A new report shows the number of reporters working full time to cover state legislatures all over the country has shrunk a lot in the past few years.
According to a new report from the Pew Research Center, less than a third of newspapers are assigning any kind of reporter—full or part time—to their respective statehouses.
The report also ranked Florida 5th in the country for the size of its statehouse press corps. About 33 reporters cover the state’s capitol full time. Florida was among a handful of states with a large population that also has a fairly press corps that covers the legislature.
Even though Florida ranked pretty high—like much of the country –press presence in the state Legislature is not what it used to be.
“I think we’ve all shrunk equally,” said Mary Ellen Klas, the Tallahassee bureau chief for The Miami Herald. “I think that’s why we are the fourth largest state and the fifth largest press corps. That makes a lot of sense.”
The Herald and The Tampa Bay Times merged Tallahassee reporting efforts a few years ago as newsrooms across the country cut their staff. But, Klas said there are still fewer eyes on the process and sometimes stories aren’t getting covered because there’s just not enough people.
“That kind of accountability journalism--watchdog journalism--often it’s the kind of thing that makes people mad,” Klas explained. “But it’s also the kind of thing that’s a public service. That’s what I think is getting hurt the most.”
Pew Research noted that some online media outlets have started covering state Legislatures. But, it hasn’t been enough to fill the gaps left by the decreased newspaper staffs around the country.
