Political reporter William (Windy) March from the Tampa Tribune, stressed to my public affairs reporting class the importance campaign finance public records are to an investigation. One of the best Web sites March uses to find political finance information about a politician or agency is www.opensecrets.org. March also told us the impact money has on politics. Whether a candidate wins an office position is more dependent on the money his/her campaign fundraisers, rather than their ethics or beliefs. Still, it’s important that they are popular among voters, but money plays a key role in getting them into the office they desire.
However, some money given to candidates can be obtained illegally. March referred to the concept of soft money and hard money. Soft money is an amount of money sent to a specific party such as the Democratic Party. The amount given is not limited to a specific quantity. Hard money is giving a limited amount of money/contribution to a campaign or person. The amount given cannot exceed $1,000. March pressed the point that people are not allowed to give more than $1,000 to a candidate because it could cause an influence in future politics.
March then told us about a story he conducted in 1996 that focused around money laundering in politics. March suspected something afoul after reading an article from a Florida newspaper which specified the top 10 donation givers to the Democratic Party. One name stood out to Windy and his colleagues…Mark Jimenez. He wasn’t a frequent giver to political parties in the past, and no one had ever heard of this guy before. Sounds weird that Jimenez would be on the same list as CEO’s and other bigwigs.
Through the use of public records, March and his team concluded that Jimenez was guilty of political money laundering. Basically, Jimenez gave $1,000 (remember, that’s the most a candidate can receive) to his employees so they could donate to the political party Jimenez wanted. Not cool…and illegal. Jimenez was convicted for his crimes and his business was crippled.
Finally, March gave the class a few key Web sites that aided him in his quest to convict Jimenez. If you’re interested in political investigating, you may want to check out these sites now and again.
www.fec.gov: Official site for federal campaign finance records.
www.thomas.loc.gov: Federal legislation investigation
www.myflorida.com: Florida state government page.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
If you get into a bind on a story, ALWAYS FOLLOW THE MONEY
Preston Trigg from the Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s office introduced the class to the official records index (O.R. Index). This index is what Trigg called, “reporters most important friend.” Basically, the index includes documents anywhere from deeds and mortgages to property and real estate taxes. Trigg also showed us the Hillsborough Tax Collector’s Web site, www.hillstax.org, which allows civilians to look at the property taxes of people’s homes, as well as the property appraiser. The Business Tax database and Motor Vehicle records are also available. However, because of the Driver Privacy Protection Act of 1994, many drivers’ license records are unavailable to the public.
Trigg mentioned there are some records that are exempt from reporters and civilians because some information is too personal for people to know. The most common exemptions to public records are recent autopsy photographs, school records, including exams and grades, propriety records, sex-related crimes, and private e-mails. Because of these exemptions, Trigg said there are guidelines reporters need to follow if they want to obtain a public record from an office.
First off, it is a good idea to put a public record request in writing because offices must cite an exemption if they don’t give you the record you are asking for. Secondly, ask for the cost to get a public record up front. Probably the most beneficial thing I learned from these guidelines was asking to inspect the records rather than get copies of them, because offices cannot charge for inspection. If a reporter only needs to gather information from one or two sheets of paper, knowing people cannot charge for inspection is a HUGE advantage.
Finally, Trigg reiterated, “If you are having trouble filling in the missing spaces in regards to a story, ALWAYS FOLLOW THE MONEY.” Trigg shared several examples of how criminals and politicians have been taken down because reporters followed the money trail back to the source. Trigg gave the class a rundown of key questions any reporter should ask for when investigating a story. The main questions to ask of an agency are their budget, organizational chart, financial disclosure of reporting individuals, travel records of top 10 highest paid employees, and a listing of all written 119 Public Records Statute requests made in the past year.
Trigg mentioned there are some records that are exempt from reporters and civilians because some information is too personal for people to know. The most common exemptions to public records are recent autopsy photographs, school records, including exams and grades, propriety records, sex-related crimes, and private e-mails. Because of these exemptions, Trigg said there are guidelines reporters need to follow if they want to obtain a public record from an office.
First off, it is a good idea to put a public record request in writing because offices must cite an exemption if they don’t give you the record you are asking for. Secondly, ask for the cost to get a public record up front. Probably the most beneficial thing I learned from these guidelines was asking to inspect the records rather than get copies of them, because offices cannot charge for inspection. If a reporter only needs to gather information from one or two sheets of paper, knowing people cannot charge for inspection is a HUGE advantage.
