--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm pretty much a documents reporter. I'm…" description: "\"I'm pretty much a documents reporter. I'm a public records geek.\" — Bill Dedman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/bill-dedman-3519_documents_i-m-pretty-much-a-documents-reporter-i-m_1192194.jpg" --- # I'm pretty much a documents reporter. I'm a public records… ![“I'm pretty much a documents reporter. I'm a public records geek.” quote by Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/bill-dedman-3519_documents_i-m-pretty-much-a-documents-reporter-i-m_1192194.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/bill-dedman-3519_documents_i-m-pretty-much-a-documents-reporter-i-m_1192194.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/bill-dedman-3519_documents_i-m-pretty-much-a-documents-reporter-i-m_1192194.jpg) > “I'm pretty much a documents reporter. I'm a public records geek.” [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker identifies as a journalist focused on uncovering information through public documents. **In simple terms:** I specialize in reporting using public records. Key Takeaway Leverage public data for investigative reporting. Themes journalism transparency accountability data civic engagement Mood informative enthusiastic Type professional motivational When to use this quote - policy analysis - newsrooms - legal research - civic tech Key Concepts investigative reporting open government media ethics public policy Questions to Reflect On - How can you improve public access to records? - What stories are hidden in public data? A Different Perspective Access to records can be restricted or costly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Documents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documents/) [Documents Reporter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documents-reporter-3542002/) [Geek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geek/) [Much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/much/) [Pretty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretty/) [Pretty Documents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretty-documents-3542004/) [Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public/) [Records](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/records/) [Records Geek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/records-geek-3542001/) [Reporter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reporter/) [Reporter Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reporter-public-3542003/) ## Related quotes > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [“A reporter who makes actual money for asking question so dumb they are surreal will inquire, "How did you feel?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/a-reporter-who-makes-actual-money-for-asking-question-so-dumb-they/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I think as an investigative reporter I had tough standards, but I don't think of myself as a tough person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/i-think-as-an-investigative-reporter-i-had-tough-standards-but-i-don/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [I am a former newspaper reporter turned church secretary turned vampire novelist. I wrote my first complete novel, 'Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs,' at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-harper/i-am-a-former-newspaper-reporter-turned-church-secretary-turned/) [Molly Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-harper/) > [I never wanted to be a reporter. I took a job at the New York Post as a clerk because I couldn't get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-haberman/i-never-wanted-to-be-a-reporter-i-took-a-job-at-the-new-york-post-as/) [Maggie Haberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-haberman/) > [I was always the sideline reporter or something similar to that - which is essentially, but this isn't always true, the 'woman's job.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-ponder/i-was-always-the-sideline-reporter-or-something-similar-to-that-which/) [Samantha Ponder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-ponder/) > [“The thrill of working in this building, with its iconic globe on top, would never fade.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwenda-bond/the-thrill-of-working-in-this-building-with-its-iconic-globe-on-top/) [Gwenda Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwenda-bond/) > [No reporter of my generation, whatever his genius, ever really rated spats and a walking stick until he had covered both a lynching and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/no-reporter-of-my-generation-whatever-his-genius-ever-really-rated/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [I worked in three local news markets and in every single one of them, they said: 'You're a lousy anchor. We would love to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-vargas/i-worked-in-three-local-news-markets-and-in-every-single-one-of-them/) [Elizabeth Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-vargas/) > [Every newspaper editor says the heart of the paper is the reporter - which is true - except for the pay!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-germond/every-newspaper-editor-says-the-heart-of-the-paper-is-the-reporter/) [Jack Germond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-germond/) > [“Read it to me.” “Seriously?” he said quietly. “You want me to read you poetry? Like saving your life ten times wasn’t enough?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brynn-kelly/read-it-to-me-seriously-he-said-quietly-you-want-me-to-read-you/) [Brynn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brynn-kelly/) > [I am very, very old-fashioned and clumsy. I use those long reporter notebooks. This is what a troglodyte I am. The night before I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/i-am-very-very-old-fashioned-and-clumsy-i-use-those-long-reporter/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [I decided very early that I was going to be a reporter, that I would not cheer for the team. I don't denigrate people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-harwell/i-decided-very-early-that-i-was-going-to-be-a-reporter-that-i-would/) [Ernie Harwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-harwell/) > [It's astonishing what you learn and feel and see along the way. That's why a reporter's job, as you know, is such a joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/it-s-astonishing-what-you-learn-and-feel-and-see-along-the-way-that-s/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [In a very straightforward way, I am a terrible reporter. I'm not someone who can go into a story and not get involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-di-giovanni/in-a-very-straightforward-way-i-am-a-terrible-reporter-i-m-not/) [Janine di Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-di-giovanni/) ## More by Bill Dedman > [NBC News found that FEMA has redrawn maps even for properties that have repeatedly filed claims for flood losses from previous storms. At least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/nbc-news-found-that-fema-has-redrawn-maps-even-for-properties-that/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [Huguette Clark has had her own tax liens - four times, the IRS has filed to collect taxes from her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/huguette-clark-has-had-her-own-tax-liens-four-times-the-irs-has-filed/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [At one point, Sarah Palin sent her husband instructions to stock up on 'fresh fruit and veggies' for the kids, and 'as little processed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/at-one-point-sarah-palin-sent-her-husband-instructions-to-stock-up-on/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [In New York, FEMA granted the Mamaroneck Beach & Yacht Club's request to be remapped from the high-risk flood zone in August 2012 -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/in-new-york-fema-granted-the-mamaroneck-beach-yacht-club-s-request-to/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [Wal-Mart has always paid low wages, or, as Sam Walton put it, 'as little as we could get by with at the time.