Pat Stith served as a Navy journalist aboard heavy cruiser Los Angeles
from 1960-62; graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill in 1966; worked for The Charlotte News from 1966-71; and worked at
The News & Observer from 1971 to present. He has been an investigative
reporter since 1969. He helped build a computer assisted reporting
program at The News & Observer and has taught at a number of journalism conferences. Stith won
the Pulitzer Prize in 1996.
The News & Observer
Raleigh, N.C.
Special Libraries Association
Boston
June 12, 1996
Frank Wetzel murdered two state troopers when he drove through
North Carolina almost years ago.
He is still in prison.
Dozens of law enforcement officers have been killed in my state
since 1957, when Wetzel shot two men in cold blood. Some of them were
killed years after the Wetzel murders and now their killers are back on
the street.
But for Wetzel, life in prison has meant life in prison, and I wanted to
do a story about that.
I also wanted to describe the situations in which officers are
most likely to be killed.
Obviously, I would need backgrounds on the victims and their
killers. But, first, I had to identify them. I needed a list.
I checked with our news research department. We had no "cop killer" file
but the old timers remembered a lot of them.
I asked prison authorities. Oddly enough, they couldn't identify
the cop killers.
I talked with other reporters and with old friends in and out of
the prison system.
We came up with some names, but the list was incomplete.
What I needed was somebody who had been keeping up with cop
killers all along. I needed somebody with a list.
And that somebody, it turned out, was in the State Treasurer's
Office.
When an officer is killed in the line of duty, the state pays
insurance benefits to his or her survivors. Those payments are made by the
treasurer's office. They had the list.
It makes sense, doesn't it.
So that was that.
The state treasurer gave me the name of every law enforcement
officer in North Carolina who had died in the line of duty since the
Wetzel murders in ', together with the details surrounding his death, and
the name of the killer.
Since we only have a few minutes together, I have given you a
handout that contains an overview of the public records available to
background an individual and his or her company. It contains dozens of
suggestions.
I want to enlarge this discussion from simply finding an individual to
finding records that add depth, texture, richness to the story.
Most of the records I'm thinking of are familiar to all of us. But
we need to use these old, familiar records in new ways.
First, however, I want to mention a couple of principles that are
essential to good investigate record work.
One, we need to read, and reread, our public records laws. That
seems so fundamental, it's not worth mentioning. And yet, I sometimes
encounter reporters who think North Carolina has a Freedom of Information
Act. We don't, thank heaven.
Do the researchers in your departments know your state public
records law?
Do you? Can you cite it?
How can we do battle if we don't arm ourselves?
People who do not know the law occasionally will waste time
requesting a record that is obviously not public.
But the real danger is in failing to request records that are
public, and failing to push our case when when we are refused public
records.
It's always too bad when we do something like that. It is so
unnecessary to censor our requests. There will always be enough people out
there who are eager to do that for us.
And the second principle:
Good research is collaborative and imaginative. It is not
clerical.
Reporters and researchers ought to be talking to each other,
sharing ideas.
The reporter ought to be saying, Here's the story. At least, here
is what I think the story is. I'm interested in this, and that, and the
other and here's why. How can we get at it?
The researcher ought to be asking questions and making suggestions.
Here are a few examples of how The N&O is using old records in new
ways, to find or enrich stories:
We used the state's corporation database to find people who were
taking part in big family reunions. The biggest of these reunions are
incorporated and the word, "Reunion," is often part of their corporate
name.
We used the FoxPro command, Copy to hits for "REUNION" $
upper(name) and, presto, we had a dozen or so leads.
After a tragic fire in Hamlet, North Carolina, a fire that killed
25 workers at a chicken processing plant, we acquired the national OSHA
database.
We used it to write about inspections in the chicken processing
industry.
And then, one day, somebody suggested that we match data about
on-the-job deaths investigated by OSHA with on-the-job deaths reported to
the state's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
It was a good idea.
We discovered more than 100 fatalities that OSHA had failed to
investigate.
