Tools
Journalism requires many tools and here are a few:
- AP StylebookThe AP Stylebook Online is a fully searchable version of the AP Stylebook with interactive features and links. AP Stylebook Online include an editor login to add custom entries and notes to AP Stylebook material.
- Journalist's Resource: Knowledge-Based ReportingThe mission of Journalist’s Resource is to curate scholarship relevant to the media for use by practitioners, educators and students. We also invite all those interested in policy and public affairs — from citizen bloggers to civic groups — to use the site’s materials.
- Audit Bureau of Circulations e-DataeCirc is a quick, concise online source for ABC top-line circulation (based on the latest released FAS-FAX report) information. eCirc lets you sort and search summarized circulation data by Publication Title, State/Province, U.S. SRDS or Canadian CARD classifications. Circulation statistics for newspapers, journals, magazines, business publications and web publications.
- The National Freedom of Information CoalitionThe National Freedom of Information Coalition protects our right to open government.
We are a nonpartisan alliance of citizen-driven nonprofit freedom of information organizations, academic and First Amendment centers, journalistic societies and attorneys. - The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) ithe Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides that any person has a right, enforceable in court, to obtain access to federal agency records, except to the extent that such records (or portions of them) are protected from public disclosure by one of nine exemptions or by one of three special law enforcement record exclusions.
- ProfNetAs an online community of nearly 27,000 corporate, university and other communicators, we can connect you promptly with the experts you want to reach from within the largest network of experts of its kind.
- Obituaries & Death NoticesThe largest and most comprehensive collection of newspaper obituaries and death notices. Extensive editorial review of all newspaper sections ensures thorough selection of obituaries for easy access. An easy-to-use interface allows searching by name, date range, or text such as institutional name, social affiliation(s), geographic location(s), philanthropic activities, etc.
- Reporters Committee for Freedom of the PressNonprofit organization dedicated to providing free legal help to reporters and news organizations.
- Journalist's ToolboxSociety of Professional Journalists provides news in internet tools for journalists search able website.
- Public Searches and Public RecordsRecords are available for births occurring in Los Angeles County since 1866.
- Los Angeles County Court RecordsThe most comprehensive single source for facts and statistics about Los Angeles County!
- White PagesWhite pages directory.
- Records ProjectYour Encyclopedia for State and County Public Records
- Pipl.comThe most comprehensive people search on the web.
- United States Court LocatorGreat resource to locate the following:
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Courts of Appeals
U.S. District Courts
U.S. Bankruptcy Courts
U.S. Probation & Pretrial Services
Record Searching resources
Public Records & Statistics:
- LASC - Case Summary - Los Angeles County Superior Court
- Public Records Directory
- Google Public Data Explorer
- Statistics Help for Journalist...
- Environmental RE Database
- National Security Archive
Gov. Agencies:
- Index of U.S. Gov. Agencies
- Federal Register
- GPO Resource List
- THOMAS (Congress)
- Federal Inspectors General
- U.S. GAO
- Library of Congress
- CDC
- Patents & Trademarks
Photos, Footage, Transcripts & Articles
Public Records
- The Open Government GuideA complete compendium of information on every state’s open records and open meetings laws.
Books
The Art of Access by Call Number: Von KleinSmid Center Available , NEW-BOOKS PN4781 .C95 2020ISBN: 9781506380704Publication Date: 2019-08-22Whatever you're trying to learn about the world--as a journalist or as an informed citizen-- public records often hold the key. But what records, where? And how to get them? It starts with understanding the Freedom of Information Act, but what you really need are strategies for dealing with the officials who stand between you and the information you seek. Gaining access to records is an art, one that requires an organized approach and a good understanding of human behavior. The Art of Access: Strategies for Acquiring Public Records 2nd Edition is a how-to guide for putting the law into action and using ingenuity to pry records loose. Building on their own experience and interviews with more than 100 practitioners, FOI experts and longtime journalists David Cuillier and Charles Davis help you rethink the information-gathering process and develop a document state of mind. With Cuillier and Davis's strategies, get ready to: overcome roadblocks and illegal denials; better understand government officials' perspectives so you can more successfully work with them; find more and better online resources and mine them effectively; and write document-based stories that resonate with readers. A "Pro Tips" feature showcases advice from some of the best in the business, from media lawyers and prominent journalists to a private investigator and other access experts. At the end of each chapter, a Try It! section offers exercises and story ideas that will empower you to start finding and using documents right away. Appendices include a comprehensive list of online FOI resources as well as an annotated Record Album that guides you A-Z to records on everything from abandoned buildings and air quality to workplace safety and zoning.
