Game Plan for Covering City Hall
By Andrew Wellner
Mike Mansur and Holly Heyser
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Journalists who investigate local government need to develop a plan to find and analyze the right documents, follow the right tips and deal appropriately with the demands of editors and publishers.
During the “Game Plan for Covering City Hall” presentation, which kicked off the Western Knight Center’s four-day seminar, “Going Beyond the Agenda: Investigating Local Government,” David Donald, training director of Investigative Reporters and Editors and the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting, started by reminding attendees why they came.
“This is about all of us here making sure we deserve the First Amendment,” Donald said. The freedom of speech that journalists enjoy is earned through the investigation of government and by playing the role of watchdog.
Investigative reporters must have what Donald called a “document frame of mind.” This means writing stories grounded in the hard facts of documents, and knowing how to manage that data through the use of spreadsheets and database managers.
Investigations also require getting out of the newsroom, because unless a disgruntled employee enters a newsroom brandishing a gun, news happens on the streets, at city hall and anywhere but the newsroom, he said.
“We have done ourselves a disservice by calling it a newsroom because the assumption is that news happens there,” Donald said.
To ensure the story runs, investigative reporters must be up front with their editors, and one good tactic is what Donald called “the minimum story.” Basically, this involves the journalist explaining to their editor that even if the investigation falls short of what it was intended to prove, the reporter will still produce at least some minimal story. The journalist should have a clear idea of what that minimum story is and be able to explain it to his or her editor.
Mike Mansur of the Kansas City Star said investigative journalists should also be conscious of developing their people skills. While some reporters think investigative journalists have to have a hard-edged, confrontational attitude, Mansur urged a softer approach.
“Get rid of the attitude and be a nice guy,” he said. “Make friends with every secretary you can find at city hall. Be the guy they’re happy to see when you walk in the door.” The hard edge should be saved for when it’s appropriate, he added, such as confronting uncooperative and corrupt officials.
Good investigative journalism is not just about exposing corruption, Mansur said. There are other types of stories that also deserve attention, such as incompetence in local government, “especially if you’re looking at it through that guiding principle of ‘how are they spending our money?’ ” Mansur said.
Mansur recalled his initial reluctance to use Excel spreadsheets in reporting. In college he majored in English and he had always tried to avoid math and numbers. “Now I use Excel on every story. The English major has changed his ways,” Mansur said.
Although investigative journalists often expose the flaws of city government, they must remain on good terms with those they cover. Mansur keeps an office at city hall, so that the people he covers are people he sees every day. To keep on good terms with sources, Mansur said he never surprises a source. He always makes an attempt to explain what is going into a story before it runs. Sources may get mad, he said, but at least they know the reporter made an attempt to be fair and forthcoming.
Reporters should not avoid reading quotes back to sources before publication for fear that a source may try to change the quote. Most sources will simply confirm the quote is correct, and sometimes they will even volunteer other information, Mansur said. When a reporter is honest and fair, Mansur said, sources are “going to be more willing to deal with you every day.”
Holly Heyser, state editor of the capitol bureau of the Orange County Register, said that covering a state capitol involves many of the same skills as covering city hall, but in a much more intense setting. When she first started covering the state legislature in Virginia, she said, it was like “drinking from a fire hose.”
Before setting off for the state capitol, Heyser said, a reporter should have a clear understanding with his or her editor about what types of stories the editor expects to see. Some editors want only stories affecting the newspaper’s coverage area. Others want more wide-ranging stories about issues affecting the entire state. Either way, it is best to make sure you set off for the capitol with a clear understanding of expectations, she said.
The second thing a reporter must do is to cultivate sources. The usual suspects— legislators, leadership and other officials—are the most obvious sources, and Heyser recommends getting to know aides and secretaries.
“I got the best scoop of my life because I knew an aide,” she said.
Heyser also recommends talking to lobbyists because “they’re really smart, they know everything that’s going on.” However, reporters must always keep in mind that lobbyists are paid to influence people – and they’re good at their jobs.
Take time to read the bills drafted by the legislature which concern your stories, she said. Often this will put a reporter ahead of a state’s lawmakers in terms of knowledge of the issues. “You’d be surprised how much is in there,” she said.
State capitol reporters who take the time to learn the history of the state can win instant respect, but they should also be willing to be honest about their ignorance. Journalists should be ready to say “I don’t know squat, please teach me,” Heyser said.
And, in the worst case scenario, if you’re a capitol reporter and you make a mistake, be open, honest and apologetic. If you do, she said, most sources will understand, “She’s just human, she made a mistake.”
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