Note to Readers

Reconfiguring Racket for the mass disclosure era

Last week, I wrote about a new project called “The Library,” which will feature evolving timelines containing primary source materials relevant to breaking news stories.

We haven’t forgotten. We hired a new editor (to be introduced tomorrow) and have been trying to hammer out a reader-friendly format for features like “Timelines.” Racket is also organizing interviews with subject matter mavens (we hope many will be our readers) who’ll explain how they find what they need on the job. From lawyers offering crash courses on PACER and law libraries to video editors offering pros and cons of Grabien to a reporter (or perhaps our own Undead_FOIA) explaining how to search FOIA portals, the idea is that “news” in the future will be as much about helping readers find what they need on their own, as it is about traditional reporting. Our first feature involves learning to navigate public records searches for the European Union and member countries like the U.K., Germany, and France, so if you have expertise in that area, we’re anxious to hear from you.

I turned 55 over the weekend. Having spent years sunk in the landscape of “anti-disinformation,” and nearly a decade before that learning finance jargon and how to search records like 10K filings or the Reg SHO list, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a little daunting to be starting a new language, i.e. public databases. But we think we’re on to something, and are more than a little excited. More tomorrow, and again, apologies for the delay.