Research Assignment2: Public Records

Topic

Your Name, Discussion Instructor’s Name

Spring2022

What You Will Demonstrate:

Communications professionals need to know how to research public records, and present information found in these records. In this assignment, you will demonstrate that you can (1) use public records to find information about a local business and associated individuals,
(2) document how you searched for and found this information, (3) evaluate the sources you found, and (4) synthesize the information you found.

Topic:

Same as RA1: local business, its owners, plus the business property owners.

Scenario:

The editors of Lawrence Magazine want to feature local businesses, business owners, and business property owners in an upcoming issue. The business owners and business property owners will be photographed both in their business and residential settings. You have beenasked to write an email about three possible stories for this feature. Because the editors don’t want to cover people with questionable pasts, you also need to include the results of preliminary background checks for all individuals you present.

What You Will Produce:

• Private research notes:In sections 1 and 2,you will document your research process and source evaluations.

• Email pitch:In section 3, you will pitch threemagazine stories: one about the business, one about the owners of this business, and one about the property owners. You will also include the results of preliminary background checks on all these individuals. Your goal is to convince Lawrence Magazine editors to use your story ideas in their feature stories.

Section 1: Keep Track of the Research Process

1. Read the Public Records chapter in the Be Credible textbook.

• Use bullet points or numbers to document every search you complete:
  • Name the database or collection of sources you search (e.g., Kansas Business Entity Search Station, Douglas County Property Search, etc.).
  • Paste the search term you type into the search field.
• For each search, fully explain why you used this particular collection, search term, and operator.
• Briefly explain the results of each search, which results you pursued further, and why.

Business-related searches

• Use the business entity search to identify the owner(s) of the business. A Resident Agent may not be the owner.
• Use entity-related searches discussed in the Public Records chapter (e.g., restaurant inspections, liquor licenses, other licenses) to find other information about this business and its owners.
• Use individual-related searches discussed in the Public Records chapter (e.g., professional licenses, voter registrations, corrections records) to find other information about the business owners.
• Use real estate records searches to find out if the business owners own residential property and, if so, where.
• Use Google to find out more about the business owners.

Property-related searches

1. Use a property search to identify the current owner of the property where this business operates.
2. If the property owner is a company, use the business entity search to identify the human owners of this company. A Resident Agent may not be the owner.
3. Use real estate records searches to find out if the property owners own residential property and, if so, where.
4. Use real estate records searches to identify the previous owners of the property. You cancreate a chronology of who owned the property in the past, when they owned it, and what other businesses operated in this location.
5. Use Google to find out more about the current and/or past property owners.
6. Use individual-related searches discussed in the Public Records chapter (e.g., corrections records, professional licenses, voter registrations) to find other information about the current property owners.

Grading hints:

• Your instructor is looking to see that you are searching the databases discussed in the chapter covered in this unit.
• Show that you use sophisticated search strategies (i.e., search operators).
• Show that you use the results of one search to inform subsequent searches.
• Your goal is NOT for all your searches to hit the jackpot. Your goal is to show that you are a thoughtful and critical searcher.

Section 2: Evaluate Sources for Use in the Email Pitch

1. Re-read the Evaluate Information Vigorously chapter in the Be Credible textbook.
2. Re-read the Go Lateral with Cues and Evidence chapter in the Be Credible textbook.

1. Use bullet points or numbers to list all of the sources from which you could take information for your email pitch. For example, a Douglas County property recordcould be a source;a food establishment inspection report could be a source.
2. Do NOTlist search engines or databases (e.g., Google, KASPER, BESS).
3. Embed a link for each source on the list that’s publicly accessible (avoid pasting unreadable URLs). Include a screenshot or a photograph of each source that can’t be linked to online.
4. For each source, determine if it is a primary or secondary (or tertiary) source. Provide evidence for this determination.

• For each source, use the four-step evaluation process to determine if the source is credible enough to use in your email pitch:
  • Under each source, list the cues that say something about its credibility. See the table in the FAQ chapter for possible credibility cues.
  • Investigate each cue and collect external evidence about it. Summarize this evidence in your document. Your opinion is not evidence. Evidence can include quotations, embedded links, and screenshots.
  • Use the evidence from (b) to determine if the cue contributes to (+) or diminishes (-) the credibility of the source.
  • Write a synthesis statement that starts with, “Overall, this source is / is not credible enough for me to use because … ,” and explains your reasoning. Re-state the key evidence from (b).

