Week 21

It was a momentous week in the Independent Study and Mentorship Program.

I COMPLETED MY ORIGINAL WORK!!!

My job, and my original work, ended up being research about, and completion of, Open Records Requests. Going into the story, I had no idea what an Open Records Request was, but now I know that it is a tool used by journalists all over the country in most stories. An Open Records Request is a request that can be made by any citizen asking for information, correspondence and planning among city or state officials in regards to certain events. Any information on a public official’s work email can be gained by the public, if they know how to ask. The information in the officials’ emails, phone calls and texts can often be critical to uncovering the truth in an investigative story. The national version of an Open Records Request is the FOIA, the Freedom of Information Act.

              

It was my job to read the Texas laws regarding open records and open meetings, determine who would be beneficial to send an Open Records Request to, find the contact information, and ultimately send the requests. We ended up sending an Open Records Request to the City of Irving, asking for any correspondence between city officials and Seismologist Craig Pierson, who has had a leading hand in the research of the seismic activity in the area.

We also sent a FOIA to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) asking for correspondence and data they had collected regarding the frequent and alarming earthquakes in Irving.  We have received responses from both the City of Irving and the USGS, and it will be only a matter of time before we can determine if any of the information we received is beneficial to the story.

I greatly enjoyed filing the Open Records Request and FOIA. It allowed me to feel like a real journalist and understand a new part of the field that I had not even heard of before. This particular Open Records Request and FOIA do not relate to my Final Product, but knowing that I have submitted requests before and that I am capable of doing it again in the future is incredibly exciting.

               

I can hardly wait for the story to air!