A Duty to Protect, Tacoma, WA 2001

Partners:

The News Tribune
KCTS-TV (PBS)
KPLU-FM

The Washington state legislature was poised in January 2002 to limit lawsuits that could be brought by victims of crimes committed by prisoners on parole until a poll commissioned by the partners showed 90 percent of the state supported the victims' right to sue. The measure was tabled, a sign of success for a project that sought to inject citizens' voices into the debate over what to do about the state parole system.

The partners undertook the project "A Duty to Protect" in 2001, when the state spent $53 million dollars in judgments or settlements for lawsuits stemming from parolee crime - almost as much as it spent to monitor parolees. It was clear the parole system needed reform but it was not clear what form that should take.

The partners surveyed 400 Washington residents in October and November to see where they stood on the issue. They found most wanted to retain the right to sue and less than half supported caps on damages.

The poll became the basis for a series of reports that began Jan. 7, 2002 on KCTS-TV's "Currents" public affairs program. KPLU-FM and The News Tribune each began a three-part series on Jan.13 to coincide with the start of the legislative session. The partners also collaborated on a Web site, www.adutytoprotect.org, that included the survey, a forum on parole issues and links to lawmakers and parole organizations around the country.

The legislature did take limited reform action in 2002. It passed a measure that would allow state agencies to investigate parole system failures without fear the reports would be used in litigation. Fear of litigation had kept the state from conducting meaningful investigations. It was hoped the new bill would allow the state to learn from its mistakes.

Contact:

Peggy Bellows
Senior Editor
News Tribune
1950 S. State St.
Tacoma, WA 98405-0008
Phone: (253) 597-8456
Email: peggy.bellows@mail.tribnet.com

Muncie, IN 1998

Partners:

The Muncie Star-Press
WLBC-FM

When Indiana legislators met in 1999 to begin restructuring the state tax system, they had a good understanding of what their constituents thought about the issue, thanks to a booklet called "Hoosiers Talk Taxes," the culmination of a yearlong project to inject citizen voices into the debate over tax reform.

The first effort in the project was to educate journalists themselves about the complex issues surrounding tax reform. Economics professors from three Indiana universities held a seminar that attracted 20 journalists, in June 1998. The session aired live on WLBC and was broadcast later on cable.

A five-part series, "Tax Reform: Finding a Balance," ran in The Star Press from Oct. 3 to Oct. 7, 1998. It included the results of a mail survey completed by 223 Muncie area residents, showing property taxes to be by far the most unpopular tax in the state. On Oct. 6, the partners sponsored a public forum, attended by 103 people, including eight legislators, to discuss the results.

The survey results also helped guide a statewide poll of 507 Indiana residents, in late October and November, which showed most Hoosiers favored increasing so-called "sin" taxes on tobacco and alcohol. The survey results and coverage were included in "Hoosiers Talk Taxes," mailed to the governor and every member of the General Assembly in early 1999.

The issue languished until the summer of 2002, when the governor called the legislature into a special session to resolve the issue. The Assembly ended up changing the assessment system for property taxation and increasing the state income tax and sales taxes on tobacco and alcohol, thus taking the pressure off local property taxes - all measures explored in the 1999 series.

Contact:

Larry S. Lough
Editor
The Star Press
345 South High Street
Muncie, In 47305
Phone: (765) 213-5700
Email: llough@thestarpress.com

Your Voices Count, San Jose, CA 1995

Partners:

San Jose Mercury News
KNTV (ABC)
KPIX-TV (CBS)
KIVE and KARA Radio
Santa Clara Public Libraries

Solid investigative journalism documented the problem of special-interest money corrupting the California State Assembly,but the Mercury News turned to civic journalism to ensure that its investigation had impact. At the end of its hard-hitting "Legislature for Sale" project, the paper asked citizens to volunteer to learn more about and become involved in, the legislative process. Some 200 people responded, and about 75 stayed with the project through the 1995 legislative session.

"Your Voices Count" kicked off June 18 with a front-page story in the Mercury News and a three-part series on KNTV. The paper then held a seminar where experts taught the volunteers the basics of the legislative process and sent the group to Sacramento to observe the process first hand.

The group broke into four teams: accountability, civic involvement, structural reform and campaign finance. They created a "Legislative Statement of Accountability," which they asked all legislators and candidates to sign, and a Web site to help citizens research legislation. Members sponsored a televised Citizens Inquiry Panel and produced a town hall meeting with eight legislators answering questions from an audience of more than 500 people.

The project was not without controversy. Some traditional journalists accused the paper of crossing the line of detached observer in reporting on the activities of a citizen activist group that it had created. Mercury News editors responded that part of the paper's role was in helping citizens become more active civic participants. The citizens group continued work after the project ended.

Kim Alexander
Executive Director
California Voter Foundation
2401 L Street, 2nd floor
Sacramento, CA 95816
Phone: (916) 325-2120
Email:kimalex@netcom.com

Jerry Ceppos
Executive Editor
San Jose Mercury News
750 Ridder Park Dr.
San Jose, CA 95190
Phone: (408) 920-5456

Jonathan Krim (Former Mercury News Project Editor)
Business Reporter
The Washington Post
1150 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20071