Crimes and Accidents
- Spend time at the police station and talk to officers; try to learn their concerns.
- Get as much information as possible from the investigating officers, witnesses, victims and suspects.
- Learn what records are available at the police station and what information they contain and do not contain.
- When writing crime stories, avoid implying that a suspect is guilty.
- Avoid referring to a suspect’s race or religion unless it is clearly relevant to the story.
Local Government
- Learn how your local governments are organized, what their powers and limitations are and how the various governmental units interact.
- Study the budgets of local government units, and learn how governments raise their money.
- Develop a routine for visiting the local government offices on your beat, and become familiar with the people who work in those offices.
- Learn what public records are kept in each office and how to use them.
- Go beyond covering school board meetings; visit schools and talk to principals, teachers, parents and students.
Courts
- Remember that the state files criminal charges against people suspected of violating criminal laws, whereas civil cases are usually between private parties.
- Learn how state courts are organized, the names of the various courts and what kinds of cases they hear.
- Learn how court records are kept and how to find the records on any particular case.
- Do not imply that a defendant in a criminal case is guilty; only the jury, or the judge in a bench trial, can decide that.
