The Fascinating World of Forgotten Information

News Web sites Unlock Practically Obscure Public Records

This report was prepared by Pete Weitzel, a retired ASNE member, as part of a Freedom of Information Committee project assessing the use of public records databases by media Web sites. He was assisted by Nora Paul, director of the Institute for New Media Studies at the University of Minnesota and former Sunshine Week coordinator Debra Gersh Hernandez Theres a fascinating world of all but hidden information out there waiting to be tapped. A growing number of news organizations are beginning to mine and manipulate that information, which in many instances rests in government records files that while public are, for practical purposes, obscure. The conversion by government units to electronic record keeping has not, in many instances, made it easier for the average reporter, let alone the average citizen, to get access to that information. And even when agencies post records online, the data is frequently difficult to find. Media Web sites that have found ways to cull or link to this data are helping regular readers get information they want and need, and bringing new readers to their Web sites Its a fresh way to deliver news that holds enormous potential to increase site visits and time spent, and to build a new allegiance as a source of essential information about neighborhood and community. Some months ago, ASNEs Freedom of Information Committee began a survey of newspaper Web sites, exploring their use of public records data. The initial goal was to establish a baseline of available records and make that report available so news organizations could use the information to push for greater online transparency in their communities and states. In a parallel effort, the committee worked with Sunshine Week to put a spotlight on the availability, or in too many cases the unavailability of public records online. As the website survey proceeded, we were pleased to see that many cities and states were proactively moving to establish new Web sites and to add information not previously available online. The Obama administration launched its data.gov site as a first step at the federal level and shortly after The National Association of State Chief Information Officers said they were drafting standards for the states. The survey found enormous variations among media Web sites. On some sites, we were unable to locate a single database feature utilizing a public record or any other database presence. But many are doing highly innovative and exciting

work, putting up database pages that offer scores of information searches that could be enormously helpful, intellectually satisfying, and sometimes just plain fun. The databases permit both critical and trivial pursuit of information, and a lot of simply useful searching in between. You can check on telemarketers and charities, mortgage bankers and rental housing rates, school test scores and teacher evaluations, bridge safety and toy recalls. You can identify the most dangerous intersections and the most likely places to run into a deer. And thats just a few of the more than 100 databases listed on just one website. On another, you can review all of the requested vanity license plates that state officials had rejected as objectionable. Still another site presents historical weather data to help determine the best weekends to stay around or to get out of town. The newspaper Web sites in a couple of sports crazy towns let you read game stories going back dozens of years. And in a different kind of community boosterism, one website provides a map locating all of the art in public places, and a click shows you a photo of the artwork. Obviously, what we found was more than just public records databases. Many sites have expanded their database page into a public bulletin boards in a very grand sense of the term, offering a wide-variety of consumer, health and environment oriented listings. There are also links to public interest databases made available by commercial sources and non-profit interest groups. In addition, some provide records and data gathered in the course of their investigative reporting, often pairing the data with the archived news stories. One newspaper, the St. Petersburg Times, won a Pulitizer Prize for the reporting it did in compiling a different sort of database PolitiFact , a truth-checking of candidate and other political claims. It is in this joining of public records and broader public data interests that we see enormous opportunity for newspapers seeking to build and retain audiences. These Data Central, to pick one name, pages are making the newspapers website the place to go when you need to know something specific about their community. Many of the database pages also appear to draw significant advertising support as well, particularly because of the tie-in possibilities to the information offered. In the following report, we spotlight a dozen database pages that impressed us and that we believe provide good models. We also highlight some of the more interesting, useful and unusual individual database features we came across, and point to several media sites that have done a particularly good job presenting open records resources and freedom of information links. For those who dont yet have a database page and might be thinking of launching one, weve provided a quick look at the names currently being used.

