There are a ton of tools an assignment editor can use to chase a story.
One of my all-time favorites is this automatic public records request letter generator.
It allows you to choose the state you are requesting records from and tailors a custom-made Freedom of Information Act letter that draws specifically from that state's sunshine laws.
The letter generator has been unbelievably useful over the years.
A public records request is a legal document, and when a local state or Federal agency receives one, it has a limited amount of time to respond to the request.
Over time, I have requested and received 911 recordings, surveillance video, and internal documents.
Sometimes I FOIA for the fun of it. About two years ago, I submitted a FOIA to a local transit agency inquiring whether or not their public safety department had received any complaints from passengers about other passengers' body odors. The answer was "no," but my FOIA letter forced the agency to actually dig into its records and find out for me.The best part- this records letter generator is free. Often, the documents we receive come free (or with nominal costs) and there's a treasure trove of things to ask about if one just knows where to look.
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