Eastern Kentucky newspapers provide poor coverage of county budgets
By Al Cross, Director, and Chas J. Hartman, Research Assistant
Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues
University of Kentucky
This research is supported by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
A survey of newspapers in the East Kentucky Coalfield found that the majority of
them published only one or two articles about their county’s budget during the budgetadoption period in 2005, and some published no stories at all on the subject.
While the quality of news coverage is not necessarily a function of quantity, and
budget situations differ widely among counties, as a whole the survey shows the need for
closer media attention to local issues, particularly those that are defined by a
government’s basic policy document – its budget.
It also suggests a need for instruction, guidance and background information for
rural newspaper staffs, on which there is often a shortage of professional journalistic
training, and fresh inspiration for editors, who have seen dozens of budgets come and go.
The survey found not one comprehensive story about a county budget and how
the policy decisions being made might impact citizens of the county.
For example, the Middlesboro Daily News’ only budget article included a bulletpoint item about the county budget on an inside page and the headline did not mention
anything related to it.
But that was still better than the other paper in Bell County, The Pineville Sun,
which is published in the county seat. It reported nothing about the county budget.
Neither did the Troublesome Creek Times of Hindman, though Knott County was
in financial difficulty and being managed at the time by a judge-executive who had been
imprisoned for vote fraud.
Study methodology
In Kentucky, counties operate on a July-to-June fiscal year, and must adopt a
budget by June 30. Debate on the budget typically takes place in April and May, but often
extends into June, and sometimes the deadline is missed, so the survey examined daily
and weekly newspapers dated between April 1 and July 31, 2005. The definition of
articles included news stories and editorials.
The East Kentucky Coalfield was selected as the study area because it is a major
focus of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues. The survey included
the field’s major coal-producing counties, but also ranged north to Ashland, to include an
additional daily newspaper, in addition to the dailies in Middlesboro and Harlan, which is
a minimal daily, publishing four days a week.
Newspapers were obtained from the Young Library at the University of Kentucky
and, in cases where papers do not send copies to the library, by traveling to the papers’
offices.
Major findings
In most cases, the 15 newspapers chose to report county budget information as a
small part of larger stories recapping meetings of the fiscal court, Kentucky’s version of a
county commission.
No more than two articles that mentioned the county budget appeared in the
Ashland Daily Independent, the Middlesboro Daily News, the Harlan Daily Enterprise,
the Appalachian News-Express of Pikeville, the Floyd County Times (both published
three times weekly), the Barbourville Mountain Advocate, The Hazard Herald, the
Paintsville Herald, and the Mountain Eagle of Whitesburg.
The Mountain Eagle’s two budget stories ran at the top right of its first page, one
23-inch story with the headline “County must cut $1.1 million in coal-tax projects” and
one 22-inch story with the headline “Fiscal court OK’s budget, list priorities.”
The latter headline and story are worth noting, because they reminded the citizens
of Letcher County that a budget is a priority list – what the Fiscal Court thinks is
important and how much the judge-executive and magistrates are willing to spend on it.
The most extensive budget coverage, though not on a per-county basis, was found
in the Big Sandy News, which covers five counties. It published five articles, two each on
the budgets of Martin County and Lawrence counties, and one on Magoffin County’s.
The Big Sandy News is based in Louisa in Lawrence County, but has reporters in Martin,
Johnson and Floyd counties. It also covers Magoffin County.
It should be noted that some items in the Big Sandy News and Salyersville
Independent were no more than a rundown of financial figures. (See Detailed Data,
below.)
The Manchester Enterprise of Clay County, the Mountain Citizen of Inez in
Martin County and the Salyersville Independent in Magoffin County each ran three
budget articles.
Conflict creates news
As often happens during the budget discussions, disputes between fiscal courts
and judge-executives on the one hand, and other elected county officials on the other,
prompted news coverage – in this case by the Barbourville Mountain Advocate and the
Mountain Citizen, about sheriffs, and to a lesser degree in The Manchester Enterprise
about the Clay County attorney.