We acquired a state telephone database to do some investigative
work, but we also used it to help us with a feature about state employee
slacking off on Friday afternoon.
We found that long distance calls from state offices drop by
almost 20 percent on Friday afternoons.
I know. You're surprised.
But it's one thing to suspect something and it's another to prove
it. We proved it.
While doing an investigation of the secretary of state we obtained
a copy of the department's check register. We were looking primarily for
travel expenditures but we also found that the department had purchased
10,000 rounds of ammunition for four investigators, a nugget that led to a
productive new area.
The state Department of Agriculture tests thousands of soil
samples annually, and records the results in a database. That database is
used to track that work.
But we used that data to show that heavy metals -- copper and zinc
used as feed additives and then excreted -- are building up in the soil of
counties with large numbers of hogs and chickens.
That buildup is a bad thing because, eventually, it will poison the
soil.
We used a state personnel database to find federal employees --assigned
to state offices-- who had been laid off when the federal government shut
down. The state told us what kind of jobs were affected by the shut-down,
but declined to name the individuals.
We searched on the job field, and found the individuals.
"Boss Hog," a series of stories about North Carolina's pork
revolution, won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service this year for The
News & Observer.
The documents that Joby Warrick, my reporting partner, and I acquired
for that series filled four file cabinets and spilled onto our desks -- 16
feet of records.
We acquired, and read, almost everything we could find about hogs.
Some of the records we used, like a political contribution
database, were routine. We tracked hog money with The Money Machine, an
N&O database of some 250,000 contributions to North Carolina politicians.
We found, and reported, a lot of contributions from the hog industry.
But one group of gifts stood out.
On Oct. 15, 1992, just three weeks before the gubernatorial
election, the Murphys sent Gov. Jim Hunt another $20,000: $2,000 from
Wendell H. Murphy and $2,000 each from his wife, mother, brother,
sister-in-law, sister, daughter, son, daughter-in-law and stepson.
Some records we acquired helped us in unusual and unexpected ways.
We wanted to find every environmental study of the swine industry
in North Carolina, and the minutes of an obscure committee within the
North Carolina Department of Agriculture helped us do that.
This committee, which was dominated by members of the swine
industry, was charged with eradicating pseudorabies, a virus that kills
baby pigs and stunts the growth of hogs.
We read those minutes, and smiled.
Government researchers, working on environmental studies, had
contacted the Agriculture Department to get a copy of its hog farm
database. They wanted to know the size and location of each farm so they
could calculate how much waste was being produced in each watershed.
Their requests were referred to the Pseudorabies Eradication
Committee and, illegally, we think, denied. The swine industry did not
want environmentalists to know where the farms were located.
But the committee minutes named the requesters and described the
studies on which they were working.
We knew that banks, whose records were not public, had financed
most of the explosive growth of the hog industry.
During our inquiry, however, we discovered a tiny, two-person
agency within state Department of Agriculture that had financed a few of
the farms, and its records were public.
Those loan records were loaded with information. They provided us
with names and detailed backgrounds of hog farmers who were building new
facilities.
The records also contained a bonus -- copies of contracts between
the farmers and the big hog corporations that owned the hogs.
We acquired telephone records to track a state official, and then
used that database to prove that Wendell H. Murphy, who heads the largest
corporate hog farm in the United States, remains an important player in
state government.
Murphy was a member of the North Carolina General Assembly for 10
years. During that time he sponsored, or voted for, a number of bills that
benefited the swine industry. He is out of the legislature now, but his
company is like a satellite of state government.
We found that, on average, one state agency or another had called
Murphy Family Farms, or a member of the Murphy family, ever hour of every
working day during the two years we checked.
We also used the phone database to show how attentive legislative
leaders can be to the hog industry.
Various committee reports in the legislative library tracked hog
legislation and identified days on which key votes were taken.
We checked the state phone database to see if calls were made from
committee chairmen to Murphy Family Farms on those days.
