Monitoring the Internet for just one week in August, for example, netted an array of computer tips. An education reporter from Florida explained how she persuaded a school district to give her remote access and a password to the system's mainframe computer system. A Michigan man forwarded the address of a database for and about non-profits sponsored by Envirolink. A series of short briefs on FOIA news and legal disputes around the nation was posted for subscribers of the FOI-L group. The Arizona Health Sciences Library announced the kick-off of its online guide to public health documents.
Every week there are postings about new sources of electronic data.
He's wary about over-relying on electronic sources. It's unclear what is available electronically and what isn't. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, for example, refuses to makes its annual report on traffic accidents available online. She regularly logs on to a bulletin board on FedWorld to check the status of military base closings in southern California. Before the information was available electronically, Chace said, reporters wasted lots of time on the phone tracking down public information officers at the Department of Defense or the Department of Commerce.