The Advocate, of Knox County, wrote about how transporting juveniles to a
detention center strains the budget, and devoted an entire 10-column-inch story to how
lack of funds prevented the county from hiring more sheriff’s deputies.
The Mountain Citizen also wrote a 10-inch story about the sheriff’s department
requesting money for more deputy hires, a frequent topic in Kentucky county budget
debates. However, subsequent stories failed to provide the outcome of the debate.
Only four newspapers ran at least one article that devoted 12 or more column
inches to a county budget. Those were the Big Sandy News, the Mountain Citizen, The
Mountain Eagle and the Salyersville Independent. Following is a rundown of those
articles.
The Salyersville Independent’s first story started at the bottom of its front page
with the headline “Budget Passes First Reading; Includes Occupational Tax” and ran 20
inches. The follow-up story ran in the same spot with the headline “Recycling Center
Reopens” and the sub-headline “Budget Passes 2nd Reading.” A third article ran as the
banner lead story on the front page with the headline “State Audit Cites County Deficit
Concerns.”
The Mountain Citizen’s first budget article ran at the bottom left corner of its
front page with the headline “Sheriff asks for money to hire three deputies.” The next
story ran above the fold on the front page with the headline “Fiscal court to hold first
reading of budget.” The final story started at the bottom right corner of the front page
with the headline “Court holds first reading of budget” and ran 17 inches.
In the Big Sandy News, the largest budget stores were 18 inches from Martin
County, on the front of the B Section; and Magoffin County, 8 inches in the same spot,
with a headline “Magoffin sticks with tax.”
The other budget coverage in the Big Sandy was much lighter. A second Martin
County story and an initial Lawrence County story did not mention the budget in the
headlines, and did not get to the subject until the continuation to an inside page, where
readership is generally much less than that of the front page. The fifth story ran on the
front page with the headline “Lawrence County court approves new budget,” but was
only 4 inches long.
Other weekly papers
The remaining nine newspapers that actually had stories mentioning the county
budget often included only a couple of column inches to the subject.
The Barbourville Mountain Advocate’s first story ran above the fold on the front
page with the headline “Juveniles strain county budget.” Its second story ran below the
fold on the front page with the headline “County splits decision on hiring two additional
sheriff’s deputies.”
All three of The Manchester Enterprise’s stories ran on inside pages. The first
headline was “Bishop, Garrison differ on office space issue,” about a disagreement
between the county attorney and judge-executive. The second story appeared in the
“News In Brief” column with the headline “Fiscal Court presented with draft budget.”
The third article’s headline read “Court to continue rent payments to Bishop,” thus
reporting that the dispute was resolved in the county attorney’s favor.
Both of the Paintsville Herald’s stories that mentioned the Johnson County budget
appeared on the front page, but neither headline mentioned anything budget related.
The Hazard Herald’s only story on the Perry County budget ran at the bottom
right corner of its front page with the headline “County passes first reading of budget.”
Thrice-weekly papers
The Floyd County Times’ only budget story ran at the bottom right corner of the
front page with the headline “Fiscal court to borrow $750,000.”
The Appalachian News-Express’ only Pike County budget story ran at the bottom
center of the front page with the headline “Fiscal Court approves $1 million grant, OK’s
budget.”
Daily papers
The first Harlan Daily Enterprise story just contained a bullet point mention on a
jump page. A follow-up ran down the far left column of the front page with the headline
“‘Elevated’ budget approved by court.”
The Ashland Daily Independent, which covers adjoining Greenup, Carter and
Lawrence counties in addition to its home Boyd County, reported its local county budget
as part of a fiscal-court story on a jump page. Its only other budget story, “Lawrence
County Fiscal Court approves budget,” ran at the bottom center of the front page.
Detailed Data
Appalachian News-Express (Pike County):
Total Articles Found – 1
Dates of Articles Found – 6/8/05
Number of Front Page Articles – 1 (6/8/05)
Length of County Budget Mentions – 7 column inches (6/8/05)
Synopsis of Articles Found –
“In other Fiscal Court news, magistrates voted to pass the 2005-2006 county budget. The
budget for the 2005-2006 fiscal year is $48.3 million.” Four paragraphs follow on the health care
portion of the budget.
