- voiceofoc.org/countywide/county_government/article_db467438-956e-11e0-8e8d-001cc4c002e0.html
- voiceofoc.org/healthy_communities/article_55c23dd6-9642-11e0-b240-001cc4c002e0.html
- voiceofoc.org/healthy_communities/article_acc51bce-970c-11e0-a744-001cc4c002e0.html
Provide names of other journalists involved.
David Washburn, Nick Gerda (photographer)
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
June 13, 2011, June 14, 2011, June 15, 2011
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
North Orange County, Calif., has an acute shortage of parks, playing fields and other safe open spaces while just a few miles away in South Orange County there is an abundance of wide open public areas and school yards. In just 50 years, Orange County went from orange groves and open fields to a divided county in which those who live in the north have few places where there is room for children to run. Our series tells what happened, how children cope today, what’s in store for the future.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
We used city and county planning records and archives as well as current reports.
Explain types of human sources used.
For this story, one of the greatest assets was the memories of those who participated in making the decisions–and fighting those who were making the decisions. Many of those we interviewed were in their 80s and even 90s and several were telling their stories for the first time.
Results:
Shortly after the series ran, a citizens group in the city of Fullerton collected enough signatures to put a referendum on the June, 2012 ballot to overturn a city council decision that would have allowed Chevron build houses on one of the last pieces of open land in North Orange County.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Documents, documents, documents. They’re the critical foundation to a strong investigative story. But don’t overlook the memories of those who were there. It can take extra time and effort to track down some of those who were part of the history of an investigative project, but those memories bring a project to life and often fill in gaps that the documents can’t explain.