Some of the best news stories start with a public records request
Student reporters at Michigan State explain how public records helped them uncover misconduct, investigations and hidden decisions.
You never forget your first FOIA.
The curious excitement as you press send. The anxious weeks of waiting. The rush of triumph — hopefully — when you get a response.
And when you’re a student covering a major public university, the thrill of making an authority figure show their hand never gets old.
Good reporters maintain a diverse toolbox of methods and strategies. But for us, as journalists at The State News, Michigan State University’s independent student newspaper, there’s a clear favorite.
Related Knowledge Center: Inside the newsroom
As newsrooms struggle with rickety business models and precarious finances — as well as new technologies — they are deploying an array of editorial responses.
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