Resources

Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. The IRE Journal, Nov/Dec 2006

Tools to help track, background and interview people

If you're interested in more information on investigating people and putting together profiles, check out these tipsheets and stories, available from the IRE Resource Center (www.ire.org/resourcecenter):

Tipsheets

* No. 494: "Internet Tricks and Treats," Margot Williams, The Washington Post. This tipsheet lists Web sites for biographical information, professional and government locators and general directories. An audio tape also is available through the IRE Resource Center.

* No. 1431: "Loosening Lips: The Art of the Interview, Second Edition," Eric Nalder, San Jose Mercury News. This five-page tipsheet provides specific strategies for conducting successful interviews with reluctant sources, public officials and whistleblowers. It also includes information on anonymity, offthe-record interviews and background interviews.

* No. 1801: "Sources and Interviews Tipsheet," Dan Meyers, The Denver Post. This tipsheet provides concise tips on interviewing and backgrounding sources for a story.

* No. 2387: "Sources," Mark Skertic, The Chicago Tribune. This tipsheet describes how to develop and maintain sources, beginning with different ways to gain their confidence. It also gives advice regarding how to handle different types of sources, whether they're unhappy or uncooperative.

* No. 2448: "Using the Internet to Background People," Carolyn Edds, St. Petersburg Times. This tipsheet is a detailed guide to finding background information on the Internet, covering a variety of sources from property records to personal licenses.

Stories

* Story No. 19935: An investigation revealed emergency services in Chicago employed a number of criminals, many of whom were repeat offenders or had been convicted of a violent crime. During the year-long investigation, reporters conducted back-ground checks on 18,000 police officers, firefighters and paramedics. Dave Savini, Michele Youngeman, Mark Ringo, Matthew Byrne, Bond Li, Michelle De Long, Sharon Pearson, Greg Schatz, WMAQ-Chicago. (2002)

* Story No. 22377: Paul Rubin investigated the background of Carl Gohson, who died on the streets during the July 2005 heat wave in Phoenix. Gohson was a popular street musician in his community and had battled mental illness throughout his life. (Phoenix) New Times. (2005)

IRE Journal Stories

* "Fugitive Capture: Electronic Documents Help Reporter Track Killer 15 Years after Prison Escape," Linda Johnson, Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader. Johnson explains how she used Internet sources and reporting techniques to locate an escaped murderer named Ralph Annis, whom police were unable to find. (July/August 2005)

* "Quick Hits: Investigations Don't Have to Take Months or Years; Tips on Getting the Story and Making the Deadline," Eric Nalder, Seattle Post-Intelligencer. This story offers eight tips for completing investigative stories quickly. Nalder uses examples from a story he wrote about a tax loophole and includes suggestions for all aspects of his investigation, including backgrounding and interviews. (March/April 2005)

* "Checking Criminal Backgrounds," Carolyn Edds, The IRE Journal. Edds details how to use federal court records and inmate locators when checking criminal backgrounds. She also suggests helpful services like PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records). (May/June 2004)

* "Paramedic Backgrounding: Small Station Uses CAR to Sift Entire State's Data," Mark Greenblatt, WBBH-Fort Meyers/Naples, Fla. Greenblatt describes his investigation of Florida's EMT certification system, for which he ran the EMT database against a criminal database. He discusses computer-assisted reporting, accuracy and cooperation with government agencies. (Sept/Oct 2003)

* "Defense Background Checks: Finding the Cracks - and Gaping Holes," Edward T. Pound, USA Today. Pound explains his investigation of the Defense Security Service, which does background checks on military and civilian personnel at the Pentagon before they receive access to classified information. Pound describes the state of disarray in the Defense Security Service. (May/June 2000)