The Craft of Research

Points of emphasis for critical thinking:

• Experts should be one of your first thoughts as a source of information on any subject.  They can lend authority, accuracy, balance and credibility to your stories.  They may also refer you to other sources.
• One good way to find experts is to do a Nexis or Factiva search on your story subject and see who has spoken on the topic in the past.
• Another way is to seek out local or national organizations related to the topic.  One of my favorite tools is the Encyclopedia of Associations, an “old-fashioned” print resource available in our Research Center.  Online, you can use the school’s related Associations Unlimited account or the universally accessible Gateway to Associations.
• Also worth checking is the school’s Leadership Library subscription, an online version of the well-known “Yellow Books.”  You can find contact information for the leaders of major United States government, business, professional, and non-profit organizations.
• Government employees can often be of help.  Any New York City reporter should have the latest copy of the Green Book.
• Many colleges and universities provide access to faculty and staff experts via their web sites, including CUNY and other local schools.   There are also web sites specifically devoted to connecting journalists with experts, such as ProfNet and the Yearbook of Experts.
• Sources need not always be subject experts.  Acquaintances of people or witnesses to events would be prime examples.  ReferenceUSA is a great tool to find such sources.

For more ideas on finding experts, see Barbara Gray’s guide.

So you obviously survived Sandy, let alone the storm this week.

I noticed Brianne Barry, Jesse Metzger, Nathan Place and Shamanth Rao all made contributions to the “Scenes of Sandy” package on the News Service.

On the same theme over at the Herald, Irina Ivanova, Nicholas Wells and Alex Eidman teamed up to report the hurricane went easy on Mott Haven, and Tanisia Morris took the neighborhood business angle on the story.

Moving to the police beat, we’ve had recent contributions from Nathan Place and Sofia Perpetua, Jessica Glazer and Michael Russell and Alex Eidman and Anna Teregulova.

Ms. Glazer also had a piece on a rooftop garden opening atop a charter school.

And last but not least, Ann Marie Awad reported on Puerto Ricans voting for statehood.

Finally see you again Tuesday!  ‘Til then, I’ll keep holding down the fort in our New Orleans bureau (hee hee)…

Yup, that's me this week with the Saints' actual Lombardi trophy from Super Bowl 44.

Hope everyone survived Sandy unscathed.  Sorry I missed you this week, especially since I know a few of you wanted to discuss your beat memos.

Anyway, a big reason I had been a little slow getting them back to you last month was because I was working on this and this, which comprise an enterprise project I undertake every five years.

And today, it’s worth it as news of the project makes its way around the web, such as here and here.

It’s nice to be recognized.  Particularly when your name is spelled correctly (hint, hint). 😉

See ya soon!

The world is mine!

The latest from the Mott Haven Herald:

Ann Marie Awad reported on a city council redistricting plan.   Nicholas Wells wrote about struggling food pantries.  And as a team, the two of them covered the police beat.

Brianne Barry had news on the death of one of New York’s finest.

Alex Eidman wrote about some Bronx comic heroes.

And Anna Teregulova found four Mott Haven schools are threatened with closure.

Speaking of Mott Haven, Shamanth Rao’s story about the neighborhood found a home in The Wall Street Journal India’s travel section.

Because I’m a dinosaur.

For the Mott Haven Herald, Irina Ivanova reported on Bronx public housing tenants who traveled to New Orleans for a housing advocacy conference.

Oh yeah, in 18 days, I will be there.  Who dat!!!!!

Also in the Herald, Jesse Metzger wrote about the dismissal of a lawsuit against a Bronx pol, and Shamanth Rao has news of a healthy eating initiative sponsored by McDonald’s.

• Lesson handout

Handout highlights:

1. Crime statistics at the local, state and national levels
2. Inmate statistics and lookup/locator tools (plus parole and probation stats)
3. Most wanted criminals
4. Sex offender registries
5. Criminal court information  
6. Gun violence timelines
7. Death penalty information
8. District Attorneys and lawyers

• Lesson handout

Points of emphasis for critical thinking:

1. People—whether witnesses to an incident or experts on a subject—should be one of your first thoughts as a source of information on ANYTHING.
2. That said, never trust any person—no matter who it is—as your sole source of information, even about him or her self…and sometimes ESPECIALLY about him or her self (e.g. people lying about their age).  Always verify!
3. Backgrounding people is crucial.  For example, you never want to write a friendly story about someone, only to be burned by not doing proper backgrounding.
4. Last but not least: there’s some information generated about people that won’t be available.  As an example, consider Presidential candidates.  What information about them is released only at their discretion?

The bonus: Accurint is an amazing resource that Barbara Gray has access to in the Research Center.

The bylines continue…

Sofia Perpetua’s piece about parties to mark what would have been Brazilian soul pioneer Tim Maia’s 70th birthday made Voices of NY.

The Mott Haven Herald is bustling: Brianne Barry covered a march by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Alex Eidman wrote about a show featuring the work of artist Jose Buscaglia. Tanisia Morris reported on an exhibition of pieces by Latin American artists.

Irina Ivanova’s story about the Rude Mechanical Orchestra found a home in The Indypendent.

Shamanth Rao’s story about the comeback of the West Side Tennis Club made The Queens Courier.

And congrats to Nathan Place for his Mott Haven Herald article on a teen robbery spike.

In other news…

When it comes to quality-of-life summonses, Mott Haven is number 1!

If you’re a TV news junkie, there’s a new archive for you.  Read all about it.

Former J-school student Collin Orcutt has become the Derek Jeter of Sports Illustrated.