Profiting from Public Service The story behind the series The Asbury Park Press and Gannett New Jersey Newspapers

How it came about Local investigation leads to biggest probe ever of the New Jersey Legislature Details, Details: A local town had put a powerful state senator on its payroll for $116,000 a year. The mayor, in turn, gets a $105,000 a year state job. Broader issue: What led to this and how could this be legal?

Story development Determine what the story is NOT about: It’s not a political story It’s not a story about Republicans or Democrats It’s not about who is running for office Determine what the story IS about: It is about how your tax dollars are spent It is about how a corrupt system flourished It is about how it affects all of New Jersey

Triangulate with readers Information Writing

Look at Pay-to-Play money Check registers – how the money is spent Contracts database – who gets the money Campaign contributions database Pensions database – shows jobs, salaries over time Professional services appointments, or no-bid contracts

Other sources used Built database of 1,500 pages of financial disclosure records Campaign contribution database of 500,000 records Database of 3,000 bond issues in New Jersey worth $54 billion over five years Profile database of lawmakers 100+ people and experts

Common values Build a relationship with readers by addressing issues they are concerned with: Property taxes, government waste and efficient services Involve real people in your stories through photos and quotes Give them news they can use – Drive them to the Web by placing massive amounts of information on the site in a user-friendly format

Results Strong editorials led the way for voters Powerful GOP Senate president defeated in what was once a safe district Ethics becomes the number one topic in the campaign Lawmakers clamor to pass good-government reform

Impact to date Higher voter turnout in contested districts Defeat of “ethically challenged” incumbents Passage of sweeping ethics reform bills Local towns and counties jump on the ethics bandwagon to ban pay-to-play and nepotism