On Tuesday the class took a trip to the Orient Rd. Jail. It was here where we were taken on a tour of the jail by Major Robert Lucas. The tour started with Major Lucas taking us through the entire booking process. This large holding room is where every person that is arrested is brought to. From vandalizing to murder, everyone’s process starts in this room.
The first stage of the booking process is the intake section. It is here where they take all of the person’s belongings. The next step is property. In this step they take a picture of all of the person’s valuables for record. Major Lucas stated that all of their valuables are returned to them when they are able to leave Orient Rd. The next step in the booking process is finger printing. The information received from the finger printing section is given to every agency in the state of Florida. When the person is done with finger printing, he/she moves on to medical. The last step of the process is called classification, and after this they are put in to the general population of the Orient Road Jail.
This stuff is all very fascinating and interesting, but it is also extremely important to a reporter. The reason is because of all the information compiled in this process, the only part of it that is not available to the public is the medical portion. This means that the incident reports, intake records, property claims, finger printing information, and video evidence from the room itself (including the holding cells) is all public record.
Here are some interesting facts that were given throughout our trip: On September 23rd (the day of our trip) there were and estimated 1,400 inmates at the Orient Rd. Jail; The Orient Rd. Jail is 1 of only 120 direct supervision jails in the United States; An estimated 200 people are brought there per day and around 72,000 per year.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
J. D. Callaway
Tuesday’s field trip to the Hillsborough Country Sheriff’s Department was an informative and fascinating one. We were given information and shown the inner workings of many different areas of the Sheriff’s Department by Public Information Officer J.D. Callaway.
The trip started with a twenty minute lecture session with Callaway. I thought this part of the trip was huge for students in a class like this. The reason I say this is because Callaway made the statement that most of the stories and documents that young reporters deal with are crime-related. It was during this part of the lecture that Callaway explained the instances that a reporter can come to the Sheriff’s Department for records and when they need to go to the county courthouse. Probably the most interesting part of the lecture to me was when Callaway talked about search warrants. He stressed the importance of search warrants for young reporters, describing them as “incredibly valuable.” Callaway said that search warrants are available for someone to observe ten days after they are issued out. I thought this fact was huge, because I imagine that the information found on some of these search warrants is essential to writing a great report.
Callaway also discussed how the transition to digital media has affected the way reporters get their information. In the examples Callaway provided, it seemed like reporters are putting the importance of timeliness above that of accuracy. He said that reporters will get information by what is being said over the air on police scanners and report it. Although this might make for instantaneous news and incredible timeliness, it is not always accurate according to Callaway. What all this means for Callaway is that he must try to be as timely as these reporters that are working with this information while being 100 percent accurate at the same time.
The trip started with a twenty minute lecture session with Callaway. I thought this part of the trip was huge for students in a class like this. The reason I say this is because Callaway made the statement that most of the stories and documents that young reporters deal with are crime-related. It was during this part of the lecture that Callaway explained the instances that a reporter can come to the Sheriff’s Department for records and when they need to go to the county courthouse. Probably the most interesting part of the lecture to me was when Callaway talked about search warrants. He stressed the importance of search warrants for young reporters, describing them as “incredibly valuable.” Callaway said that search warrants are available for someone to observe ten days after they are issued out. I thought this fact was huge, because I imagine that the information found on some of these search warrants is essential to writing a great report.
Callaway also discussed how the transition to digital media has affected the way reporters get their information. In the examples Callaway provided, it seemed like reporters are putting the importance of timeliness above that of accuracy. He said that reporters will get information by what is being said over the air on police scanners and report it. Although this might make for instantaneous news and incredible timeliness, it is not always accurate according to Callaway. What all this means for Callaway is that he must try to be as timely as these reporters that are working with this information while being 100 percent accurate at the same time.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
The Value of Research
The lecture on Tuesday given by Matt Doig of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune had a very reoccurring theme: the research of public databases has to be done. Doig spent the entire hour and 15 minutes stressing the importance of a reporter conducting the proper research for a story. He had a number of stories and examples from past experiences that illustrated this point vividly. Doig was not just talking to print majors during his lecture, as he stressed the importance of research to the broadcast majors too.