One call we found was made on July 9 , 1993, from the legislative
office of Vernon G. James, a Pasquotank farmer who was chairman of the
House Agriculture Committee.
That day, James' committee had voted to kill a bill that would
have imposed tough sewage disposal regulations on hog farms.
"I wouldn't be surprised if I did,'' James told us when we asked
if he had called Murphy Family Farms on the day of the vote. "Wendell came
to see me, and he did not like that bill at all."
And when we reported about weaknesses in the Legislative Ethics
Act, we were able to reveal a little more about Murphy.
We did that by acquiring a copy of his Statement of Economics Interests,
a report each legislator is required to file annually.
Those reports give them wide latitude on how much, or how little,
they disclosed. Too wide a latitude, we thought.
Murphy, for example, described his 1990 real estate holdings in
Duplin, Sampson and Greene counties as "land, land, land, land, land,
land," and "land."
Thank you for inviting me.
Pat Stith
The News & Observer
Raleigh, N.C.
Backgrounding Individuals
Special Libraries Association
Boston June 12, 1996
This is not a list.
What each of us needs is a mind-set -- not a list -- a mind-set
that says, the information I need is out there somewhere, and I am going
to find it. What we're trying to do here is encourage that mind-set.
With that caveat, let's assume we're trying to background an
individual. What information might we be able find?
From the phone book [or CD-ROM directory] we may get a tentative
address, phone number and, sometimes, an occupation.
A city directory may give us a second look at their name, their
spouse's name, and both occupations. We may be able to identify their
neighbors up and down the street.
A crisscross reference directory might tell us how long they've
lived at that address and give us directions to their house.
Employers will usually verify a person's employment, how long
they've worked there and, sometimes, give you a salary range.
And why don't we check the clips, in our own newspaper and across
the country.
From their driver license record we could get a name, address, and
date of birth. And their description -- the color of their eyes and hair,
their height and, perhaps, weight. And their driving record, the tickets
they have received and the accidents i n which they've been involved.
With that information we can locate the actual citations and
accident reports. From those records we can find out whose car they were
driving.
License restrictions may give us an indication of health problems.
And, of course, the charges could indicate a drinking problem.
While we're at the division of motor vehicles we can look at their
vehicle registration papers. We can find out when and where they bought
their car or truck, who financed it, and the name of their insurance
company. We can get the tag number. We can eve n find out how many miles
their vehicle had been driven when they bought it.
At the Board of Elections we can look at his or her voter
registration. We can find out what political party they belong to, how
often they vote, their date of birth, and where they were born.
In the Clerk of Court's office, we can look at criminal charges
and dispositions, when he or she went to jail, how long they stayed there,
and who bonded them out. [We ought to check in U.S. District Court too,
for federal charges.] We can examine mental warrants. We can check for
civil suits involving him or his wife and children, or his company. And we
can look at divorce papers.
We can call the state Department of Corrections' central records
section to find out if he's ever served time in a state prison. They could
tell us the crime, the sentence, the sentencing court, the time served,
the parole date, and other data.
Maybe they've been a victim of crime. We may be able to find out
if their house has been burglarized and, perhaps, what they said when they
called 911.
In the Tax Collector's Office, we could look at her personal and
business property tax listings. We could see how much tax she pays and
whether she pays on time. We can find out if, under some special provision
of the law, she has managed to avoid some t axes.
We could get a map of the property she owns.
We could find out when it was built, and how it is heated. [Does
the head of the power company heat with gas?] We can get the number of
square feet in the house and get a layout of the rooms.
This also is a good place to get an unlisted phone number.
If they don't live too close to the seat of government, we can
find out which agencies have contacted them by phone, by examining records
of long distance government calls.
Later, when we go over to city hall, we can find out how much
water he uses. That would be important if we were trying to find out if a
candidate for city council actually lived inside the city limits, as he
claimed. How could he live there and use no wa ter?
While we're there, we might as well check to see if he owns a
pet, and see whether he calls his dog Spot or Devil.