Theres also a reminder of the need to let readers know that raw data is quite often just that. Weve also culled a few examples of helpful numbers in the news columns and of credits to database site managers. Finally, we provide the raw data of our survey, the findings of our look at each of the 133 newspaper Web sites reviewed. In addition, theres also a compilation of the full range of databases that can be found on those sites a database of our own, sorted into 11 categories of information. Call it a list of the possible, and an indicator of the potential.

A Dozen Notable Database Centers

Appleton Post Crescent and Greenbay Press Gazettes DataMine DataMine gives readers a no frills page links to more than 150 mostly local and state government databases in 12 helpful groupings. Theres also a section on the Federal Freedom of Information Act and how to make a request, and another on Wisconsins public records law. http://www.postcrescent.com/section/datam http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=datamine ine

The Arizona Republics Data Central The Republics list is comprehensive list and cleanly presented. And readers are gently advised with a simple note, new, when a feature has been added. http://www.azcentral.com/datacenter/

Asbury Park Press Data Universe The Press was a pioneer in the public database field and its Data Universe is still limited to public records. The page makes strong use of photos to illustrate its database groupings, lending visual appeal to lists of records. http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=data

The Cleveland Plain Dealers Data Central DataCentral features a series of reports in which CAR editor Rich Exner outlines research findings, then takes readers to the respective databases to search further for themselves. Example: A Guide to College Selection, with a feature on in which local students tell why they chose a particular college. One entry: a Harvard student who wrote, Honestly, I'm only going there because my dad would probably disown
me if I didn't. The woes of being a legacy.

Other databases featured: Where local executives went to college; hours people work, by profession; current and historic unemployment rates throughout the state; minority population trends; and for Cleveland Browns fans, a link to stories on every game since 1946. http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/

The Indianapolis Stars Data Central The featured database is followed by a half dozen categories of data links and MapIndy, a nifty one-map-tells-a lot that locates property sales, toxic emissions, golf courses, schools, traffic cameras and other points of interest. Database expert Mark Nichols answers questions and there are Know Your Rights links to open government resources.
http://www.indystar.com/section/NEWS03

The Nashville Tennessean Data Central The page is easy to use, with a menu bar of categories followed by vertically listed databases. The listings are freshened with Todays Focus. The Resources feature on the gives readers important information on records and meetings access. http://data.tennessean.com

The Roanoke Times DataSphere An easy to navigate page that pairs 15 categories of databases with Data in the News, which archives investigative reports and the data behind them, and Primary Sources, which presents documents, such as affidavits, related to recent news stories. Data Delivery Editor Matt Chittum writes a column that spins off the numbers.

http://www.roanoke.com/datasphere/wb/xp-index

Rochester Democrat and Chronicles Roc Docs Along with a comprehensive selection of databases, we liked the sassiness of the name and the equally bold pronouncement that here was information about your life. The latter is amplified in the explanatory paragraph that follows, that includes an invitation to database searching readers to send along tips and ideas on what we should be investigating. http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=rocdocs

The Sacramento Bees Investigation Center The Investigation Center includes both I-Tool Tips, a blog by the director of editorial research about interesting data sources on the Web, and a categorized database list that tells readers whether entry is one of the many databases produced by The Bee or a link to an outside source. There are also links to guides on the Freedom of Information Act and the California public records law, and a FOIA letter generator. www.sacbee.com/databases

The St. Paul Pioneer Presss Data Planet The Data Planet is graphically in a universe of its own with a handful of highlighted database features, including an interactive map of the governors travels. The categorized list of databases has several breakout explanations and theres an About Public Records section at the bottom. http://www.twincities.com/dataplanet

The Tampa Tribunes Data Bay The page opens with an All Databases heading over a search bar that drops down 60-plus alphabetically-ordered topics to make searching easier. The reader is also assisted by highlighting the new and updated databases in each of the seven categories of information. http://www2.tbo.com/static/news-special-reports-data-bay/tbo-special-reportsdatabase-main-page/

