I am trying to come to terms with why I’m spending so much time and energy reporting on the criminal case of Mike Miske, former owner of Kamaaina Termite and Pest Control and a long list of other businesses, as well as a patron of others run by associates.

The answer: I’ve spent four years reporting on Miske, beginning when his criminal activities were simply rumors heard “on the street” or out in the community. And, at this point, I’ve gathered a huge stash of background information, public records, court documents, newspaper clips from digital archives, family info from commercial genealogy databases, etc, etc.

And that’s informed the string of blog posts and Civil Beat stories about the case as it has developed.

Someone left a comment on a Facebook group, “Justice for Johnny,” focusing on the disappearance of Jonathan Fraser, a centerpiece of the federal case against Miske and his alleged associates.

“Why isn’t anyone else locally reporting on these stories as of late?” he wrote.

That’s when I realized I have backed into the role of “reporter of record” on this story.

I filched the idea from the older term for authoritative sources of news, which used to called “newspapers of record.”

That meant one of two things. One meaning referred to newspapers which had significant circulation in the area and, as a result, got the contracts for publishing legal information.

Before the internet shook up the information world, those legal notices were essential reading for many businesses and professions.

The second meaning was a newspaper that was considered autoritative, and provided in depth coverage of events in its area, covering public meetings, legislation, politics, business, etc.

If you wanted to get the scoop on an issue, the newspaper of record would be your first stop.

Newspapers no long provide that level of ongoing reporting on local events and institutions, and news has become as much “entertainment” as anything.

But I’m an “old school” reporter, and I’ve made what at this point is a substantial investment in digging into the background and guts of this case. I’ve written a lot, and still have a backlog of stories.

Partly it’s because no one else is writing at this level. Partly it’s just because this is a fascinating story with all the elements that draw readers in. In some ways, it’s a very local story that reveals things about our community that we didn’t know, or tried to ignore.

For whatever reasons, I’m committed.

A few minutes ago, I posted “Part 3” of what has become a series of posts, “A look back at my reporting on the Miske case.”