Nailing the

backgrounder
With Joe Adams
Copyright 1991, 2000-2008 Joe Adams. All rights reserved.

of story sourcing People Public

domain

Personal
observation

Public
CONFIDENTIAL

records

Private
records

Copyright 1999-2008 Joe Adams. All rights reserved.

The 5 Ps: People (A)

PIOs Public officials Witnesses Victims Family Friends Professionals All human sources

This is any human source for a story.

The 5 Ps: People

Public domain (B)

Lexis-Nexis Search engines MySpace, Facebook Company Web sites Press releases Clips, reference books Ads, infomercials Magazines, books, television, newspapers, radio

This is info, free or otherwise, that others want you to have. Usually background in a story.

The 5 Ps in Play: Public domain

Public records (C)

Local, state, national, international Lawsuits Criminal records Deeds, mortgages, etc. Employee files Licensing and regulatory files Audits

What weve been talking about today!

The 5 Ps in Play: Public records

Personal observation (D)

Sights, sounds, ideas Shared experience Memories Analysis

What you see, hear, conclude on your own. Typically color in a story.

The 5 Ps in Play: Personal observation

Private records (E)

Company memos Polls, surveys Birth certificates Personal pictures Purchasing receipts Medical records Employee files Market analysis Diaries Letters

Category grows if public records go private, or shrinks if info becomes public record.

The 5 Ps in Play: Private records

Most big stories have all 5 Ps (E)

For instance: Man kills his wife and her lover, then turns the gun on himself
People: Witnesses, neighbors, friends, cops and everyone else who knows them Public domain: Clips, Lexis-Nexis, Google, personal Web sites, Facebook, Mypace, yearbooks, etc. Public records: Criminal, civil, marriage, domestic violence injunctions, property records, etc. Personal observation: Descriptions of scene, home, neighborhood, vehicles, etc. Private info: Pictures, video, letters, etc.

What can I find in each category for my story or subject?

People Public domain Personal observation Private information Public records

PIO's Witnesses Victims Professionals

Archives Lexis-Nexis Newspapers TV news shows

Sights, sounds, ideas Shared experiences Memories Analysis

Company memos Employee files Polls, surveys Market analysis

Federal State Local International

Friends Family Public officials All human sources

Magazines Books Encyclopedias Company Web sites

Birth certificates School records Adopton proceedings Shareholder names

Files, permits, licenses Court records Statistics, studies Government publishing

Search engines Press releases Company brochures Church bulletins

Purchasing receipts Cancelled checks Photos, videos Personal letters

Investigative reports Audits Employee records Disciplinary actions

Advertisements Infomercials Facebook My Space

Club roster lists Private agreements Personal diaries Donor lists

Checks, warrants Travel records Calendars Meeting minutes

Guide your research: Am I touching all the right bases? Build a beat checklist Use your time more effectively for success Make each story your personal learning lab
15

So many resources

to researching people and businesses Start

Clips, Lexis Nexis, Autotrak, photo files, search engines, company Web sites, Hoovers, SEC, etc.
Copyright 2000-2008. By Joe Adams. All rights reserved.

Public records
Secretary of State County Circuit Court Clerk's Office Federal records

Other state records, etc.

Other county records, etc.

Other federal records, etc.

Department of Highway Safety and Motor vehicles

Property Appraiser's Office

Professional permitting or licensing agency

City/county permitting or licensing

More state records

More city/county records

23

Use social media

Check Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn i.e. Dobson story Check school directories, alumni directories, business directories

Sequence matters! (3)

Cast the widest net possible for info before you interview your source.

24

Best order in most cases (E)

Public domain Public records Personal observation People Private info

Can vary slightly depending on circumstances. Example: Great tip on a lawsuit? Go for the suit!

ASSIGNMENT
How much can you find out about Warren Buffet? Be back by 3:35 p.m. with a group report.