These are groups that bring together folks from all different disciplines who work together to solve problems and share tips. I've talked with many reporters about their problem getting public records from both the federal government and state and local agencies. The problems are exceedingly more difficult for smaller news organizations who don't have the money or resources to go to court over records. I or other reporters in my newsroom have heard in response to pubic records or electronic public records requests. All the previous guidelines are all dandy, until you actually go to ask for the data.
Most newsrooms have the capacity to handle very large and complex databases.
Our computer system can't do that. This is unusual for any database systems. It may take talking with the software vendor to figure out the best option for both sides. This is a problem. Journalists understand that there might be some minor programming charges, but sometimes the charges seem unreasonable.