key documents you can't live without 1
TRANSCRIPT
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Doug HaddixAnd Mark Horvit
IRE & NICAR
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Ask for the document and/or data retention schedule.
Grab every blank form – both internal and external – in all agencies you cover.
Get a tour.Meet the document and data clerks and
the IT folks.
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FOIA – Open records logsState and federal statutesState archivesAudits and reports created for legislative
branch
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Census data: Get the basic census data on the community - population, ethnicity, income, housing, etc. You can get it from www.census.gov.
QuickFacts is amazing and amazingly easy to use.
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The Big Three: annual report, budget, audit:
Vendors: All businesses that sold goods/services to the local government in the past year.
Tax data: Get property assessments annually, check liens and delinquent taxpayers regularly.
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Federal grants to state and local governments and nonprofits: USASpending, Fedspending, and Recovery.gov.
Payroll data for all public employees.Audits(footnotes, management letter)
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The employees: The name, title, department, salary and date of hire of each employee. Try to get gender, ethnicity and date of birth.
Boards and committees: All board and committee members. Internal phone directories: Get the staff or department phone
directories. Try to find old copies to locate former employees.
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Incorporation records, business licenses/permits to learn who is behind the companies.
Civil lawsuits. Divorce cases.Corporate filings for publicly traded
companies at the SEC.SEC 10K – The annual reports from public
companies.DEF 14A – Definitive proxy statements
(CEO salaries, board of directors info).
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990s –What all 501(c)3 organizations that have more than $25,000 in annual revenue must file with the IRS.
Churches are exempt.
IRE database library
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TransparencyData is new: all federal and state candidates with finances for the past 20 years.
Party Time! by the Sunlight Foundation.U.S. House expenses for each member’s
office (Senate coming in 2011).
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Don’t forget the campaign contribution reports for individuals, political action committees and the “527” nonprofits.
Financial disclosure reports: Get the financial disclosure reports required from officials. And note what’s NOT there.
Voter rolls and registration: Individual registrations, party affiliations, participation.
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Credit-card receipts for gas, hotels, rental cars, flights, etc.
Flight logs and manifests for a plane, helicopter or other aircraft.
Calendars and official schedules of public officials.
Text messages and emails
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Internal newsletters and publications.Appointment calendars and visitor sign-
in sheets.Cell-phone, text messages and calling-
card records.Department/agency phone directories
(old ones can help you find former employees).
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Government Accountability Office (GAO).Congressional Research Service.State legislative research office reports.Regional studies (esp. for planning).Environmental studies and data from the
Right-to-Know Network .
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U.S. Bankruptcy Court filings and federal court cases. Use PACER (8 cents a page).
Lawsuits against individuals, companies and government.
Plaintiffs’ Web pages often have complaints, depositions, affidavits.
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State oversight agencies / departments. Inspectors general (state and federal).Congressional oversight committees.Securities and Exchange Commission.Attorney general (state and federal).
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EPA Toxic Release Inventory (TRI): All classified spills at all local industries, warehouses, commercial sites
EPA Enforcement and Compliance System, including permit compliance
EPA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Information System (CERCLIS): Includes potential and confirmed hazardous waste sites
EPA Envirofacts data Web pages RTK (Right to Know Network) distribution of
environmental databases
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Learn who’s part of it by obtaining membership lists or annual reports from civic organizations
• Chambers of Commerce, both general, specialty and ethnic.• Public/private partnerships or Community Redevelopment
Agencies• Industry groups, general and ethnic• Civic groups like Rotary, Kiwanis, Optimist or the League of
Women Voters;• Social justice groups like Anti-Defamation League, Urban League,
NAACP, NCCJ or CAIR. See who’s on the boards of directors.
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Set up RSS feeds, e-mail alerts or follow on Twitter (e.g. USGAO).
Get multiple years for perspective.Layer documents from different sources.Try to get documents electronically. Carry a
portable Flash drive. Use a digital camera (or your phone in a pinch).
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Make clean copies of key documents.Write key words/tags in the margins.Type up notes about key documents.Re-read key documents after additional
reporting.
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Government AtticWikileaksNational Security Archive at GWUThe Memory HoleResource Shelf
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