Ashland Daily Independent (Boyd County):
Total Articles Found – 2
Dates of Articles Found – 6/8/05, 6/21/05
Number of Front Page Articles – 1 (6/21/05)
Length of County Budget Mentions – 1 column inch (6/8/05), 9 column inches (6/21/05)
Synopsis of Articles Found –
One article’s only mention of county budget was “Meeting Tuesday, members of Boyd
County Fiscal Court took action on some routine court business including issues regarding the
county budget and maintenance of courthouse offices.”
The second article reported that the Lawrence County Fiscal Court gave final approval to
its budget. This article presented a total budget dollar amount and introduced some items covered
in the budget. It did not describe any items at length.
Barbourville Mountain Advocate (Knox County):
Total Articles Found – 2
Dates of Articles Found –6/30/05, 7/14/05
Number of Front Page Articles – 2 (6/30/05, 7/14/05)
Length of County Budget Mentions – 6 column inches (6/30/05), 10 column inches (7/14/05)
Synopsis of Articles Found –
The first article was a 7-paragraph story on how juveniles are straining Knox County’s
budget, more specifically how transporting juveniles to a detention center is costing the county
since the regular detention center shut down. The second article talks about the fiscal court voting
down the hiring of more sheriff’s deputies because more money would have to come out of the
county budget.
Legals – 2 (6/2/05, 6/30/05)
Big Sandy News (Lawrence County):
Total Articles Found – 5
Dates of Articles Found – 4/8/05, 5/4/05, 6/1/05, 6/22/05, 6/24/05
Number of Front Page Articles – 1 (6/1/05)
Length of County Budget Mentions – 18 column inches (4/8/05), 8 column inches (5/4/05), 1
column inch (6/1/05), 4 column inches (6/22/05), 4 column inches (6/24/05)
Synopsis of Articles Found –
The first article dealt with the Martin County Fiscal Court approving budgets for the
sheriff’s department and soil conservation district. The second article dealt with the Magoffin
County Fiscal Court approving the 2005-2006 budget proposal. The third article contained one
paragraph mentioning that the Martin County Fiscal Court was planning to hold a budget
workshop.
The fourth article featured three paragraphs about the Lawrence County Fiscal Court
giving final approval to its budget. The fifth article was just four paragraphs explaining that
budget with big numbers.
Floyd County Times:
Total Articles Found – 1
Dates of Articles Found – 7/20/05
Number of Front Page Articles – 1 (7/20/05)
Length of County Budget Mentions – 9 column inches (7/21/05)
Synopsis of Articles Found –
The article states that the Floyd County Fiscal Court will borrow $750,000 because of
budget shortfalls, but never mentions whether second reading was approved.
Legals – 1 (6/10/05)
Harlan Daily Enterprise (Harlan County):
Total Articles Found – 2
Dates of Articles Found –6/17/05, 6/24/05
Number of Front Page Articles – 2 (6/17/05, 6/24/05)
Length of County Budget Mentions – 1 column inch (6/17/05), 11 column inches (6/24/05)
Synopsis of Articles Found –
The first article’s very last paragraph mentions that work on the county budget continues.
The second article leads with “After weeks of planning and wrangling, the Harlan County Fiscal
Court approved a new $20 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year.” Ten paragraphs follow
with a brief summary of the budget.
Legals – 2 (6/15/05, 6/30/05)
The Hazard Herald (Perry County):
Total Articles Found – 1
Dates of Articles Found – 5/25/05
Number of Front Page Articles – 1 (5/25/05)
Length of County Budget Mentions – 7 column inches (5/25/05)
Synopsis of Articles Found –
The article has two paragraphs stating that the Perry County Fiscal Court approved first
reading of its budget, followed by a “partial list of funding appropriations” with eight items listed.
