Why Corruption Grows in Our States

[Commentary] As the fortunes of the press (and particularly of the newspapers that have long played a key watchdog role) decline, costs must be cut, especially news costs. That means fewer reporters on the beat. And when the statehouse is far away-when developments there are not a "local" story -- the capital bureau becomes an easy target.

The American Journalism Review reported last year that the number of full-time reporters assigned to state capitals had dropped by one-third in six years, to an average of just seven reporters per state. What is to be done about this? It is clearly impractical, at this late date, to propose the relocation of most of the nation's state capitals. And this is no time in the news business to recommend adding to the total reporting staffs at newspapers. Perhaps new entities, such as the online Texas Tribune (headquartered in Austin, and where I am a member of the advisory board) or California Watch (located in Berkeley and Sacramento) can provide some of the answer. Surely, my own home state of New York would be well-served by the creation of such a group. But at the same time, local publishers who think of themselves as serving their readers' broad interests—the sorts of publishers who continue to fund international reporting, for instance—need also to remember that their own state capitals may be out of sight, but cannot afford to be kept understaffed and thus out of mind.