That's right! This item prohibits companies from disclosing significant details to select investors. Regulation FD 8-Ks generally disclose some piece of previously undisclosed information that was inadvertently shared with a smaller group of investors, perhaps at an analyst’s conference.

Correct! Companies can amend 8-Ks long after they are originally filed, so keep an eye out for these.

Correct! It does many of the things that the paid services above will do, although the site’s interface can be less intuitive and take more practice to learn and operate.

Correct! This item is used when a company has been bought or taken over. There’s usually some warning before one of these is filed, whether it is triggered by a hostile takeover, planned merger, or an investor buying up just over 50% of the company’s shares. Still, there may be some interesting details in it to include in a story.

Correct! Much of what companies choose to put into 8-K filings doesn’t have to be disclosed in an 8-K at all. This is particularly true of disclosures coded under Item 8.01.

Correct! This item is triggered if a company reduces the rights of its shareholders (or debtholders). One common way companies do this is through a so-called poison pill measure, designed to make hostile takeovers more difficult. Simply adopting a “shareholder rights plan” generally triggers Item 1.01, not this item.

Correct! The public affairs office can answer technical questions about EDGAR, filings, and filing requirements. However, they tend to shy away from company-specific questions and controversial issues.

Correct! Exhibits, amendments, and changes between filings can all be invaluable sources of information for stories.

That’s right!

Correct! There’s no rule that says companies have to stick to one topic in an 8-K – some disclose details about multiple unrelated developments.