The document outlines an assignment focused on using government websites for investigative reporting, requiring students to research various topics and analyze the data. It discusses the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) which grants public access to federal records, its limitations, and various government databases that provide valuable information for journalists. The assignment emphasizes the importance of accurate data to support journalism, highlighting both the advantages and challenges in utilizing governmental resources.

1. Week 3 - AssignmentResearching Government Websites
Researching government websites is a critical tool in
investigative reporting. For this assignment, you will utilize
selected online resources to investigate three different topics
listed below.
First, choose two examples:
1. You are a business reporter and hear that the largest
employer in your town is going to lay off one-third of its
employees. You need to find background on the company’s
financial status. Find the latest 10-K filings for a large public
company in your area. Use the EDGAR database from Filings &
Forms (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
(Paul & Hansen, 2007, p. 98).
2. In a story on an “English-only” referendum being proposed,
you want to add information about the demographics of your
county, particularly the Hispanic population. Search for
population statistics for your county at the U.S. Census Bureau
(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. (Paul &
Hansen, 2007, 98).
3. In covering a story about domestic violence in Florida, a
police officer tells you that the hot weather months are the
worst – there is a jump in cases in July. Verify the accuracy of
the statement by checking the Florida Department of Children
and Families (Links to an external site.)Links to an external
site.. (Paul & Hansen, 2007, p. 98).
Include the following elements for each of the two examples
you selected:
1. Identify at least one fact from the government website to use
in an investigative report for each of the two examples.
2. Describe how the data proves or disproves the underlying
assumption in each of the two examples.
3. Compare how effective the data was in analyzing each of the
two examples.

2. The assignment must be two to three pages (excluding the title
and reference pages) and completed using the APA style format.
The paper must include a title page, in-text citations, and a full
list of references at the end. You must cite at least one
reference from the textbook and at least one reference from
scholarly outside reading material. References for each of the
stories must also be included.
Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site. for the criteria that will be used
to evaluate your assignment.
Dennis Fraser
Wednesday May 16 at 6:03am
The federal Freedom of Information Act “Provides access to all
records of all federal agencies in the executive branch unless
those records fall within one of nine categories of exempt
information that agencies are permitted (but generally not
required) to withhold” (Federal Open Government Guide, p. 4).
This is open to the entire public for their use. A request can be
made over the phone, online or in written word. A person is also
allowed an immediate request or to ask for an expedited request.
Not only that but if an agency refuses to disclose all or part of a
request you have the right to request an appeal.
The thing is FOIA applies to every single agency, department,
corporation and commission in the executive branch of the
government. However, there always are exemptions to FOIA
like the Smithsonian and the Public Broadcasting Commission.
While another problem presents itself in how you cannot submit
a FOIA to the Federal Reserve. The point being is how some
agencies have their own rules and laws regarding FOIA to not
release anything if requested. What must be remembered is that
under this act many agencies are required to make information

3. public as it is on their websites (Federal Open Government
Guide).
I looked a little further online for examples of FOIA requests
and I found an array of different requests. The first one I chose
is from the Department of Justice office of Public Affairs.
Through going to the actual Website, I could have submitted my
own request for some information. Secondly, I chose the U.S.
Department of Commerce. This is the general and basic
department and nothing further. All of which had the whole
form presented to me for submitting a request.
Now it all depends on who you ask in pertaining to if FOIA
goes too far. As said in the video found in the First Amendment
Center it goes on how some believe too much information is at
stake while others believe not enough information put out there.
This all comes to a conclusion in how as a free government the
people have a right to know what their country is doing and has
done. While the opposing side thinks it serves illegal aliens,
prisoners and journalists too much. I think it does what it was
meant to do considering we must have the ability to see and
view what our government is doing. As it is a journalist’s job to
educate and inform the public of what is going on in their
community and the government. It is FOIA’s job to do just the
same in informing the public what our government has done and
does.
References
Federal Open Government Guide (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.)Links
to an external site. (http://www.rcfp.org/federal-open-
government-guide (Links to an external site.)Links to an
external site.)
First Amendment Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an

