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Topic: Miscellaneous items
Date/Time: 6/12/2007 4:04:35 PM
Title: AP house newsletter on Accountability Journalism
Posted By: Jim Romenesko
 
From Associated Press' internal newsletter -- June 1, 2007 edition

The Essentials

The newsletter of the State News department

Journalists in a democracy keep tabs on government and the officials elected to run it, so voters can make informed decisions. That's not news, of course, but this is: It's AP's goal this year (and henceforth) to make this accountability journalism a consistent theme in our coverage of public affairs, politics and government. We have unmatched resources and expertise in every state to report whether government officials are doing the job for which they were elected and keeping the promises they make.

For expert advice on accountability journalism, Essentials turned to an AP reporter who covered the Arkansas statehouse a few years back, and has done a thing or two since.

(AP) Accountability Journalism: Liberating reporters and the truth

By Ron Fournier

Katrina made a believer out of me. I had always known that The Associated Press played a role in holding public officials accountable, but it took a killer hurricane and an incompetent, arrogant government response to make me realize this is no mere role. It's an obligation, a liberating one at that.

The Iraq war, the war on terror, the federal budget deficit, the crushing cost of entitlements, the rising cost of health care, crumbling infrastructure and the horrendous state of the American public school system –- these and other generational crises must be addressed by the leaders we cover or future generations will suffer. So how do we hold our leaders accountable?

FIRST, we follow up. The AP devotes thousands of hours in Washington and the state capitals to cover legislative debates and bill signings. That makes sense; people want to know what their elected officials are doing. But too often we stop there; we forget that people want to know what their elected officials are doing for them. We have an obligation to follow up on the law that received so much attention upon passage and see what worked, what didn’t work and where legislators might go from here. We need to press government officials for the informationdata needed assess whether their actions helped or hurt. We should keep careful track of political promises, and grade politicians on their history of keeping them.

AP Ohio has begun an occasional feature called "Reality Check" that examines "the promises made on ... high-impact issues and measure government accountability." Continues the advisory sent to editors: “We will write about the issues, the progress made or not made, the challenges encountered and the impact on Ohioans, in regular stories ..." This is one model for bureaus to follow. Here are a few tips on how reporters can master the art of the follow up.

After filing a story that you think puts a big issue to rest, put a reminder in your calendar six months out. "Check on X." Did the bill/executive order/jury verdict/committee vote/election result live up to its promise? Has the desired result come to pass? Is the new system working, and if not, who is accountable?

Look for stories in your daily life. You vote, pay taxes, apply for licenses and deal with government bureaucracy just like every other citizen. So do your friends and family. When you come up against a maddening example of government not working right, write it.

Cultivate sources in campaign and party research departments. Opposition research needs careful vetting, but can be helpful in finding ideas and fleshing them out./CONTINUED

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