The Wilmington News Journals Data Center Data Center effectively uses art, icons and white space to make the page easy to browse. Highlighted databases are on the left, a listing of more than a dozen categories on the right. One category not found elsewhere caught our eye: Geography and history, with links to state photo and map archives going back to 1890 and to a mapping project conducted by the University of Delaware. http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=DATA

Interactive Maps
Just a click or two from the Big Picture to Your Home
Interactive maps are a terrific way to combine the big picture and micro news, giving the reader a community-wide view of a particular subject, then focusing in on the neighborhood or the specifics of an incident. Most newspapers began their mapping with local crime reports, providing a public safety (or lack thereof) overview. But mapping features are increasingly being expanded to provide a macro/micro perspective on a broad range of topics: economic news such as home sales, foreclosures and layoffs; traffic and parking reports; entertainment and lifestyle information, consumer data, weather and natural disaster patterns; and community highlights and history. Here are some of the most useful and fun mapping features we found. They provide a sense of what can be done. Cincinnati Enquirer CinciNavigator tops the Data Center page. A click or two allows the visitor to select from more than 20 mapping schemes, including the latest local news stories. Topics include crime, traffic, garage sales, local events, and gas prices. The details pop up with a cursor touch and appear in a box below.
http://data.cincinnati.com/navigator/

Indianapolis Star Map Indy lets viewers select their hometown in an eight county area and then call up information from up to 15 databases, depending on the availability of public records in each county. Users can also plug in a specific address. Databases include health inspections, traffic cameras, largest employers and garage sales. A collection of historic photos is planned.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/NEWS03/80327050

Longmont Times Call

Forty area sites are mapped in Longmonts

Art in Public Places, with pop out photos, descriptions, and artist credits.
http://www.timescall.com/ specialsections/aipp/ index.asp

Los Angeles Daily News The Daily News uses an interactive map to explore the controversy over medical use of marijuana, pinpointing area dispensaries, raided locations, and and to show which cities have an ordinance, a ban or a moratoria. There are also links to related stories, to relevant documents, and to involved agencies and organizations.
http://lang.dailynews.com/socal/pot/index.html

Minneapolis Star Tribune After the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge, the Star Tribune used data on 300 bridges in the state from the National Bridge Inventory and the Minnesota Department of Transportation to create this map. A click on any of the markers provides the inspection rating and other data on the bride. Readers can filter the map selections to view by bridge age, traffic volume and ratings.
http://ww2.startribune.com/projects/maps/bridges/bridges.html? elr=KArks:DCiUP:Yc0D:aDyUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

The Oklahoman Oklahoma City had 63,000 code enforcement complaints in 2008, ranging from abandoned vehicles to big junk to vicious dogs. This Oklahoman map lets readers pinpoint the violations, learn what the city did in response, and how quickly.
http://newsok.com/right-to-know

Orlando Sentinel The golden oldies are mostly gone but a venture off Floridas interstates and turnpike will still take motorists past some historic roadside signs designed to lure tourists. The Sentinels Data Central mapped a number, with pop-up photos. Many also have short narratives.
http:// www.orlandosentinel.com/ community/orl-historicsignslid-map,0,367188.htmlstory

Roanoke Times Roanokes DataSphere separately lists and maps a variety of databases, from weather data going back to the 1940s, scrap tire piles around the city, ethnic markets, downtown off street parking and reader-supplied black bear sightings.
http://www.roanoke.com/ datasphere/wb/xp-index

San Francisco Chronicle Okay, its not Hollywood. Still, quite a few popular movies have been filmed in this town. The Chronicles Data Center shows you where and links you to each movies trailer. The site also offers a variety of entertainment and recreation related maps on hiking and outdoors activities, golf courses, museums and art galleries, open spaces, and restaurants top rated by the paper.
http://www.sfgate.com/maps/ movies/

