Public records are a powerful tool that journalists in newsrooms of any size can leverage to fuel enterprise reporting. During this session, Chris Coates and other journalists provides tips about how to access information and real-world examples of how document digging paid off.

Chris Coates is a senior director–local news for Lee Enterprises and executive editor of The Times-Dispatch in Richmond, Virginia. He previously was watchdog editor for The News Journal in Wilmington, Deleware, and has worked in newsrooms in Illinois, Iowa and California. In May, he was named to Editor & Publisher’s list of “Editors Extraordinaire” for 2024.