non fiction - Do I need permission from people I am writing about if I am writing about a true story that was reported in the media?

I am writing a factual book, that will [hopefully] primarily detail real events that have happened in the past, that are related to the subject of the book.

The real events have all been reported in the media, but do not necessarily involve famous people or "public figures" but just "ordinary" people.

Does anyone know if I would need written permission from the people involved in the events? I would not be expressing my opinion or any other information that was not reported in the media, so I wouldn't think libel would be an issue. But of course I would like to use names and locations (of course not an address, just country/state) of the people involved.