Washington Post The Posts Explorer puts an enormous amount of information at your cursor tip. Plug in your current address, or any other location, as a center point and Local Explorer maps not just crime reports, school data, and home sales but adds places of interest so visitors and new residents can quickly find hospitals, stores, theaters and Metro stops and Washingtons many attractions. They can even check the classifieds.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local-explorer/

Wilmington News Journal DelNav combines property sales and prices, schools and districts, serious crime data and zip codes as optional features on a single map and then links to maps that provide greater detail in the category selected. It also links to a Delaware State Archives site that offers historic photos and stories.
http://php.delawareonline.com/real/maps/baseMap.php

Looking for the Three Is

A Selection of the Informative, Innovative, Interesting
In surveying more than 100 newspaper websites, we found a vast range of databases that provided information that could be useful, whether that use was in every day living, monitoring government, tracking a special interest, or just learning more about your community. We also found ourselves at times surprised or intrigued or charmed by what we found. There was data we didnt know was being kept, information we didnt realize was being kept in any organized manner, and records we hadnt previously found online. The database compilers and webmasters had come up with innovative and intriguing ways to provide the information and help people use it. Below, we present some of the more interesting, informative and innovative databases we came across. The URLs and snapshots we provide below are are in most instances specific to the database highlighted, but in some instances, where we list several databases offered the newspapers site, the URL and snapshot are to the central database page. At the end of this report, youll find a complete list of the newspaper websites surveyed and what we found at each site, including a complete list of the databases and links that each provides, sorted into one of 11 common categories. In addition, using those same 11 categories, weve provided a complete list of all of the databases found, whether self-created or linked. We believe this will give you a sense of what can be achieved through an aggressive effort to build a strong database page that pulls in the many public records available and potentially available online..
http://www.postcrescent.com/section/datamine Appleton, Greenbay DataMine has a strong consumer emphasis within its more than 200 databases -entries that include registered charities, professional licensing, registered telemarketers, rental housing rates and earnings data. Theres also an interactive map of Wi-Fi hot spots in the area.

Arkansas Democrat Gazette

http://www2.arkansasonline.com/extra/databases/

Arizona Republic http://www.azcentral.com/datacenter/ The Republics DataCenter offers a map, updated monthly, that shows speed camera locations and data for each site on how many tickets were issued and the highest speeds recorded. Note: You dont want to drive in Phoenix.

Asbury Park Press http://php.app.com/ssa/search.php Social Security Death Index 1937-2008 and National Archives Service and Immigration Records.

Boston Globe http://www.boston.com/news/specials/government_center/ Which area town is best? Mass Facts Your Town lets you compare your hometown with other communities in ways both simplistic and significant: the age of autos on the streets, the portion of town budgets spent on culture and recreation, teacher-student ratios, housing density, bingo revenues, self-employment -- and in 94 additional categories.

Central New Jersey Courier

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section? category=datauniverse02&GID=Zx2F9v1Djo8kVF5aqRgaHe6ykOKe+rMbtg8Ku2pNat8%3D

Chicago Sun Times http://www.suntimes.com/data/index.html Plug in your starting Illinois zip code and this Sun Times data base will help you find the most convenient, least expensive downtown parking site.

Cleveland Plain Dealer

http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/ 2008/09/cleveland_weather_history_find.html

Clevelanders care about their weather. Heres a weather report that includes links to radar and satellite reports, historical data going back to 1900, and a report on the Best Weekends in Cleveland (think September) . Theres also a database showing where Ohioans Are Moving and another on the Sunniest Places in the U.S.

Des Moines Register

http://data.desmoinesregister.com/results/index.php?info=ialevees

Ft. Myers News Press http://www.news-press.net/data/ A long list of atypical items that includes FEMA grants for hurricane loss claims, needed student supplies by school and grade, licensed movers and complaints against them, coastal cleanup data, and deaths by falling.

