John Cheves, reporter at the Lexington Herald-Leader presents “The Business of Government” during the free Reynolds Center workshop, “Uncovering the Best Local Business Stories,” in Lexington, Ky.
The daylong workshop covered tips on how to find good stories in the business of government, how to cover economic-development agencies at the state and local levels, and how to find public information on private companies.
Presenters also discussed how to find stories in small business and publicly available databases, and how to localize national and international stories for your audience.
This free training was specifically geared toward community journalists and generalists on tight budgets and small staffs. Another workshop by the same name was later held in Fort Worth.
For more information about free training for business journalists, please visit businessjournalism.org.
The Business of Government - John Cheves (Kentucky)
1. The Business of Government:
Uncovering Good Stories in Local
Government Budgets, Taxes and
Contracts
John Cheves
Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader
jcheves@herald-leader.com
2. The Business of Government
Follow the money
What I learned in Liberty County:
Get the records, data and numbers, and
then ask your questions.
Try to understand the budgets as well as
your sources do. Poke, prod, ask.
Don’t apologize: It’s our money.
3. The Business of Government
Compared to what?
The need for context
6. Budgets
How do the biggest departments spend it?
• Salaries, pensions and benefits
What do outside agencies get?
• Deficit spending, debt and debt service
• State and federal money
• Pools for discretionary spending
• One-time spending – land, projects
(And read the footnotes!)
9. Budgets
The Los Angeles Times and
the city budget of Bell, California:
a $1.5 million/year city manager.
Two years of reporting, eight criminally
charged public officials, millions of dollars
in tax refunds and one Pulitzer Prize.
12. Taxes
What is taxed and at what rate?
What doesn’t get taxed? Why?
What revenue is growing? Shrinking?
Who is delinquent?
How’s the recession treatin’ ya?
Are tax breaks justifiable?
Special taxing districts or entities
13. Taxes
Helpful hint: “The rule of PUNG”
Probably, usually, normally, generally
(Thanks to R. Thomas Herman,
former tax columnist,
The Wall Street Journal)
15. Contracts
Who approves contracts? How and when?
Where should you be checking?
Competitive bidding – really?
Cost overruns: “Oh, one more thing …”
Photo by flickr user Victor1558
16. Contracts
Who are these
contractors?
(Family, friends,
campaign donors,
past or present
public officials?)
Do we really need
this? At that price?
Photo by flickr user Victor1558
Spending more on
contracts? Less?
18. The Business of Government
The Open Records Act (or Public Records
Act, Sunshine Law, etc.) is your friend.
Submit requests regularly. Don’t settle for
what public officials voluntarily give you.
You don’t know what you didn’t know
until you know it.
In most states, the twin of ORA is the Open
Meetings Act, which requires governments
to conduct nearly all business in public.
19. The Business of Government
Anyone can file an Open Records Act
request asking a public entity for existing
documents, including budgets, invoices,
contracts, credit card statements, email,
correspondence and payroll records.
In Kentucky, you can appeal a denial of the
Open Records Act to the Office of Attorney
General in Frankfort – at no cost. Go to
http://ag.ky.gov/civil/orom for more info.