Legals –1 (6/8/05)
The Manchester Enterprise (Clay County):
Total Articles Found – 3
Dates of Articles Found – 4/28/05, 5/5/05, 5/19/05
Number of Front Page Articles – 0
Length of County Budget Mentions – 1 column inch (4/28/05), 2 column inches (5/5/05), 2
column inches (5/19/05)
Synopsis of Articles Found –
The first article debates whether the fiscal court should continue paying rent for the
county attorney’s office with money allocated in the county budget. The second article is a threeparagraph brief about the fiscal court receiving the draft budget. The third article is a follow-up to
the county attorney story and says the court will pay rent.
Middlesboro Daily News (Bell County):
Total Articles Found – 1
Dates of Articles Found – 6/15/05
Number of Front Page Articles – 1 (6/15/05)
Length of County Budget Mentions – .25 column inch (6/15/05)
Synopsis of Articles Found –
The article has a one-sentence paragraph at the end that states, “Approved second reading
of Fiscal Court budget 2005-2006.”
Legals – 2 (5/30/05, 6/16/06)
Mountain Citizen (Martin County):
Total Articles Found – 3
Dates of Articles Found – 6/2/05, 6/8/05, 6/15/05
Number of Front Page Articles – 3 (6/2/05, 6/8/05, 6/15/05)
Length of County Budget Mentions – 10 column inches (6/2/05), 8 column inches (6/8/05), 17
column inches (6/15/05)
Synopsis of Articles Found –
The first article talks about Martin County’s sheriff requesting more money in his budget
to hire three deputies. The second article is a preview of an upcoming meeting to hold first
reading of the budget and consider the sheriff’s request. The third article is a recap of the first
reading, but it fails to mention the outcome of the sheriff’s request.
Legals – 3 (6/15/05, 6/22/05, 7/6/05)
Mountain Eagle (Letcher County):
Total Articles Found – 2
Dates of Articles Found – 5/11/05, 6/15/05
Number of Front Page Articles – 2 (5/11/05, 6/15/05)
Length of County Budget Mentions – 22 column inches (5/11/05), 23 column inches (6/15/05)
Synopsis of Articles Found –
The first article recaps the fiscal court’s first reading of the budget and talks about the
county’s priorities. Minor budget changes were explained and quotes described areas under
financial strain. The second article talks about an expected shortfall of $1.1 million in coal-tax
projects. Since the budget had already been sent to the state for approval, the fiscal court planned
to hold a special meeting concerning necessary budget changes.
Legals – 1 (6/1/05)
Paintsville Herald (Johnson County):
Total Articles Found – 2
Dates of Articles Found – 4/13/05, 6/15/05
Number of Front Page Articles – 2 (4/13/05, 6/15/05)
Length of County Budget Mentions – 1 column inch (4/13/05), 9 column inches (6/15/05)
Synopsis of Articles Found –
The first article had two paragraphs about fiscal court holding first reading of the budget
and money being designated for road resurfacing. The second article contained a small mention
of the court holding second reading of the budget.
Pineville Sun (Bell County):
Total Articles Found – 0
Dates of Articles Found – N/A
Number of Front Page Articles – N/A
Length of County Budget Mentions – N/A
Synopsis of Articles Found – N/A
The Salyersville Independent (Magoffin County):
Total Articles Found – 3
Dates of Articles Found –5/5/05, 5/19/05, 6/23/05
Number of Front Page Articles – 3 (5/5/05, 5/19/05, 6/23/05)
Length of County Budget Mentions – 20 column inches (5/5/05), 8 column inches (5/19/05), 1
column inch (6/23/05)
Synopsis of Articles Found –
The first article, interestingly enough, coincided with publication of the legal and says the
fiscal court just conducted first reading of the budget. The second article included a few
paragraphs about the fiscal court conducting second reading of the budget. Finally, the third
article focuses on a state audit that cited several cases of overspending.
Legals – 1 (5/5/05)
Troublesome Creek Times (Knott County):
Total Articles Found – 0
Dates of Articles Found – N/A
Number of Front Page Articles – N/A
Length of County Budget Mentions – N/A
Synopsis of Articles Found – N/A