Indianapolis Star http://www.indystar.com/section/NEWS03 How good is your school? A one-stop report. Elsewhere on the page, youll find links to two years of traffic accident reports and to records of medically unfit truck drivers

Lansing State Journal

NEWS01/70418007/-1/newshome

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/99999999/

There are maps of GM and Chrysler dealerships and closings. And databases on student loan default rates at Michigan colleges, unqualified teachers at area schools, and top area graduates.

Louisville Courier Journal There are links to the states Deskbook of Economic Statistics and to the reports on vital statistics of 952 health centers nationwide.

http://www.courier-journal.com/section/DATA

Nashville Tennessean http://data.tennessean.com/ The Tennesseans Data Central bills itself as providing information about your life and it especially lives up to that billing with its education entries. Theres also a link to the city librarys card catalog.

Newark Star Ledger http://www.nj.com/news/bythenumbers/ New Jersey By the Numbers created a highway toll calculator to help readers understand the personal impact of the governors plan to ease the states debt with help from commuters.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orlOrlando Sentinel attractionaccidents-searchpage,0,4361561.htmlstory

Orlandos Data Central takes tourist concerns to their logical extension and then some with databases on theme park incidents and alligator attacks.

Palm Beach Post

madoff_clients_2008.html

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/news/databases/

Timely? Bernard Madoffs Florida client lists. Topical? The percentage of the population obese or overweight and Greenmarket vendors. Theres also a database on area gangs.

http://know.triangle.com/node/11340 Raleigh News & Observer Theres Guide to online African American history sources, and for consumers, links to OSHA inspections, licensed auctioneers and acupuncturists. Also business closings and personnel layoffs.

Roanoke Times http://www.roanoke.com/datasphere/wb/xp-index Primary Sources takes the reader to documents that were critical in reporting recent stories. The website has some other unusual databases: Virginias best selling booze (FYI: Jack Daniels, Grey Goose); cougar sightings; and word clouds and word trees from the presidential debates. Theres a link to county GIS maps.

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/

section?Category=rocdocs

Theres an extensive database on charities and fundraisers. Other databases include campus crime, police overtime, victims compensation, and a wheelchair access map.

Sacramento Bee The health reports include emergency room death rates and hospital prices.

http://www.sacbee.com/1098/story/1170269.html

St. Louis Post Dispatch

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/special/infozone.nsf/ story/209F03EE47CD18AE862573E700789209?OpenDocument

St. Paul Pioneer Press

http://extras.twincities.com/car/perdiem/perdiem.htm

St. Petersburg Times

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/

San Francisco Chronicle http://www.sfgate.com/webdb/uninsured/ The Chronicle tracks Californians without health insurance by area, age, gender, and income. There are also databases on car-jackings in Oakland and restaurant robberies across the Bay area. And a map of public open spaces.

Tacoma News Tribune

http://wwwb.thenewstribune.com/databases/judges/

Tampa Tribune
special-report-license-plate-database/

http://www2.tbo.com/static/news-special-reports-data-bay/tbo-

Toxic wells, bank and credit union performance ratings, private foundation giving, college athlete graduation rates, and ...

Wilmington News Journal http://php.delawareonline.com/state/creditcard/ Credit card spending by state employees. Plus the, Union of Concerned Scientists nuclear plant watch, development and zoning maps, and Homeland Security spending.

Freedom of Information
Links to Resources and Right to Know Reminders
A number of media websites have packaged information on state and federal public records laws with their featured databases. They provide links to a variety of freedom of information resources and organizations, and to state and federal laws. The inclusion of the FOI links not only connects viewers with helpful information, it serves to boost the case for greater government transparency when readers are engaged and thinking about the utility of public records. Heres a look at what a half-dozen sites are doing.

Appleton Post Crescent and Green Bay Press Gazette http://www.postcrescent.com/section/datamine http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/ pbcs.dll/section?category=datamine

Ft. Myers News Press http:// www.news-press.net/data/ Readers are not only directed to key FOI links to help them get involved, they are then urged to share their public records discoveries.

