Statehouse reporters - those folks who cover legislative issues for news organizations around the country are going away. Unfortunately for voters and taxpayers. And Illinois is leading the pack (not in a good way).
From the NYTimes:
The nation’s statehouses lost more than one-third of the journalists devoted to covering legislative matters full time, according to a study released on Thursday morning by the Journalism Project at the Pew Research Center.
The study, which surveyed all 50 statehouses, found a loss of 164 full-time statehouse reporters since 2003. The total number of full-time statehouse reporters dipped to roughly 300.
The study defined these journalists as reporters who worked physically in the statehouses. At the same time, nontraditional news organizations added journalists at state houses, including for-profit and nonprofit digital news organizations, ideologically driven publications and expensive trade newsletters catering to lobbyists.
And...the Statehouse Reporters we *do* have in Illinois (rightfully) want you to know about this latest news/study. They've taken to Twitter to inform all of us on the study.
From Statehouse Bureau Chief for Illinois Public Radio Amanda Vinicky:
From Springfield Bureau Chief @ Chicago Daily Law Bulletin Andrew Maloney:
And...Governing reporter Dan Vock:
The news is troubling for all of us. How else are we going to stay informed on these increasingly important issues facing Illinois?
We know that you guys can't count on us here at the Truth Team. The best we can do is some photoshopped giggles and "Most Interesting Man" memes. That won't cut it when it comes to getting to the bottom of the difficult issues of pension reform and balanced budgets.