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/wal-mart-has-always-paid-low-wages-or-as-sam-walton-put-it-as-little/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [Less than a year after the Sept. 11 attacks, al-Qaida attacks were continuing: the firebombing of a synagogue in Tunisia in April, a bomb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/less-than-a-year-after-the-sept-11-attacks-al-qaida-attacks-were/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [The Manhattan district attorney has closed the well-publicized investigation of the handling of the $300 million fortune of reclusive heiress Huguette Clark - without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/the-manhattan-district-attorney-has-closed-the-well-publicized/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [Mohammed al-Qahtani was not alleged to be a leader of the Sept. 11 plot. He was not trained as a pilot. If he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/mohammed-al-qahtani-was-not-alleged-to-be-a-leader-of-the-sept-11/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [If he is convicted, Dr. Kevorkian says he will die a martyr's death by going on a hunger strike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/if-he-is-convicted-dr-kevorkian-says-he-will-die-a-martyr-s-death-by/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [In votes cast, Latinos have increased to five million in the 1996 Presidential election, up from two million in the 1976 election. The number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/in-votes-cast-latinos-have-increased-to-five-million-in-the-1996/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [Lie detectors sometimes work because people believe they work, deterring the wrong people from applying for jobs in the first place, or prompting admissions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/lie-detectors-sometimes-work-because-people-believe-they-work/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [Each year, at the typical nuclear reactor in the U.S., there's a 1 in 74,176 chance of an earthquake strong enough to cause damage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/each-year-at-the-typical-nuclear-reactor-in-the-u-s-there-s-a-1-in-74/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [It may be no surprise that Pittsburgh has direct flights to London, Paris and Frankfurt, but consider this: many of the tourists here have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/it-may-be-no-surprise-that-pittsburgh-has-direct-flights-to-london/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [More than 30 of America's 100 nuclear power reactors have the same brand of General Electric reactors or containment system used in Fukushima.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/more-than-30-of-america-s-100-nuclear-power-reactors-have-the-same/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [While the House of Blues slogan has been 'In blues we trust,' its stages are usually filled with more reliable moneymakers - Neil Diamond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/while-the-house-of-blues-slogan-has-been-in-blues-we-trust-its-stages/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) [Explore all 128 Bill Dedman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) ## More Documents quotes > [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) [Chaz Brenchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-brenchley/) > [There's a story about how the program is organized, there's a story about the context in which the program is expected to operate. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-steele/there-s-a-story-about-how-the-program-is-organized-there-s-a-story/) [Guy Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-steele/) > [It's not coincidence that these attacks come at the exact same moment, and all together at the same time as WikiLeaks releases documents exposing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/it-s-not-coincidence-that-these-attacks-come-at-the-exact-same-moment/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Records used to be documents, but now record companies want product.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-getz/records-used-to-be-documents-but-now-record-companies-want-product/) [Stan Getz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-getz/) > [In Saudi Arabia, among other countries, Muslims are not free to convert to Christianity, and Christians are not free to practice their faith. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-warraq/in-saudi-arabia-among-other-countries-muslims-are-not-free-to-convert/) [Ibn Warraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-warraq/) > [I doubt there's any government in the world that guides itself primarily by strategy or conceptual documents or worldview. Anybody who has the reins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/i-doubt-there-s-any-government-in-the-world-that-guides-itself/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [What's insulting to the American people, the Senate, to this whole process is that the Republicans, with all other nominees, have said Democrats are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/what-s-insulting-to-the-american-people-the-senate-to-this-whole/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [Utopian fiction is really boring. I had to read a lot of it, and it's not that much fun. But they're fascinating to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/utopian-fiction-is-really-boring-i-had-to-read-a-lot-of-it-and-it-s/) [Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/) > [Others have questions about how it is that God and human beings can both be speaking through the one document such that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/others-have-questions-about-how-it-is-that-god-and-human-beings-can/) [D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/) > [It can be lost, and it will be, if the time ever comes when these documents are regarded not as the supreme expression of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/it-can-be-lost-and-it-will-be-if-the-time-ever-comes-when-these/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Document, evaluate, focus, test.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-d-anthony/document-evaluate-focus-test/) [Scott D. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-d-anthony/) > [The Magna Carta is widely known to be one of the foundational documents for our Constitution. I can only imagine that a mention of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-conyers/the-magna-carta-is-widely-known-to-be-one-of-the-foundational/) [John Conyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-conyers/) > [Altering the Constitution has become the daily business of the Federal Government which the document is supposed to guide and limit. Both Congress and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/altering-the-constitution-has-become-the-daily-business-of-the/) [Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/) > [There was an intervention of the foreign states in the Russian Far East, Archangel of the West border of Russia. The foreign troops were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-semichastny/there-was-an-intervention-of-the-foreign-states-in-the-russian-far/) [Vladimir Semichastny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-semichastny/) [Browse all 606 Documents quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documents/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm pretty much a documents reporter. I'm a public records geek.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill Dedman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/i-m-pretty-much-a-documents-reporter-i-m-a-public-records-geek/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Documents" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/i-m-pretty-much-a-documents-reporter-i-m-a-public-records-geek/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/bill-dedman-3519_documents_i-m-pretty-much-a-documents-reporter-i-m_1192194.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/bill-dedman-3519_documents_i-m-pretty-much-a-documents-reporter-i-m_1192194.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/bill-dedman-3519_documents_i-m-pretty-much-a-documents-reporter-i-m_1192194.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm pretty much a documents reporter. I'm a public records geek.” — Bill Dedman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bill Dedman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm pretty much a documents reporter....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/i-m-pretty-much-a-documents-reporter-i-m-a-public-records-geek/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/i-m-pretty-much-a-documents-reporter-i-m-a-public-records-geek/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```