More advice on local government meetings

1. The jerk test:
Council or school board discussions can swing from theatrical speechmaking to significant debate of issues. We want to find the line between the two extremes and stay on the side of significance. Sure, sometimes you get so frustrated that you want the whole world to know what jerks these elected officials are, or how petty they can be, but resist the urge, lest you print so many dumb-thing stories the people become insensitive to it.

2. The impact test:
Actions, discussions, etc., affect people, our readers, the community at large or just city/school officials and employees. We want to stress those which affect the readers and let the in-house stuff go. If an accumulation of in-house things develops into a trend that has long-range impact on the community, that in itself is a story, but don't nickel and dime the readers. Remember to express the budget story in terms of what will be in it that is new that affects the quality or quantity of services offered to citizens.

3. Grassroots or garbage:
Complaints by citizens sometimes represent a groundswell of grassroots opinion being voiced by a spokesperson, but sometimes are just the petty gripes of a few individuals about things which are limited to those individuals. Let's avoid squabbles between neighbors and people with complaints against city or school officials that properly ought to have been resolved administratively and not brought to the policy makers. The exception, of course, is the "little guy getting squashed by Big Government" story, especially if the little guy seems to have a legitimate gripe and he's already exhausted administrative appeals.

4. Would you read it:
As you prepare to write a story, ask yourself: "Would I read this if I didn't have to write it? If the answer is no, you might want to ask yourself again if it is significant or interesting enough to anyone else to merit publication. To some extent, we want to let the editors decide what's important, but if you are an experienced reporter the editor may be looking at it another way: the very fact you took the time to write it may be indicating to the editor that you think it's important, and you, after all, are supposed to be the one closest to your community and most keenly aware of the concerns of its people.

5. Put up or shut up:
Much can be made of threats to do things. If the threat is part of a significant new problem, the threat may be important. But we often prefer to wait until city officials or citizens turn their words into real actions, lest we find ourselves being used to strike out at someone when no real action is intended beyond that. Apply the old "put your money where your mouth is" test. If you feel used, maybe the story shouldn't run.

6. Photo finish:
Avoid paying too much attention to the horse race (who won the battle, vote, mudslinging session) instead of the real issues behind the races. Don't just cover meetings, cover stories. Meetings sometimes provide information for the stories, but that must be fleshed out with the other side, the facts from the record and other information to put events and issues in perspective.
(6/28/83)