So far: 15 states, 7,123 miles, 33 sessions, 536 people (see schedule)

Vultures preying on roadkill on a highway between Montgomery, Ala., and Valdosta, Ga.

Valdosta, Ga. — Today as I drove the backroads of southern Georgia I often came across turkey vultures munching gleefully on the splattered remains of various mammals. It made me think of the relationship today between journalists and government. Unfortunately, journalists aren’t the ones with the feathers.

As I go from newsroom to newsroom I see empty desks everywhere. Staffs are half the level they were five years ago. Journalists are stretched thin, often making phone calls for record checks instead of personal visits. A lot of people are stressed out and demoralized. Many government officials know it, and are taking advantage of it.

Don’t become journalistic roadkill. Stay strong and don’t let officials wear you down. Your community is relying on you!

Tip No. 27: Stay charged up by teaming up with journalists from other organizations. If you’re an education reporter, find an education reporter at a similar-sized organization in your state and work together on a project. Get statewide data and divide up the work. Come out with a nice beefy piece, localized to each of your communities. Make an impact. You’ll also make a friend – a colleague who understands your beat. Support each other. Keep charged.

Tip No. 28: Similarly, stay charged up by looking at inspirational reporting online while you’re at home watching bad TV (I do this while watching reality television). Check out the Extra Extra stories posted and archived by subject at www.ire.org. Even better, join IRE and have access to a 25,000-story online morgue of investigative stories, keyword searchable. Not to mention their tipsheets from conferences, also online for members, keyword searchable. Check out the SPJ Open Doors publication, or Joe Adams’ “hit records”. Charles Davis and I have started posting document ideas on our Art of Access website as well. Look at award-winning work, such as the Pulitzer winners or the SDX awards. See previous post on appointing a doc cheerleader,  a post on inspirational videos and one on spreading FOI fervor in your community. Get inspired so government doesn’t take advantage of you.

Pep talks can keep you at your best. Following Tuesday night’s session in Montgomery, David Joyner from Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. wrote some inspirational words, including thoughts he got from the Valdosta Daily Times Editor Kay Harris, who attended a session I gave today.

Dean Poling, assistant managing editor, Valdosta Daily Times

While I was chatting with the folks at the Valdosta (Ga.) Daily Times, they talked about a great tip for getting officials to provide records that are sensitive. Here’s what Dean Poling, assistant managing editor, said:

Tip No. 29: When you hear rumors of something up, go to officials and tell them the rumors, which are often worse than reality. For example, “I heard the principal ran off with a woman and stole thousands of dollars. We’re looking into it. Any comments?” The agency will say, “No, no, no, you can’t print that! It was the secretary who stole $500 from the student-body account. It wasn’t anything like you describe. Here’s the information…”

Thursday: I’ll drive from Tampa to Boca Raton for a session with the South Florida SPJ pro chapter.

So far: 15 states, 6,411 miles, 32 sessions, 530 people (see schedule)

Montgomery, Ala. — Some journalists, particularly beginning reporters, worry that if they push too hard for records then they’ll anger officials and then the officials won’t talk to them.

Don’t worry about that! What are they going to do, not tell you about an upcoming ribbon cutting? Bahh! Elected officials need journalists more than journalists need them. With public records and good sourcing among line workers you won’t need to talk to the mayor.

The key is to focus on what the public thinks, not what top government officials think. Serve citizens, not sources. I emphasized this today in a few sessions, one in Atlanta before a crowd of about 35 people organized by the Georgia First Amendment Coalition (thanks to Director Hollie Manheimer). The second session was in Montgomery, Ala., for the state SPJ pro chapter. Thanks to SPJ Regional Director Jenn Rowell for organizing it.

Melody Dare

Tip No. 26: Melody Dare, an assistant editor at the Rockmart Journal in Georgia, provided a good tip about source development. When you first start a beat and are getting to know sources, explain that you will do your best to be accurate and fair, and that it is your job to write the good and the bad – that people will need to expect you to push for information because it is your job. While you are meeting people in that brief honeymoon period, ask for cell phone numbers from all your sources. Then later, after that story comes out that torques your sources, you will have those numbers for when you need them.

Here were some more comment from the anonymous evals:

Great journalists at the Montgomery session, from left, Alabama Pro Chapter President Dennis Pillion from AL.com, Jenn Rowell from the Montgomery Advertiser, Laura Johnson from the Anniston Star, David Joyner from Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. (and vice president of the Alabama SPJ chapter), and George Daniels, from the University of Alabama and the SPJ Board of Directors

“Loved it. I haven’t done much with FOI in awhile and this was a great program to get me thinking more about FOI and how I can use it on my beat.”

“This has been a great, informative and inspiring couple of hours – I feel much more capable of going out to get info now than I did when I came in.”

“I needed an evangelist to rev me up!”

Wednesday: I drive south for a session at the Valdosta, Ga., newspaper, then land in Tampa for the night before doing a session in Miami Thursday. I love this southern food!