TY - BOOK AU - Cuillier, David L. AU - Davis, Charles N. TI - The art of access: strategies for acquiring public records SN - 9781506380704 U1 - 070.43 PY - 2020/// CY - New Delhi PB - Sage Publications KW - Public records KW - Investigative reporting KW - Freedom of Information Act - United States N1 - Table of Contents A Humble Foreword by Tom Blanton Preface About the Authors CHAPTER 1 Records That Matter: Improve Your Community, Career and Life Make the world better Advance your career Improve your personal life Develop a new way of thinking Try it! Suggested links CHAPTER 2 Develop a Document State of Mind Take charge Exercise your document muscles Find inspiration and support Try it! Suggested links CHAPTER 3 Become an Access Law Expert Master the law in five steps Dip into alphabet laws Access to public meetings Tap into legal resources Try it! Suggested links CHAPTER 4 The Hunt: Find Records in the Dark Explore document habitats Find records in records Build on others’ successes Try it! Suggested links CHAPTER 5 Strategies for Effective Requests Get in the zone Get personal Write effective letters Cut denials off at the pass Apply hard tactics if necessary Try it! Suggested links CHAPTER 6 How to Overcome Denials Understand the nature of ‘no’ Respond to common denials If the agency says . . . Play hardball Take them to court Try it! Suggested links CHAPTER 7 Going Digital: Strategies for Getting Data Become familiar with data Get the database Counter cyber-denials Teach yourself database journalism Try it! Suggested links CHAPTER 8 Understand How Public Officials Think Comprehend bureaucratic culture Identify agency constraints Help them help you Try it! Suggested links CHAPTER 9 Putting it Together: Writing, Ethics and Paying it Forward Create great record-based stories Do the right thing: FOI ethics Anticipate public reaction Publicize FOI Become an FOI warrior Try it! Suggested links APPENDIX A The Record Album APPENDIX B FOI Resources Notes Index N2 - “The Art of Access is a must-have book for any journalism student or professional reporter. It will ensure that a journalist understands the importance of authentic documents to establish the credibility of news stories and how crucial it is to obtain those documents no matter the obstacles public officials may create to prevent access.” —Brant Houston, University Of Illinois Whatever you’re trying to learn about the world—as a journalist or as an informed citizen— public records often hold the key. But what records, where? And how to get them? Gaining access to records is an art, one that requires an organized approach and a good understanding of human behaviour. The Art of Access: Strategies for Acquiring Public Records, Second Edition is a how-to guide for putting the law into action and using ingenuity to pry records loose. FOI experts and longtime journalists David Cuillier and Charles N. Davis present strategies for dealing with the officials who stand between you and the information you seek. They explore new developments in technology and research and the latest online innovations and tools to help you rethink the information-gathering process and develop a document state of mind. https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/the-art-of-access/book257467 ER -