A thousand points of light!

Final tally: 32 states, 14,135 miles, 56 sessions, 1,009 people (see schedule)

El Paso, Texas – Finished. Yet, there is so much to do.

I just got home to Tucson on this last day of the tour and I’m happy to say we were able to reach more than a thousand people on this trip! While the tour is over, I realize we have more work to do to foster access in America.

Earlier today, I had the chance to talk with journalists from the Belen and Socorro newspapers in New Mexico. This was one of the few sessions where the publisher sat in. David Puddu is chief operating officer for Number Nine Media. It was great to have him in the session – he truly gets it.

David Puddu

Tip No. 56: David Puddu, publisher of the Valencia County News-Bulletin, El Defensor Chieftain and Mountain View Telegraph, provided this great tip: Reporters should attend training sessions for sales staff to learn techniques for persuading people to do what you want (e.g., hand over records). “Sales skills are critical in this business to save time and get information through the most effective means possible,” he said. For example, one sales tip is to not take “no” for an answer. “You have to find a way.”

Tip No. 57: David Randall, from KTSM-TV in El Paso, provided this tip that I thought was cool. Request a list of all the teachers and substitute teachers in a school district. Then run the names through Facebook and My Space to see their pages. Some have pictures of themselves with bongs or in other situations that would be unbecoming of a teacher. Also run the substitutes through court records. You might find some interesting things! Of course, triple-check to make sure you have the right person matched with the correct inappropriate photo and criminal record.

After the Belen session I did a session for the Rio Grande SPJ chapter in El Paso. It was the last session of the tour, and following that I drove the five hours home to Tucson. Nice! Soon I’ll provide a tour recap here at the blog, outlining some of the things we learned from this national road show – trends and issues I saw throughout the country, along with recommendations for a call to action.

Journalists from New Mexico and Texas with me hoisting a diet soda in celebration of the final session Thursday night.

So far: 32 states, 13,631 miles, 54 sessions, 985 people (see schedule)

Albuquerque, N.M. – We have strength in numbers.

In New Mexico today, I learned that journalists have been working to get records from the state on exactly who they have laid off to trim the budget.

Gov. Bill Richardson has said they laid off 59 employees to save money, yet the state has been reluctant to provide the names and salaries of those people. They’ve delayed for more than six months. Did they really lay people off or did they make it up?

Journalists and the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government have been pushing for the records to be public (see story). This is really sad that Gov. Richardson would be so secretive and hostile toward open, accountable government. Shameful, really. I remember attending the National Freedom of Information Coalition conference in Santa Fe in 2005 where Richardson spoke to us, espousing the importance of transparency. He said it’s important for people to find out “what our leaders are doing – the good, the bad and the ugly.” Talk is cheap.

I was impressed, however, with the 27 journalists and interested citizens who showed up for the tour session tonight in Albuquerque. Many of them have been pushing for those records. Watchdog journalism is alive and well in New Mexico. Thanks to Betsy Model, president of the Rio Grande SPJ pro chapter, and chapter vice president David Brown, for coordinating the event.

Tip No. 55: Band together with other media to get important records from state government. A lot of journalists are reluctant to team with the competition, but it can be very effective, just like it has been in New Mexico. The focus is on serving citizens and fighting on their behalf. We have strength in numbers.

Thursday: I’ll talk to journalists who work in Belen and Soccoro, south of Albuquerque, then drive to El Paso for a session with journalists part of the Rio Grande SPJ chapter (covers a big area). Then, after the El Paso session, I’ll drive the five hours home to Tucson and be finished with the tour!