Knowing How It’s Supposed to Work
By Karl-Erik Stromsta
Holly Heyser and Mike Mansur
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The sheer volume of paperwork that governments put out is so overwhelming that investigative journalists have to learn to narrow their focus to find the stories that matter.
Holly Heyser, state editor of the Orange County Register’s capitol bureau and Mike Mansur of the Kansas City Star shared a panel on “Knowing How it’s Supposed to Work.”
While it may be impossible to follow up on every law passed by government, amid the flood of regulations, permits, inspections and lawsuits you are likely to find hidden gems of information that can lead to amazing stories.
“There’s tons of stuff out there not getting covered,” Heyser said. As investigative journalists, “you’re like a kid in a candy shop. Most state agencies are completely unexamined.”
Heyser used a story from her days reporting on West Virginia mental health institutions to illustrate some of her points.
First, she said, learn everything about the agency: Who does it regulate? What kinds of permits does it issue? What kinds of reports is it required to file?
“Always get copies of the blank forms they have to fill out, so you know what kind of data they’re dealing with,” she said.
The mental health agencies she investigated were required to file death reports – including whether patients’ deaths were by natural or unnatural causes. After a bit of digging, she found that a considerable number of deaths had been deemed unnatural.
“I wound up telling the stories of these deaths, and people were wild about it,” she said.
Heyser said that it was normal for agencies to withhold names, but by contacting families and lawyers, she filled in the blanks.
A blind investigation into an agency is probably going to lead nowhere. But national organizations that specialize in issues can be a good place to start looking for information on potential problems, she said.
Heyser also recommended two of the most useful – if commonly overlooked – sources of information: auditors and secretaries.
“We love audits. If they can do an audit, that means data exists, and you can find it,” she said. “And always develop relationships with secretaries early, not just when something bad happens.”
Mansur said delinquent property tax information can be a valuable source of information.
“Each year the city releases a report of delinquent (property) owners,” Mansur said. “You’ll find lots of well-known people on the list. Maybe the cash flow is bad this year, and they just (don’t pay).”
Property owners who are late with their taxes are supposed to pay penalties and interest, but well-connected developers are sometimes simply absolved of the extra charges.
“We checked the top 100 property tax delinquents, and one-third didn’t pay,” he said.
Another issue he recommended looking into was “land flipping,” which is a scam where without ever advertising that foreclosed property is for sale, community development corporations often “flip” the property to their friends for a low price. Their friends then turn it over, and sell the property the same day for a huge profit.
“If a city has lots of federal housing dollars, track them. It’s a major area of corruption,” he said. “Maybe the community development corporations don’t benefit directly, but their friends do.”
Another route of investigation Mansur suggested was checking financial disclosures filed by legislators against their property records to see if they’re paying their taxes or if they even live in the district they say they do.
Mansur’s final bit of advice made the audience laugh.
“Don’t underestimate the incompetence of the officials you’re dealing with,” he said.
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