Question 1

What is an environmental impact report?

Accepted Answer

A study of environment impacts of certain actions that the federal and many state agencies must do before taking those actions.

Question 2

How can a document help you quantify a problem?

Accepted Answer

By showing you how much an action or inaction ends up costing; how often a problem occurs; how bad something is.

Question 3

Why is it important to get copies of court records while a court case is still pending?

Accepted Answer

Because after cases settle, the courts often seal the records.

Question 4

Which of the following can you get from the Federal Register?

Accepted Answer

A)  Data about changes in population in a particular geographic area 
B)  The financial health of a non-profit organization 
C)  Information about changes to federal rules and regulations 
D)  Information about loans between businesses 
A)  Data about changes in population in a particular geographic area 
B)  The financial health of a non-profit organization 
C)  Information about changes to federal rules and regulations 
D)  Information about loans between businesses

Question 5

What is a chain of custody, and how does that pertain to records you acquire?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is a chain of custody, and...

Question 6

The Detroit Free Press broke the story of a $9 million payout to cover up a sex scandal by relying on what type of documents?

Accepted Answer

A)  Internal memos 
B)  Text messages 
C)  Expense receipts 
D)  Hotel bills 
A)  Internal memos 
B)  Text messages 
C)  Expense receipts 
D)  Hotel bills

Question 7

Why is a state auditor a great source for documents about government activities?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why is a state auditor a great...

Question 8

What are two things you can learn from a corporation's prospectus?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are two things you can learn...

Question 9

To "nail down" a story, you must provide court records that attest to the facts you present.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

To reduce their liability, corporations avoid recording the decisions they make on paper.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

What's a Form 990, and what can you learn from it?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What's a Form 990, and what can...

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT something you should do to make sure a document is authentic?

Accepted Answer

A)  Make sure that when you get a copy of the original, your copy is readable 
B)  Maintain a chain of custody 
C)  Check for inconsistencies 
D)  Find an independent expert 
A)  Make sure that when you get a copy of the original, your copy is readable 
B)  Maintain a chain of custody 
C)  Check for inconsistencies 
D)  Find an independent expert

Question 13

Clery Act reports can tell you how much a public official spent during a political campaign.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

"Discovery" is which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)  The process of finding a piece of evidence in a stack of documents 
B)  The smoking gun in an investigative case 
C)  A process by which parties in a lawsuit turn over documents to each other 
D)  The preliminary research stage of an investigative project 
A)  The process of finding a piece of evidence in a stack of documents 
B)  The smoking gun in an investigative case 
C)  A process by which parties in a lawsuit turn over documents to each other 
D)  The preliminary research stage of an investigative project

Question 15

Court briefs of a messy divorce are examples of information that is too scandalous to be relied on as evidence.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Before you hunt for documents, which of the following is NOT something you should necessarily consider?

Accepted Answer

A)  Who might have received them 
B)  Who would have created them 
C)  How can you get them 
D)  Whether the document is notarized 
A)  Who might have received them 
B)  Who would have created them 
C)  How can you get them 
D)  Whether the document is notarized

Question 17

Why do you need to understand multi-way communication to understand where you might find documented information?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why do you need to understand multi-way...

Question 18

A prospectus is a document that a corporation files when it offer new shares to the public.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

What is a corporate proxy fight, and what can you learn from it?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is a corporate proxy fight, and...

Question 20

How might documents help you to connect dots?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How might documents help you to connect...

What is an environmental impact report?

How can a document help you quantify a problem?

Why is it important to get copies of court records while a court case is still pending?

Which of the following can you get from the Federal Register?

What is a chain of custody, and how does that pertain to records you acquire?

The Detroit Free Press broke the story of a $9 million payout to cover up a sex scandal by relying on what type of documents?

Why is a state auditor a great source for documents about government activities?

What are two things you can learn from a corporation's prospectus?

To "nail down" a story, you must provide court records that attest to the facts you present.

To reduce their liability, corporations avoid recording the decisions they make on paper.

What's a Form 990, and what can you learn from it?

Which of the following is NOT something you should do to make sure a document is authentic?

Clery Act reports can tell you how much a public official spent during a political campaign.

"Discovery" is which of the following?

Court briefs of a messy divorce are examples of information that is too scandalous to be relied on as evidence.

Before you hunt for documents, which of the following is NOT something you should necessarily consider?

Why do you need to understand multi-way communication to understand where you might find documented information?

A prospectus is a document that a corporation files when it offer new shares to the public.

What is a corporate proxy fight, and what can you learn from it?

How might documents help you to connect dots?

What Is Investigative Reporting

Finding the Story

Setting up the Investigation

Finding Human Sources

Documenting the Investigation

Public Records

The Interview Process

Building Your Own Database

Analyzing a Big Story

Writing the Story

Legal and Ethical Considerations

Bulletproofing the Investigation

Pitching the Story

Filters

Exam 8: Finding and Using Data

What is an environmental impact report?

How can a document help you quantify a problem?

Why is it important to get copies of court records while a court case is still pending?

Which of the following can you get from the Federal Register?

What is a chain of custody, and how does that pertain to records you acquire?

The Detroit Free Press broke the story of a $9 million payout to cover up a sex scandal by relying on what type of documents?

Why is a state auditor a great source for documents about government activities?

What are two things you can learn from a corporation's prospectus?

To "nail down" a story, you must provide court records that attest to the facts you present.

To reduce their liability, corporations avoid recording the decisions they make on paper.

What's a Form 990, and what can you learn from it?

Which of the following is NOT something you should do to make sure a document is authentic?

Clery Act reports can tell you how much a public official spent during a political campaign.

"Discovery" is which of the following?

Court briefs of a messy divorce are examples of information that is too scandalous to be relied on as evidence.

Before you hunt for documents, which of the following is NOT something you should necessarily consider?

Why do you need to understand multi-way communication to understand where you might find documented information?

A prospectus is a document that a corporation files when it offer new shares to the public.

What is a corporate proxy fight, and what can you learn from it?

How might documents help you to connect dots?

What Is Investigative Reporting

Finding the Story

Setting up the Investigation

Finding Human Sources

Documenting the Investigation

Public Records

The Interview Process

Building Your Own Database

Analyzing a Big Story

Writing the Story

Legal and Ethical Considerations

Bulletproofing the Investigation

Pitching the Story

Filters