At the Register of Deeds we can find out what property he owns in the
county. We can get the names of the buyers and sellers, the sales price,
and how much of that price was financed. Also, we can find out about liens
against his business or personal be longings.
If he's doing business under an assumed name, we can get that
name.
We can find out if he has mortgaged his property -- or his
furniture.
We can look at his company's incorporation papers. They would tell us
when his or her company was incorporated, and the name and address of the
registered agent. They also may tell us the names of the company's
incorporators, directors, officers, and, p erhaps, the name of the
attorney who drew up the papers.
We can look at his local business license.
We may get a Dun & Bradstreet report on his company, which would
give us sales figures, number of employees, names of executives, and more.
If stock in the company is publicly traded, we could find out who
owns significant portions of stock, and how much key officers are paid.
Is she wealthy? Or famous?
We can go on-line and find out if she has a beach place in
Florida.
We can look her up in various Who's Who publications.
If he is associated with a non-profit, tax-exempt foundation we
can look at its federal tax returns. That may give us his salary.
If he is involved in soliciting charitable contributions, we can
look at the annual audit and at records of each fund raiser.
We can examine his political contributions and military discharge
record. And we can find out what he did [or didn't do] to earn the medals
he wears.
We can look at building permits for her home or business and the
building inspection reports on her property, together with any zoning
changes.
If he's moved recently, the U.S. Post Office will give us the
forwarding address he left so Mom's letters don't get lost.
We can find out if she owns a boat or a plane, and get descriptions.
We can look at the repair records on the plane.
We can find out if she's a licensed pilot and what kind of license
she holds. If we see her in an airplane and can get the "N" number off the
wing, we can find out who owns it.
We can find out how much money his Papa left him and whether he
actually graduated from the college he claims, the year and what degree he
has. If he has an advanced degree, his thesis also will be a public
record.
And don't forget the college [and high school] yearbooks.
We can find out whether he has a pistol permit.
If he's ever gone through bankruptcy, those records will be open
to us. Or if he's failed to pay his debt to the IRS, we can get a copy of
the lien.
If he's a state employee, we can get his salary. We can find out
how long he has worked for the state and exactly what he's supposed to be
doing. We can examine his phone records, his travel records and, if he's a
top official, his ethics statement.
We may be able to track his movement around the state, and the
nation, by obtaining records of calls made on his state telephone credit
card.
We can even find out if the public has complained about the way he
drives his state car.
And we can look at the audit report on his unit.
There's much more on record if the person works for a firm
regulated by the state or federal government, including bondsmen, day care
operators, rest and nursing home operators, cemeterians, funeral home
directors, private detectives, charity fund operat ors, automobile
dealers, highway contractors, insurance agents, mobile home haulers, or
builders of low income government subsidized housing.
If she is an attorney we may be able to get background from the
Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, including the names and biographical
sketches of her law partners and her firm's major clients.
In some states we can check worker compensation claims, and in
some, including my own, welfare payments.
Does his firm sell to the city or state? Then we can find out what
he sells and at what price, and whether he won the contract competitively
or whether it was sole sourced.
If he's obtained an SBA loan, or tried to, we can get those
documents. We can check with the State Clearinghouse to find out if the
agency he works for has obtained a federal grant, or tried to get one.
We can see how many parking tickets he's been given, and whether
he paid them.
We may be able to find out when and where he had his car
inspected, and how many service stations he went to before somebody
finally passed it.
We might be able to get the traffic count in front of his house,
the pollution level in the creek behind it, and the safety rating on the
bridge at the end of his street.
We might get a topo map of her property and maps of storm sewer
line into her plant. Depending of the nature of her business, there are
OSHA violation reports, fire inspection reports, beer and wine licenses,
employee political action fund reports. We al so can find out whether her
company guards have been deputized.
We can see his birth certificate, marriage certificate, death
certificate, and we can read his will. And, if he died in an accident or
was killed or committed suicide, we can get a copy of his autopsy report.
Is that everything?
Of course not. Each of you, from your own experience, could add to
these suggestions.