For 18-22, instead of writing in paragraphs, for each source you can (but don’t have to) use a table like this:

Source: Insert the name of the source here, and embed a link to it.

Cue	Evidence	Contributes to (+) or diminishes (-) the source’s credibility
Primary/secondary	Evidence about primary/secondary	+ / –
Cue 1 name	Evidence about cue 1	+ / –
Cue 2 name	Evidence about cue 2	+ / –
Cue 3 name	Evidence about cue 3	+ / –
	DO NOT stop at 3 cues. Add a new row for each additional cue (right-click and press “Insert” and “Rows Below”)

Synthesis statement: Overall, this source is / is not credible enough to use because … [synthesize the key evidence and arguments from the table]

Grading hints:

• Your instructor is looking for you to show that you question the credibility of everything. For every credibility assertion you make, ask yourself “why?”, and investigate further. Keep asking “why?”
• Do not rely on gut feelings about the credibility of sources. Your evidence needs to come from somewhere other than yourself.
• If you use the table, make sure that the information in the “Evidence” column is complete. In each row, use multiple full sentences, links, quotes, and any other information to support your thinking.
• Don’t forget the synthesis statement, and don’t skimp on the evidence you re-state in it.

Section 3: Email Pitch

• After revisions, you can post this email pitch publicly in your portfolio.
• As you work on the pitch, keep in mind its audience and purpose:
  • Audience: Lawrence Magazine editors.
  • Purpose: Pitch three feature stories about a Lawrence business, its owners, and the property owners. Highlight these individuals’ business and residential properties. Include the results of a preliminary background check.
• In the email pitch, use only the sources that, in Section 2, you concluded were credible enough to use.

• Use a combination of paragraphs and bullet-point lists, and use visual hierarchy, to clearly and succinctly present the following information:
  • A story about the business, highlighting something unique about it, and including background information. Background information should include the history of the business and a list of its owners and property owners,
  • A story about the business owners, highlighting something unique about them, and including background information you found. Include their residential information and the results of a preliminary background check.
  • A story about the property owners, highlighting something unique about them, and including background information you found. Include their residential information. Include the results of a preliminary background check.

Throughout this email:

• Keep your paragraphs short. In journalism, paragraphs usually are no more than four sentences long. There is no limit on how many paragraphs you write.
• Use the third person (he / she / it / they) to present the story ideas. Do not use first person.
• Attribute all information to the appropriate sources. Use the phrase “according to” as much as you need to; do not worry about sounding redundant. (For a refresher, read the Attribute All Sources chapter in the Be Credible textbook.)
• If you quote a phrase or more, use quotation marks around it, and attribute the source.
• Embed links to all sources that are openly accessible on the Internet.
• Avoid copying and pasting screenshots from your sources. The images in your sources are copyrighted, and your email could be published publicly in your portfolio. You don’t want someone who looks at your portfolio to think that you violated a source’s copyright. Instead, use Creative Commons images, take your own photos, or design your own graphics.

How to Submit this Assignment

• As you complete the assignment, refer to the grading rubric on Canvas to understand how the assignment will be graded.
• Delete all instructions. The assignment you submit should include the title information, section headers, and the text you type.

• When you have finished the assignment, click on the appropriate link on Canvas and upload this document using the “Drag a file here, or choose a file to upload” function. 
• Do NOT submit a Pages file because your instructor will not be able to read your assignment inCanvas. Instead, save the assignment as Word or PDF, and upload this file.
• Microsoft Word is available for free at office365.ku.edu.

• Make sure that the document uploads completely. Your Internet connection and Canvas can malfunction during the submission process. It is your responsibility that your assignment uploads successfully.
• Go back and check that your assignment is submitted. Take a screenshot to document that your assignment was fully submitted before the deadline. Save the screenshot to your computer.

BE CREDIBLE: do not fabricate or plagiarize. The consequences are not worth it.