In last week’s discussion thread, we asked you to define what it is about each political party that attracts or repels you.
More than 100 of you commented with thoughtful opinions.1 Thanks!
Political reporters are often bombarded by candidates, consultants, lawyers and lobbyists telling us what the people think. (We heard from a few of them who were lurking on your fascinating insights.)
But our readers are a much better focus group. So we’re gonna lean on you more.
This week, we want your thoughts and questions about political reporting.
Here are a few prompts.
What do you dislike about political reporting? And give us some examples of people or outlets doing a great job. Bonus points for those taking a novel approach to traditional journalism.
What is the least covered niche in Arizona politics? In other words, if you could dedicate one reporter to cover a single beat in Arizona, what would it be?
Finally, a major part of the Agenda’s goal is to arm people with the knowledge and resources they need to feel confident as informed citizens. We made zines about how a bill becomes law and how to access public records, for example, and we love writing explainers and cheat sheets.
So tell us:
What don’t you understand about how campaigns, government agencies and political bodies work? What topics should we cover in explainers and cheat sheets ahead of the next legislative session or election?
Hank will be hanging out on the thread from about 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
You must read Heather! She summarizes the day’s events and often draws a parallel to events in American history. She is an historian, special emphasis on the evolution of the Republican party.
I've tried a few times to get into the flow but I feel like I'm jumping in midstream. That's probably how new people feel with the agenda lol. I'll read todays when it arrives and just see if i can stick with it. I think it's also the timing. She publishes pretty late and I don't wanna read at that point. And in the morning i'm focused on like news that's relevant to me
She has explained why it is so late what with her book writing schedule, teaching, online chats, etc. I often wake up after midnight, read it, and then go on to do the NYT times various puzzles. Go back to sleep and wait for the AZ Agenda to come on just after 6am. You might find that her national perspective can provide some insight into the Arizona craziness.
Heather puts current events into historical perspective. Each current event creates expected and unexpected results. Reading Heather helps know what is likely next.
I follow some great national Government news orgs on Instagram and I wish something could be more AZ centric on that platform (Mo News and SharonSaysSo)
Ooh what ones? We’re talking about doing more short video content. But we’re trying to figure out what kind of format makes sense. Would love some examples of actual good newsy IGs. I don’t really use ig.
Copper Courier uses IG and TikTok pretty well IMO. I will watch them. Believe it or not, TikTok gets a lot of eyeballs, judging by the amount of views, likes, and comments.
One of many things I’d love to see is someone covering all the bills that are put forth by the minority party that never get heard. I think if people saw that they would be appalled; the bills that personally could affect them and their families simply passed over. I guess I’ve never gotten over the fact that a suicide prevention bill we put forth through our legislative district senator who happened to be a Dem was simply passed over because he was a Dem. It only got traction in year 2 because it was co-sponsored by a Republican who could empathize (R’s only act when it affects them directly). Also, I’d like for people to see how some selfish reps manipulate the laws in their favor, like Eddie Farnsworth funneling tax dollars to his religious schools back in the day. Or present day cr*p pulled by fake electors and such or voter suppression... Just a really close watch on what doesn’t get put forth, that which gets blocked by the majority party and why.
Ah yes. Eddie… what a guy, My whole life I’ve used the filter so I don’t even have to look at Dem bills when I’m reading through what’s introduced because they never become law anyway. But that’s a totally fair request. Especially since Dems keep getting closer and closer to taking the legislature.
I remember one time I was finishing a cigarette (I quit, mostly, I swear!) like within 50 feet of the House and he told me to put it out and I said no and he lost it! lololol. Nothing I ever wrote seemed to get under that guys skin as much as simply being told No. I don't think that guy heard it enough in his life.
🤣 Love it! I especially liked when he came down the hall outside one of the meeting rooms in the Capitol, facing the Handmaids after he wouldn’t acknowledge them or the ERA and they all pointed at him chanting “SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!” 😂 So good! I left regular scathing messages (never cussed) on his machine. He was one of the very worst!
Oh boy, Eddie. Maybe a "where are they now" series? Eddie, Bundgaard, JD Hayworth, Robson, Huppenthal, Dial. See what their ill-gotten legislation got for them.