Indianapolis Star http:// www.indystar.com/section/ NEWS03

Nashville Tennessean http:// data.tennessean.com/ The headings get right to the point.

Rochester Democrat & Chronicle http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=rocdocs Roc Docs provides urls and e-mail addresses that can be used to submit records requests to state and local agencies.

The Oklahoman: http://newsok.com/right-to-know Readers are reminded of the importance of open government laws in a box that opens the Right to Know page. Theres a separate box inviting readers to learn more, with links to state and federal records laws and open government resources.

Columns and Credits

Mostly, The Creators Remain Anonymous
The people responsible for pulling together databases and links to other data mines are most often anonymous. We found only five news websites that identified their editors and provided any recognition to the database managers. Most often, that was coincident with links to columns or blogs those editors wrote about database topics. Three posted pictures and contact information. Three of the editors-content managers blogged about online information and/or wrote a regular column about data of current interest, such as sports statistics or unemployment data.

The Cleveland Plain Dealers database editor, Rich Exner, provides a Featured Story for the Data Central page. These frequently spin off the news and events, as did this article using graduation week as the predicate. http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/

The Indianapolis Star links at the top right of its opening page to database expert Mark Nichols and a What You Need to Know feature designed to help people use the papers databases. http:// www.indystar.com/ section/NEWS03

The Fort Myers News Press positions its credit box at the bottom right of the scroll down page, introducing Online Content Manager and Data Diva Michell Hudson and inviting questions and suggestions about its database features.
http://www.news-press.net/ data/

The Roanoke Times presents Data Delivery Editor Matt Chittum to readers with a mug shot, phone number and e-mail address at the top of the page. There are adjoining links to his Datablog and to a DataSphere column he regularly writes. http://www.roanoke.com/datasphere/wb/xp-index

The Sacramento Bees Pete Basofin writes a blog, I-Tool Tips, on information available on the Internet. Its promoted on the top left of the Investigation Center page in a box listing recent topics. http://www.sacbee.com/ databases/

With Data, Not All Is Always As It Seems To Be

Indianapolis database expert Mark Nichols said it best in a column of tips for his Data Central readers: All data is dirty. Raw data often contains errors, and it also has limitations. The dataset may be a snapshot in time and may not reflect whats happening right now. In other cases, it may only be a sampling of people or incidents, and may not reflect the full picture. In all cases, its just one source of information, not a be-all-end-all source, he wrote. His advice to readers was to find all they can about a dataset so they can draw the best possible conclusions from it. Our advice to database managers is to give readers a solid briefing on the strengths and weaknesses of each database offered. Here are two examples: The Salt Lake Tribune: http://www.utahsright.com/ does a particularly fine job of helping readers understand quirks in the data. Each of the major database entries is preceded by an explanatory text that includes its limitations. On Childcare Citations, the site offered this explanation: Approximately 3,700 records of citations, infractions and deficiencies for over 1,000 childcare and daycare providers licensed in Salt Lake County for approximately the last 3 years.

Caveats and Explanations

The qualifications the Central NJ Courier News attached to the Social Security Death Records Index not only qualified the data, it provided a whole new perspective. http://www.mycentraljersey.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=datauniverse01

And finally, What to Call It

Data Usually Does It, But Some Docs Roc
The most common titles are Data Center and Data Central, with Datamine, Data Desk and Data Connection as variations. A few simply label their page Databases. The Chicago Sun Times takes you to the Data Lounge. Roanoke takes you up to the Data Sphere, Asbury Park and the Central New Jersey Courier News to the Data Universe, St. Paul back down to the Data Planet, and Palm Beach to the Data Nation. Heres a quick look.

But a few of the data sites play on the newspapers location. So in Tampa its Data Bay and Tacoma, Sound Info. Rochester offers Roc Docs and the Boston Globe, Mass Facts.