Doig said that researching the public databases gets the reporter to the “heart” of the matter. He added that this is the only way the reporter can be as informed as he/she can be about the story they are writing or telling. Can this process be tedious at times and mundane? Sure, but if a reporter leaves no stone unturned in his/her research, then there is no room for argument. The story will simply be black and white and supported by the facts, leaving the reporter completely informed and able to answer any questions and counter any possible arguments.
Doig described the research as tedious, but said that it is the accountable way to report. “The data part is a grind, but it’s got to be done,” Doig said. Toward the end of his lecture he made a point that I think should awaken all aspiring reporters. He said that you cannot establish yourself as a reporter and get to the next level if you don’t have public records; you need that information.
I thought this lecture was a perfect follow-up to last week’s. Ms. Harper’s lecture had me asking, “If it’s such a hassle to access this stuff then why would I do it?” In comes Matt Doig to tell me why, and I now know just how important it is.
Doig said that researching the public databases gets the reporter to the “heart” of the matter. He added that this is the only way the reporter can be as informed as he/she can be about the story they are writing or telling. Can this process be tedious at times and mundane? Sure, but if a reporter leaves no stone unturned in his/her research, then there is no room for argument. The story will simply be black and white and supported by the facts, leaving the reporter completely informed and able to answer any questions and counter any possible arguments.
Doig described the research as tedious, but said that it is the accountable way to report. “The data part is a grind, but it’s got to be done,” Doig said. Toward the end of his lecture he made a point that I think should awaken all aspiring reporters. He said that you cannot establish yourself as a reporter and get to the next level if you don’t have public records; you need that information.
I thought this lecture was a perfect follow-up to last week’s. Ms. Harper’s lecture had me asking, “If it’s such a hassle to access this stuff then why would I do it?” In comes Matt Doig to tell me why, and I now know just how important it is.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
First Amendment Foundation
I thought the presentation by Ms. Harper was an eye-opening one, especially for me. Before this class I had absolutely no idea about how to obtain public records or the rules on doing so. I still do not know a whole lot, but this presentation really helped me.
If only obtaining public records was as easy as the public records law makes it seem. This law gives the public a very broad right access, stating that any person may inspect any public record in the state of Florida if they wish. Now that seems very simple. If I want to inspect or make copies of a public record, I just go and do it with no questions asked. Of course, there are numerous cases in which it is nowhere near this easy.
The biggest roadblock that seems to be the most evident when it comes to attempting to access public records is fees. According to Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes there should be no fee to inspect a public record and a 15 cents-per-copy fee if you should choose to make copies of a public record. There are many times where this is indeed not the case. Sometimes an agency will claim that a certain public records request requires the extensive use of the agency, and they will charge you accordingly.
One valuable tip that Ms. Harper mentioned was that if an agency simply will not give you access to a certain public record, get them to put this denial and the reason for it in writing. Another thing she mentioned was that if they are charging you a certain fee for a request, to get them to explain to you why it costs what it costs. For example, find out if they are actually charging you $50 per hour for someone to simply observe you inspecting the records. Surely this is not skilled enough labor to charge $50 per hour for it.
I’m glad that I have a number to call when these roadblocks come up in the near future. I most likely will have no idea what to do and will probably end up just overpaying for something. Now I can prevent this.
If only obtaining public records was as easy as the public records law makes it seem. This law gives the public a very broad right access, stating that any person may inspect any public record in the state of Florida if they wish. Now that seems very simple. If I want to inspect or make copies of a public record, I just go and do it with no questions asked. Of course, there are numerous cases in which it is nowhere near this easy.
The biggest roadblock that seems to be the most evident when it comes to attempting to access public records is fees. According to Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes there should be no fee to inspect a public record and a 15 cents-per-copy fee if you should choose to make copies of a public record. There are many times where this is indeed not the case. Sometimes an agency will claim that a certain public records request requires the extensive use of the agency, and they will charge you accordingly.
One valuable tip that Ms. Harper mentioned was that if an agency simply will not give you access to a certain public record, get them to put this denial and the reason for it in writing. Another thing she mentioned was that if they are charging you a certain fee for a request, to get them to explain to you why it costs what it costs. For example, find out if they are actually charging you $50 per hour for someone to simply observe you inspecting the records. Surely this is not skilled enough labor to charge $50 per hour for it.
I’m glad that I have a number to call when these roadblocks come up in the near future. I most likely will have no idea what to do and will probably end up just overpaying for something. Now I can prevent this.
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