4. external site. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external
site. (http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/tag/freedom-of-
information)
Dennis Fraser
MondayMay 14 at 1:19pm
Manage Discussion Entry
The first and probably most important government database is
USA.org which holds millions of federal and state government
information not available anywhere else on the Web. Another
database to name is Fedstats.gov which is just as it sounds in
providing the user of this Web site with statistics from
government agencies (Paul, & Hansen, 2007). The last database
that can be used is the Federal Register. All of which provides
reporters with statistics and factual information to put a story
together. Not only that but it can give you some personal
spoken words by Congressional members or other government
officials to insert what they have said in the past to modern time
(Paul, & Hansen, 2007). These databases provide so much for
the people of the country to know about how our government
works whether it be your local government of state government.
The Web gives us the accessibility to access whatever we may
choose.
While there are many advantages and disadvantages to using
these databases online. First and foremost, q good example of a
benefit is the ability to access Presidential speeches online and
all of which for free. Another benefit that is time because as a
journalist one must remember that the faster you conduct your
research and get your story done the better off you are as a
writer. Also, as a journalist you can find just about anything
you want (Paul, & Hansen, 2007). The faster you work the more
able you are to get your story out before a competitor.
Then with advantages comes disadvantages like interpreting
data. It is difficult to interpret data on facts and statistics
especially when dealing with government data. Even though,

5. that may be one problem another issue is tracking down source
documents to back up what you find (Paul, & Hansen, 2007).
This can be difficult because when citing something you might
have to track down the exact document from which it comes
from. For example, if you are to cite something from the
Declaration of Independence you are going to have to find the
citation information for that exact document. This can be a very
tedious and taxing task for one to complete. However, all in all,
the advantages tend to outweigh the disadvantages in how easy
it is to access government data and statistics. It may be difficult
at times but there is a way around everything to compile an
investigation.
References
Paul, N., & Hansen, K. (2007). Computer-Assisted research:
Information strategies and tools for journalists. Columbia, MO:
Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc.
Heather Chavez
ThursdayMay 17 at 3:36pm
Manage Discussion Entry
After reading the required material for this post a brief
explanation of the Freedom of Information Act is that the act
provides anyone the right to request access to federal records.
“The federal FOIA provides access to all records of all federal
agencies in the executive branch, unless those records fall
within one of nine categories of exempt information that
agencies are permitted (but generally not required) to withhold”
(Federal Open Government, p. 4) This means that US citizens
are allowed to request this information. You do not need to
government officials. You do not need to be a journalist to gain
this information. I feel that not many citizens know that they
have this type of “power”.
Upon looking up requests for this discussion, I found that some
requests have very little information. While others have more
information that you can see. Depending on the topic, the
request is usually approved and then released, but there are

6. some that are not approved because of disclosure policies. This
got me wondering, if you get denied, can you submit a request
for the same information again? I saw many people resubmit
requests on the website FOIAonline. I tried to look up the topic
of police brutality, just a random topic, and saw people
resubmit requests when they got denied. This showed me that
when a person wants information, they will keep trying to get
that information from the government.
Heather Chavz
FOIAonline (nd) Search Database. Retrieved from
https://foiaonline.regulations.gov/foia/action/public/search/
(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Federal Open Government Guide. (nd) How FOIA Works.
Retrieved from http://www.rcfp.org/federal-open-government-
guide (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Heather Chavez
ThursdayMay 17 at 2:21pm
Manage Discussion Entry
After reading the required material for this discussion post I
found three examples of government document databases are
USA.gov, Federal Register, and Weekly Compilation of
Presidential Documents. All three of these databases find facts
and statistics, provide reality checks, provide background, and
help find experts. USA.gov is the major gateway that provides
people with millions of web pages from federal and state
governments. This site provides information you may not find
on commercial web sites. Federal Register provides people with
current issues and documents pertaining to it. Also, provides us
the opportunity to search for other documents. Weekly
Compilation of Presidential Documents consists of documents
that are official publications of materials released by the White
House Press Secretary. This website provides current and past
documents. These databases are what journalists need when they
are trying to write stories that require official documents and
evidence.

7. There are some advantages and disadvantages of these
databases. Some advantages are; information dates back further,
accumulation of records, more targeted searching, and using
these databases can be faster than using other ones. Some
disadvantages are; tracking down source documents and
interpretation of data. I think the advantages outweigh the
disadvantages. However, older documents can make it harder to
locate sources of information. To be honest, I’m excited to use
these databases in future assignments. I never really knew about
these sites and I feel they will help my writing greatly when it
comes to government related articles or assignments.
Heather Chavez
Paul, N., & Hansen, K. (2007). Computer-Assisted research:
Information strategies and tools for journalists. Columbia, MO:
Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc.