Finding Real People for Stories

My Web Tips partner, Jon Dube, wrote in a Feb. 2002 column that “one of the handiest online tools for reporters is one of the least-used: Usenet newsgroups.” He’s absolutely right. These newsgroups are a great way to find what I call “real people.”  You see, the Internet makes it really easy to find experts, academics and officials — but these folks aren’t what we always need. We rely on them too much and don’t try to track down “real people” often enough. You can follow Jon’s advanced tips on using newsgroups or visit groups.google.com — the “groups” tab on the familiar Google.com page.

The case of the rampaging gunman at Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University last week shows us the usefulness of accessing newsgroups. If you go to groups.google.com and type in the name of the suspect who’s been identified by the police, Biswanath Halder, you will find plenty of postings by and about him over the years (you can sort these by date, too). Of course, there are several items published since the shootings — many of them in bad taste — but the earlier stuff, along with his online resume, are helpful in building a profile of the alleged shooter. I know of at least two journalists who used this method to learn more about him and to contact those who had interacted with him. As a result, their stories had more context and details than the competition’s.

The next time you are writing an important story, spend the few extra minutes it do a quick check of Google groups.

Want to share a site you find useful? Please e-mail a SHORT tip, including your name, affiliation, city, and phone number (for verification only) to poynter@sree.net.

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