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Reporting on people: 26 ways to find personal information deadline

by Denise-Marie Ordway, The Journalist's Resource
August 30, 2016

<h1>Reporting on people: 26 ways to find personal information deadline</h1> <p class="byline">by Denise-Marie Ordway, The Journalist's Resource <br />August 30, 2016</p> <p>Let's say you’re on deadline with a story about a crime committed in your community but officials are releasing only basic details: a few facts about the crime and the name and birth date of a person alleged to be involved. Your audience -- and your editor -- will want know as much about this individual as possible, as quickly as possible. How do you report on someone when you have so little to go on? Where do you go to find personal information and other details?</p> <p>Below, I've listed the steps I used while working in the newsroom to track down large amounts of information on deadline. While my strategies may come in handy when covering crime, you can also use them for gathering public and private details about someone for other stories on other newsroom beats.</p> <p>It’s worth pointing out that before starting any fact-finding mission, journalists should be familiar with public-record laws in their states. They need to know what records are available, which ones are accessible by the public and the formats in which they are available. (The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press provides a <a href="https://www.rcfp.org/open-government-guide" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">state-by-state guide</a> to public records on its website.)</p> <p>Here’s how to find information about a person connected to a crime on deadline:</p> <p><strong>On the ground </strong></p> <ul> <li>Go to the crime scene. Make notes about what you see and hear. Knock on doors in the neighborhood. Talk to people standing around and walking by. Ask everyone you can find what they have seen and heard and what they know about the incident and anyone involved.</li> <li>Chat with authorities at the scene. If it’s a major crime scene, law enforcement officers will remain at the property for a while. Some will be assigned to keep the media and others away so detectives can do their work. Some officers might be willing to share information that isn’t directly linked to the investigation.</li> <li>If you eventually get a street address for the person you’re researching, go to that location and talk to anyone who is there. Talk to neighbors, too.</li> <li>Go to the places in these neighborhoods where community members gather. Coffee shops, barber shops and hair salons are great places to find people sharing stories and information.</li> <li>If you can identify former or current employers, visit these places of work and talk to people there. In fact, try to talk to people in any place this person is known to frequent.</li> <li>If you can identify one or more of the schools or colleges this person attended, call a campus administrator or visit the campus. Many elementary and secondary schools post contact information for their teachers, administrators and other employees on their websites. Colleges and universities typically provide that information online also.</li> <li>If the person you’re researching is being held at a detention center or jail, go there. Talk to the people entering and leaving. You might find someone who is going to visit this person or has just seen him or her.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Government records, data</strong></p> <ul> <li>Do a criminal background check on the person -- if you are able. In at least some states, law enforcement agencies allow the public to request a search of their databases to see if someone has been charged with any crime. There often is a fee for the search. In some cases, all you need is a person’s name to do a criminal background check. But some agencies require personal information, such as a date of birth or partial social security number.</li> <li>Search court records. Some local courts put basic information online about criminal and civil cases, including bankruptcy and divorce cases. You'll probably need to the courthouse, however, to get details and other more personal information.</li> <li>Ask local law enforcement officials how often they have received complaints about this person or complaints related to the address of the crime scene. Depending on public-record laws and your relationship with authorities, they may provide a report or share anecdotal information.</li> <li>Look at property records, which could offer information about the person you’re researching or the landlord. Property records can contain details such as who owns a property, how long the owner has owned it and its assessed value.