An engineer once told me that if he was stranded on a desert island, the one software he couldn't live without is the spreadsheet. It can be used to calculate, sort and graph with relative ease, he explained (although he neglected to mention why that would come in handy on a desert island).
Engineers, accountants, budget analysts and the pencil-pushers that we cover in our reporting have known for years that spreadsheets are a great time-saving tool. For reporters, they also provide a new way to collect and analyze information - and to have fun while doing it.
Here are some story ideas using spreadsheets, many of which you can start as soon as you return to your newsrooms:
City employees' earnings and overtime Request these payroll records from your finance or personnel office, specifying that you want the detailed information turned over to the IRS at the end of the year - not just the gross salary for the positions.
Then take a look at who makes what, and why. We analyzed this in one Connecticut city and found firefighters who had doubled their pay with overtime during a staffing shortage - but were exhausted on their life-or-death calls.
Work-related injuries and illnesses The U.S. Department of Labor requires these filings each year, broken down by department and detailing the number of work days lost. Build a spreadsheet that compares them over several years: why, for instance, did work-related illnesses jump over just a few years in the old library? Are police, firefighters and public works employees still those most likely to be hurt? These figures can prompt interesting stories about work conditions in certain buildings or departments, and the tax-funded worker compensation measures.
Compare seemingly unrelated accounts As the school department cuts textbook purchases because of budget problems, has the athletics account been touched? Analyze budgets over several years and see which are most vulnerable to reductions, and which are sacred cows. Also, end-of-year spending reports can help highlight which accounts keep showing surpluses and perhaps have been overbudgeted (and where does that surplus go?).
Keep a running tab of a topic of interest For example, does your town include a state unemployment report in its agenda packets every month? Or the number of marriage and birth licenses recorded each month in the town clerk's office? Update your spreadsheet every month or so, then go back to it in six months to a year - look for interesting spikes and dips, and you can whip up a quick daily or a deeper enterprise story.
Build a spreadsheet on voting turnout With the basics from your town's election registrars, you can build a spreadsheet of registered voters and ballots cast in each election or referendum. Is one neighborhood particularly well-represented during budget referendums? How does your community stack up against others in voter turnout? This information is also good fodder for election advance stories.
What's the cost of that union contract? With the appropriate union contract and formula in front of you, figure out the true cost - payroll multiplied by the raises offered each year. Don't forget those hidden "step increases!" This allows a thorough and fair review of a contract's financial value. You can also use this on individual contracts, such as when a new administrator is hired with pay incentives built into his/her contract.
A final hint
The more interested you are in the data, the more you'll enjoy learning to use the spreadsheet. Don't jump into any old project just to get one under your belt - pick a topic that makes you curious.
And don't hesitate to call me if I can help with spreadsheet glitches, formulas or anything else- happy calculating!