two-acre zoning require- ment for home building north of town could open the area to people who can afford only low- and medium-cost housing. Bernard's story will consist of the following: Facts Layer 3 1 ‘ 5,711 Jt 10 ul ‘ Bemafd has used almostall the techniques eportershave at their command to gather Trets for stories, He was given infonmation by a source. ‘Then he used the Intermet—a t physical source—for background. He then interviewed his original source—a human . sourec—and made independent checks by éalling up additional sources.ther Reading - Boorstin, Daniel J. The Image: Guide-to Pseudo-Events in America, “New York: Atheneutn, 1961: - Crouse, Timothy.-The Boys on the Bus. New York: Random House, 1973. « MeGinniss, Joe, The’ Selling of he President 1968. New York: Pocket Books, 1973.