Finally, Trigg reiterated, “If you are having trouble filling in the missing spaces in regards to a story, ALWAYS FOLLOW THE MONEY.” Trigg shared several examples of how criminals and politicians have been taken down because reporters followed the money trail back to the source. Trigg gave the class a rundown of key questions any reporter should ask for when investigating a story. The main questions to ask of an agency are their budget, organizational chart, financial disclosure of reporting individuals, travel records of top 10 highest paid employees, and a listing of all written 119 Public Records Statute requests made in the past year.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
It takes a strong person to work for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's office
In a recent trip to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department, I witnessed the mental and physical battles employees face each and every day in an effort to protect the well-beings of people in need. The communications center at the Sheriff’s Department is equipped with advanced technology and its employees are committed to serving others around the clock.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's office is one of the top 10 offices in the country and has an estimated call-volume of one million and a half per year. I was unaware that all the recordings in the communication center are kept and that they are public record. Equally, I was unaware that people can actually be arrested for repeatedly calling the 911 emergency number without needing assistance. One of the most beneficial things I learned from the visit is the Sheriff's office non-emergency number. Brad Herron, of the Sheriff's Department, told us that many callers are unaware that there is a number specifically for emergencies, and one that is for inquiries.
Public Information Officer Larry McKinnon reiterated how Florida is a very liberal state in terms of public records. Hardly anything is private from the media, unless it is a juvenile delinquent arrest document or information relating to a law enforcement officer. McKinnon said police officers are restricted from databases and public records because information could be ascertained by criminals to be used against them. Home addresses, property records and arrest documents are some of the exemptions. McKinnon also recapped how text messages, e-mails, memos, and even copies of an employee’s daily calendar are now available as public records.
Finally, I realized that while Florida does have one of the least restrictive public records reports in the country, there are many loopholes. The 119 statute, as known as the Florida Pubic Records Statute, is a necessary reading for anyone, especially people in the media. McKinnon stated that if knowledge is power, the more someone knows the rules and exemptions of the 119 Statute, the more power they have in obtained resources needed to tell the story.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's office is one of the top 10 offices in the country and has an estimated call-volume of one million and a half per year. I was unaware that all the recordings in the communication center are kept and that they are public record. Equally, I was unaware that people can actually be arrested for repeatedly calling the 911 emergency number without needing assistance. One of the most beneficial things I learned from the visit is the Sheriff's office non-emergency number. Brad Herron, of the Sheriff's Department, told us that many callers are unaware that there is a number specifically for emergencies, and one that is for inquiries.
Public Information Officer Larry McKinnon reiterated how Florida is a very liberal state in terms of public records. Hardly anything is private from the media, unless it is a juvenile delinquent arrest document or information relating to a law enforcement officer. McKinnon said police officers are restricted from databases and public records because information could be ascertained by criminals to be used against them. Home addresses, property records and arrest documents are some of the exemptions. McKinnon also recapped how text messages, e-mails, memos, and even copies of an employee’s daily calendar are now available as public records.
Finally, I realized that while Florida does have one of the least restrictive public records reports in the country, there are many loopholes. The 119 statute, as known as the Florida Pubic Records Statute, is a necessary reading for anyone, especially people in the media. McKinnon stated that if knowledge is power, the more someone knows the rules and exemptions of the 119 Statute, the more power they have in obtained resources needed to tell the story.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Chris Davis: Sarasota Herald
The Chris Davis discussion made me realize that even newspaper reporters with years of experience are required to delve into public records in order to get information for their stories. One thing Davis said that really stayed with me was that whether it’s someone investigating a case as serious as a murder or something as small as property fraud, public records are the key to uncovering the truth. Davis further reiterated that the heavy uses of databases are a key component in writing any story. The people reading newspapers and magazines want to know the facts, and obtaining public records and collecting information from databases are needed to get readers attention, so that they feel like they know what’s going on.
Basically, according to Davis, public records give people a direct source of information, so reporters and investigators do not have to rely on word of mouth. Davis also mentioned that there is no easy way to write a story…it takes a lot of background research to write a convincing story.
Another interesting fact I learned from Davis’ discussion was the developments that newspapers, banks, and insurance companies—to name a few, — are entitled to receive social security numbers if they ask for them. Now it seems like the only information sealed to the public are school records and juvenile delinquent records.
Davis shared an example about how crucial public records can be used to exploit illegal activity in a specific area. He told how weeks of research and database searching led him and his team to discover a ring of property fraud that stretched from Sarasota County all the way up the state and into the panhandle. His team gathered so much information that they were able to implicate more than 100 people involved in the flipping and more than $100 million in defaults.
Basically, according to Davis, public records give people a direct source of information, so reporters and investigators do not have to rely on word of mouth. Davis also mentioned that there is no easy way to write a story…it takes a lot of background research to write a convincing story.
Another interesting fact I learned from Davis’ discussion was the developments that newspapers, banks, and insurance companies—to name a few, — are entitled to receive social security numbers if they ask for them. Now it seems like the only information sealed to the public are school records and juvenile delinquent records.
Davis shared an example about how crucial public records can be used to exploit illegal activity in a specific area. He told how weeks of research and database searching led him and his team to discover a ring of property fraud that stretched from Sarasota County all the way up the state and into the panhandle. His team gathered so much information that they were able to implicate more than 100 people involved in the flipping and more than $100 million in defaults.
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