What kind of databases and information would a big city newspaper reporter be able to acces?

I am writing a novel and I want to have a character who can find out information about people...access a lot of records and databases, run searches on phone numbers or license plates or things like that, so I'm looking for info on just how much information a newspaper reporter would be able to gather that a regular person might not. I'd appreciate any genuine help.What kind of databases and information would a big city newspaper reporter be able to acces?I'm at a newspaper. We can look up voter registration, convictions, real estate sales, public sector payrolls (government, schools, etc), contributions to political candidates, etc. There is other stuff on the Internet, such as phone numbers. License plates might be tough without an inside source, but I suppose it would work with a connection to the police.What kind of databases and information would a big city newspaper reporter be able to acces?Reporters can't access any databases that the general public cannot. For instance, they can't access license plate numbers (unless you are in a state that allows access by the general public). Reporters use the same public databases that can be accessed by anyone, such as records at the local courthouse, campaign finance statements, deeds and business license records at the county recorder's office, minutes of public meetings,etc.