If you ask Paul Martin to describe the problems associated with starting a computer-assisted, investigative journalism program these days, his reply would consist of two words - "The recession."
Since Martin has been assigned to cover city government at the Palm Beach Post bureau in Port St. Lucie, Fla., the paper's computer-assisted journalism program would seem to be dead in the water. "I wouldn't even call it a program at this point," Martin said.
Martin got his bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri's School of Journalism in May, 1990. After graduation, he did an internship at The Post from June until October. The paper hired him full-time in November.
Martin was trained in computer-assisted journalism at M.U. and has already used the techniques he learned there in helping with one award-winning piece for his new employer.
Last year, while still an intern working with former Projects Editor Rich Gordon, Martin says he did the computer search that yielded an outstanding series on property tax appraisals in Palm Beach County, Fla. (See "Taxing Investigation in Palm Beach," UPLINK December 1990)
Recently, that series was awarded third prize by The Florida Society of Newspaper Editors in that organization's public service category for newspapers over 100,000 circulation.
Now comes the tough stuff.
Even before the award was announced, Rich Gordon (also computer-trained at M.U.) left The Post. He was hired away by the rival Miami Herald.
Gordon's position is now held by Projects Editor John Bartosek. Bartosek, also an assistant managing editor, now wears two hats.
Since its initial success, the paper has used computer analyses on census stories and drought coverage, but those were not projects that required a relational database, said Martin.
Martin attributes the lack of computer-assisted reporting at The Post to a budgetary crunch induced by plummeting ad sales. He feels lucky because The Post hasn't had as many personnel cuts as some newspapers have.
Said Martin, "When you're having to cut staff from the features department it's difficult to convince people to create new positions in the metro department. People started saying 'Oh, gee! $5,000 for a tape drive. $1,000 for a training seminar.'"
But Martin is an optimist.
"I think that when we come out of this recession, computer-assisted journalism is going to be one of the first areas management is willing to put money into," he said.
Managing editor Tom O'Hara concurs with Martin's diagnosis. "I'd like to do more [computer-assisted journalism]," O'Hara said.
"Two years ago we had expansion plans. But now it's just not an environment in which you can let someone go for a couple of months to digest a database," he said.
He, too, is cautiously optimistic. Said O'Hara: "I don't know what the future holds. If things pick up I'd like to get back into it but, for now, everything's on hold here."