Free Don't Scream (9780307823526) by Joan Lowery Nixon Page A

facts.”
    â€œGood answer, Jess,” he said. “Now then. What are primary sources?”
    He was still looking at me, so I tried to muddle through, wishing I’d kept my mouth shut in the first place. “Uh, the actual people involved in the story. I mean, like if it’s something like … um … the mayor of Oakberry said about … uh, well, maybe a contractor for street repair not being honest in billing the city, then … um … it’s important to get the story directly from the mayor, instead of from somebody else, like his secretary.”
    â€œWhat about the contractor?”
    â€œWho?”
    â€œThe man accused of being dishonest. Don’t you need to question him as well?”
    â€œOh, sure. Of course,” I said.
    â€œAll right,” Mr. Clark said. “We have that established, so what other primary sources do you check out?”
    I thought a long moment. No one else raised a hand, so at least I wasn’t alone. Finally I admitted, “I don’t know.”
    â€œThe various offices that contain public records.” Mr. Clark smirked as triumphantly as if he’d just won a tennis match.
    â€œWrite down the following information,” he ordered. “Public libraries. Public libraries have excellent clip files on people, places, news, and social events. Many libraries also have available Criss-Cross City Directories, which give names, street addresses, phone numbers (many of the unlisted ones), spouses’ names, names of children, income brackets, whether the residences are houses or apartments, and names of neighbors.”
    Robin Botts, who likes to sit in the back row and who probably reads nothing more serious than the comics and fashion news, waved a hand and said, “I don’t get it. Why would a reporter need to talk to someone’s neighbors? All my neighbors could talk about is what’s on the soaps.”
    â€œLet’s use the hypothetical situation Jess gave us. You want to interview the contractor, but when you call his office, he won’t return your phone calls. He has an unlisted number, so he isn’t in the residence pages of your phone book. So you check him out in the Criss-Cross Directory for Galveston. He’s not listed there, so you try Houston’s directory, and bingo! You’ve found a street address for him and a telephone number. You call for an appointment, but you’re told he’s out of town, so you drive to his address.
    â€œHis home is in the kind of neighborhood mediapeople refer to as
posh.
There are no automobiles and no sign of inhabitants around the contractor’s house, but next door you see a woman on her knees, planting begonias. What’s your next move?”
    Robin giggled. “I hope you’re not going to tell us to help her plant begonias. Gardening is
terrible
on nail polish.”
    â€œYou’re supposed to ask her questions, Robin,” Eric Dodson said.
    â€œRight!” Mr. Clark seemed relieved to be through with Robin. “What kinds of questions would you ask this woman, Eric?”
    Eric thought a moment. “This would be easy if she were on the Internet. When are you going to cover computer searches?”
    â€œComputers have their uses, but there are other well-proven, tried-and-true methods for extracting information,” Mr. Clark said. He scowled as though Eric had said something obscene.
    Eric didn’t look as if he’d been put down. He had the pleased, almost smug look of someone who knows more than the teacher. If it had to do with computers, I was pretty sure Eric would be right.
    I raised my hand again. “I’d ask the neighbor how well she knew the contractor and his family.”
    â€œGood,” Mr. Clark answered. “I’m assuming that first you introduced yourself and told her the name of the newspaper you were representing.”
    â€œOf course,” I