| For more than
a decade, the Journalism Resources Institute has conducted training
seminars for New Jersey journalists in cooperation with the
New Jersey Press Association. The one-day sessions are designed
to help both weekly and daily newspaper reporters and editors
do a better job of covering news that is of importance to New
Jersey residents.
Seminars have covered enterprise reporting, sports reporting,
health reporting and other topics, but the most consistently
popular seminar has been the one on covering local municipal
and school budgets and property taxes. It is usually held
each November as local governments begin their annual budget
process.
Developed jointly in the early 1990s by a team made up of
veteran state and local finance experts and experienced local
reporters and editors, the budget coverage seminar gives local
reporters a step-by-step explanation of how local budgets
are developed and property tax rates calculated.
Once the process is understood, the emphasis shifts to how
best to turn it into accurate and compelling stories readers
can use as they assess the decisions of government officials
and their impact on their pocketbooks. Participants also get
an expert overview of New Jersey tax system and its heavy
reliance on property taxes from a Rutgers faculty member.
As part of the budget reporting seminar, the institute has
developed a “Journalist’s Guide to Covering Municipal
and School Budgets in New Jersey” that is distributed
to seminar participants.
The guide, originally published in 1996, is currently being
revised, updated and expanded. Plans are to make it available
both in print and on the institute’s website to supplement
the two PowerPoint presentations used in the seminars and
already available online.
Contact: Ronald Miskoff
Associate Director for Professional Programs
Journalism Resources Institute
(732) 932-7500 x 8024
rmiskoff@rci.rutgers.edu
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