JD writes a regular column in the local papers and spews Faux News perspectives/ pro-Trump nonsense, bashing Biden regularly. Such a washed up jerk. And how did Tom Horne get resurrected to do more damage?!
Looking forward to Dan Ariely's new book on the origins of misbelief. Why do so many of us believe self-destructive untruths. A close friend went down the Qanon rabbit hole. Many Americans believe in the superiority of authoritarianism. Zealots are determined to make everyone live according to their religious doctrine. The insanity of everyone being allowed to have deadly military grade weapons.
My biggest issue with political news, is the fact that the loudest voices (not necessarily sane) are getting the most attention. I would like to see more reporting on the hard working underdogs just trying to do what’s best for their constituents. Let’s see some light shined on the positive side of government (Oxy moron?). How about some hard hitting coverage on the Arizona fake electors? Met Anthony Kerns at my health club, introduced myself as one of his democratic constituents, and haven’t seen him in there since. Let’s call them out for not doing ‘our’ job.
I always liked Mitzi. I remember writing about her years ago in one of her elections and I tagged along as she campaigned door to door on her little folding bike and she was like clearly annoyed at how much I slowed her down. Lol. Don’t know travers though. What do they do that makes them so special and deserving of praise in your opinion?
Mitzi fights for the underdog. She assembled a coalition of counselors, parents, etc. to work on suicide prevention for teens (teen suicide an epidemic). Her work alongside Sean Bowie was instrumental in getting it passed, although the R’s work against her often. Stacey has a military background and is a Dem who can work well with R’s. Not easy. But she has gotten bills passed. Both are friends of mine and they have such integrity.
In Glendale I notice that Council member Jamie Aldama is committed to improving his district. But legislative wise it’s Debbie Lesko (see the above post on fake electors). Nuff said
I wish I had more time to cover cities! That's like the most critical undercovered level of government and there's so much interesting stuff/petty corruption happening at the city level. I'll have to tune into Glendale and check out Aldama.
I want to second what you're pointing to here, Hank. I started getting involved in city issues in Phoenix and there seems to be very little news coverage of what's happening at that granular of a level. It's hard to know where successes and failures are really happening.
I think it’s not just the City government, but ALL of the local offices that seem to have been infiltrated by hard core conservatives. The school boards in the Valley (ok, and elsewhere), have taken a turn that is very alarming. This includes the reading of scripture BY BOARD MEMBERS at meetings. And if that’s happening, you can imagine the policies that group is advancing. Jeanne Casteen from Secular Coalition of AZ has been working tirelessly to attend as many meetings as possible or review the recordings. The meetings can only be described as “circus-like”.
She is not afraid to work both sides. She fought for the funds for the I-10 and 347. She helped to drag ADOT and another rep down the 347 during rush hour to see how things really are.
And she doesn't dirty talk like the other one does. She is focused on her role.
What I like least about political reporting is the bias. Report the actual facts, not your spin on them. If candidates are lying or rude, then please do not give them more direct air time and if they lie or mislead, then counter with facts.
The least covered niche in Arizona politics? How about state specific laws that can affect candidates positions, like our 100 year old abortion law? We have some very weird, old laws that need updating.
I use to always ask candidates “what law would like to you repeal?” It really stumped them, especially a lot of republicans. (Dems often just said sb1070). There are a lot of old more dumb laws that we should take off the books.
The impact of rogue campaigns intrigues me. It seems that each election the number of groups which choose to ignore legislation requiring them.to register grows. Is that true or am I simply seeing more incidents because i now look for it?
More importantly, how much money is spent on candidates or issues defying the duty to report the spending?
I was stunned by the realization that in addition to about $100,000 of reported campaign funds, 2 SUSD board candidates benefited from at least twice as much spent by rogue groups who blatantly refused to identify themselves or disclose what they spent.
Spending a quarter million on a couple of school board seats seems insane unless you consider the opportunity to liquidate the District's real estate portfolio as you intentionally destroy its enrollment from within.
Needing only 1 more of the 3 Board seats up for election in 2024, the District's enemies are already spending without reporting.
It seems that they count on the inability of election officials to respond to all of the shadowy operators.