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Your news organization</strong></p> <ul> <li>Search your newsroom’s archive. You’ll want to know what your news organization already has reported about this person. This might provide a basis for your coverage and generate leads.</li> <li>Search LexisNexis, a paid service available in many newsrooms, to see what has been published about this person in other parts of the state and nation.</li> <li>Do a national records search using a paid service such as LexisNexis Accurint, with which your newsroom may have an account. An Accurint report offers a variety of personal information, including corporate affiliations, possible family members, current and previous residential addresses, motor vehicle registries and professional licenses.</li> <li>As a part of your coverage, encourage audience members to contact you with information they have. Offer them multiple ways to reach you.</li> <li>Read the comments audience members leave online -- on your story or other stories your news outlet has published about this individual. Check comments made on other news outlets' websites also. The public often posts tips and useful details in their comments.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Social media</strong></p> <ul> <li>Search the social media accounts of this individual. Facebook pages can be particularly helpful as people often share a great deal of personal information there, including birth dates, schools they attended and current and former employers. Try reaching out to this person’s Facebook friends, Twitter followers and TikTok followers for interviews.</li> <li>If you know where this person went to school or college, look for the institution's Facebook page or a Facebook page frequented by alumni. This might help you reach other people who know or knew this person.</li> <li>Find out what people are saying on social media about this person or the crime. This could lead you to potential sources and additional information. Monitor the conversation throughout the day as new people join in and new details emerge.</li> <li>Look at who other news outlets covering the story are reaching out to on social media. Read those public messages and conversations.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Other online resources</strong></p> <ul> <li>Do a general online search for this person’s name and any addresses affiliated with this individual. This could generate additional details and leads.</li> <li>The website <a href="https://www.classmates.com/">Classmates.com</a> can help you find former classmates.</li> <li>If you have a photo of the person you’re researching, use a reverse image search tool such as <a href="https://tineye.com/">TinEye</a> to see whether and where that photo is being used online.</li> <li>Read what other newsrooms are reporting. They might have details you don’t.</li> </ul> <p><strong>More things to try</strong></p> <ul> <li>Reach out to the experts -- for example, criminal justice scholars. Scholars may not be able to speak about the specific person or crime you’re covering, but they can talk about similar situations as well as related trends and research. All of this can add valuable context to your piece.</li> <li>Read <a href="https://journalistsresource.org/home/research-journalism-tips-statistics-writing/">academic research</a> to better understand the type of crime you're covering. This can also help you ask more probing questions.</li> <li>Find out whether there have been local efforts to stop this type of crime in this area. If so, find the people involved in those efforts and interview them. Check with the mayor, the local police chief and the head of the local Neighborhood Watch program.</li> <li>Seek out crime data to help you explain how often this type of crime is committed locally, statewide and nationwide. Point out trends.</li> </ul> <p>We hope you find this list useful. As you gather information, be sure to discuss with your editors whether and how you'll report on details you haven’t yet been able to fully confirm. You'll also want to explain to your audience which important details remain unknown or unclear.</p> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://journalistsresource.org/media/find-information-people-crime-journalism/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://journalistsresource.org">The Journalist's Resource</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://journalistsresource.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/cropped-jr-favicon-150x150.png" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"></p> Copy to Clipboard

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Let’s say you’re on deadline with a story about a crime committed in your community but officials are releasing only basic details: a few facts about the crime and the name and birth date of a person alleged to be involved. Your audience — and your editor — will want know as much about this individual as possible, as quickly as possible. How do you report on someone when you have so little to go on? Where do you go to find personal information and other details?

Below, I’ve listed the steps I used while working in the newsroom to track down large amounts of information on deadline. While my strategies may come in handy when covering crime, you can also use them for gathering public and private details about someone for other stories on other newsroom beats.

It’s worth pointing out that before starting any fact-finding mission, journalists should be familiar with public-record laws in their states. They need to know what records are available, which ones are accessible by the public and the formats in which they are available. (The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press provides a state-by-state guide to public records on its website.)

Here’s how to find information about a person connected to a crime on deadline:

On the ground

• Go to the crime scene. Make notes about what you see and hear. Knock on doors in the neighborhood. Talk to people standing around and walking by. Ask everyone you can find what they have seen and heard and what they know about the incident and anyone involved.
• Chat with authorities at the scene. If it’s a major crime scene, law enforcement officers will remain at the property for a while. Some will be assigned to keep the media and others away so detectives can do their work. Some officers might be willing to share information that isn’t directly linked to the investigation.
• If you eventually get a street address for the person you’re researching, go to that location and talk to anyone who is there. Talk to neighbors, too.
• Go to the places in these neighborhoods where community members gather. Coffee shops, barber shops and hair salons are great places to find people sharing stories and information.
• If you can identify former or current employers, visit these places of work and talk to people there. In fact, try to talk to people in any place this person is known to frequent.
• If you can identify one or more of the schools or colleges this person attended, call a campus administrator or visit the campus. Many elementary and secondary schools post contact information for their teachers, administrators and other employees on their websites. Colleges and universities typically provide that information online also.
• If the person you’re researching is being held at a detention center or jail, go there. Talk to the people entering and leaving. You might find someone who is going to visit this person or has just seen him or her.

Government records, data

• Do a criminal background check on the person — if you are able. In at least some states, law enforcement agencies allow the public to request a search of their databases to see if someone has been charged with any crime. There often is a fee for the search. In some cases, all you need is a person’s name to do a criminal background check. But some agencies require personal information, such as a date of birth or partial social security number.
• Search court records. Some local courts put basic information online about criminal and civil cases, including bankruptcy and divorce cases. You’ll probably need to the courthouse, however, to get details and other more personal information.
• Ask local law enforcement officials how often they have received complaints about this person or complaints related to the address of the crime scene. Depending on public-record laws and your relationship with authorities, they may provide a report or share anecdotal information.
• Look at property records, which could offer information about the person you’re researching or the landlord. Property records can contain details such as who owns a property, how long the owner has owned it and its assessed value.

Your news organization

• Search your newsroom’s archive. You’ll want to know what your news organization already has reported about this person. This might provide a basis for your coverage and generate leads.
• Search LexisNexis, a paid service available in many newsrooms, to see what has been published about this person in other parts of the state and nation.
• Do a national records search using a paid service such as LexisNexis Accurint, with which your newsroom may have an account. An Accurint report offers a variety of personal information, including corporate affiliations, possible family members, current and previous residential addresses, motor vehicle registries and professional licenses.
• As a part of your coverage, encourage audience members to contact you with information they have. Offer them multiple ways to reach you.
• Read the comments audience members leave online — on your story or other stories your news outlet has published about this individual. Check comments made on other news outlets’ websites also. The public often posts tips and useful details in their comments.

Social media

• Search the social media accounts of this individual. Facebook pages can be particularly helpful as people often share a great deal of personal information there, including birth dates, schools they attended and current and former employers. Try reaching out to this person’s Facebook friends, Twitter followers and TikTok followers for interviews.
• If you know where this person went to school or college, look for the institution’s Facebook page or a Facebook page frequented by alumni. This might help you reach other people who know or knew this person.
• Find out what people are saying on social media about this person or the crime. This could lead you to potential sources and additional information. Monitor the conversation throughout the day as new people join in and new details emerge.
• Look at who other news outlets covering the story are reaching out to on social media. Read those public messages and conversations.

Other online resources

• Do a general online search for this person’s name and any addresses affiliated with this individual. This could generate additional details and leads.
• The website Classmates.com can help you find former classmates.
• If you have a photo of the person you’re researching, use a reverse image search tool such as TinEye to see whether and where that photo is being used online.
• Read what other newsrooms are reporting. They might have details you don’t.

More things to try

• Reach out to the experts — for example, criminal justice scholars. Scholars may not be able to speak about the specific person or crime you’re covering, but they can talk about similar situations as well as related trends and research. All of this can add valuable context to your piece.
• Read academic research to better understand the type of crime you’re covering. This can also help you ask more probing questions.
• Find out whether there have been local efforts to stop this type of crime in this area. If so, find the people involved in those efforts and interview them. Check with the mayor, the local police chief and the head of the local Neighborhood Watch program.
• Seek out crime data to help you explain how often this type of crime is committed locally, statewide and nationwide. Point out trends.

We hope you find this list useful. As you gather information, be sure to discuss with your editors whether and how you’ll report on details you haven’t yet been able to fully confirm. You’ll also want to explain to your audience which important details remain unknown or unclear.