If SUSD is overcome by saboteurs planted on its board through the boldest of dirty campaigns, the template is set for repeating that process throughout the State
The objective? Launching ESA Voucher funded private schools on the campuses absconded from Districts.
No one can afford.to build a new high school campus on the meager Arizona school funding.
But why build your own when you can steal.a few board seats and take all the campuses you want?
Especially if ignoring campaign finance statutes goes unpunished.
Ugh campaign finance reporting is one of my biggest pet peeves -- especially for offices at the bottom of the ballot, it is such crap. I could write about that every edition. Those rogue campaigns absolutely take advantage of the fact that there's no enforcement ever.
What will happen with Kyrsten Sinema's campaign war chest if she doesn't run or if she loses with lots of money unspent. In LD1, Representatives raise money but don't seem to spend much...because they don't have to. Where does that money go?
Yep. The continued effort to takeover school boards, the subversion of curriculum and best methods, and the conversion of public education assets into excess, and transferring them to charter and private entities for pennies.
The ranting about CRT and grooming of children is nothing but cover for the real intent - which has always been privatizing the $10B/year state school system. Read Steve Twist's writings from the last century, prior to his participation in forming the Goldwater Institute and then helping to launch Great Hearts with his twin sons. We should take him at his word.
Came here to make this comment. Thousands spent canvassing, sending out mailers, and printing signs and there is zero attribution of who paid and who is behind it. For two election cycles, people have reported these violations to city, county and state authorities and sent info and pics to reporters- NOTHING. Nobody says or does a thing. It’s as though laws don’t exist and nobody cares. Why should candidates bother to file finance reports? Apparently, it doesn’t matter. It’s maddening. I feel like I live in the Wild West where everyone is afraid of the drunk town sheriff and the big land owning a-hole that pays the sheriff’s salary.
So many cheaters, cheating so flagrantly and frequently that the oversight process is overwhelmed. Isn't that what the cheaters bank on? And so far they're right. Who's gonna stop 'em?
I know campaigns run on money. In 2020 I donated a modest monthly amount through ACTBLUE to Mark Kelly’s campaign effective through the election. Since then I have been inundated via text and email and mobile phone to donate to EVERY democratic candidate for every level of government in every state in the entire nation! Every election cycle! It’s maddening! Next time I’ll send cash anonymously!
'Morning! We have 12 counties holding elections Nov.7th with ballots mailed October 11th. An explainer about Bond and Budget over rides could be super helpful. Not to mention Election processes as they matter in an 'off year' as well.
Hey Mary! That's a really good explainer. Adding to the list. I never know how many people actually understand what a bond or override are, even. I didn't until I covered education. But then again, I rent, so property taxes aren't something I think too deeply about.
I bet your landlord passes the property taxes off on you, in the form of slightly higher rent! If you do the bond/override explainer, I'm a bond attorney representing most of the school districts in the state, I'd be happy to offer input.
For me it's water. I've lived in Arizona for over 40 years now and I must say that I was shocked that there were no conservation measures that seemed to be in place when I came and still are not. At least nothing that I would consider enough to help. While we are told that in the Phoenix area, "we have planned," did those planners account for a 20+ year drought and the explosive growth/influx of more people or the industries that suck up a horrendous amount of that precious water? I am mindful that there might be some governmental movement on this issue, but is it going anywhere?
Yeah, water is such a difficult topic. It's one of those things that is critical to our future that only like 12 people truly understand (and I'm not one of them). And maybe two of those 12 can explain it in a way that doesn't immediately bore the hell out of me. I really like the way Luke Runyon covers it. But he's in Colorado i think. Tony Davis at the star is also great, obviously
JoAnna Allhands (AZCentral) is our default water reporter. She needs a few more covering the topic for diversity and depth (no pun intended). I'd love an online non-partisan AZ Water University, where partisan commentary is kept in clearly labeled silos by party leaning, so you don't have to read the garbage opinions mixed in with the facts.
Definitely this one. The 40+ years I’ve lived in politicians pay lip service to water issues but developers get to them and buildings and housing development go in where they never should have. Are there any laws that make a difference. If so at what level of government are they made. And are they ever enforced?
My understanding was two decades ago; state legislators traded out paid staff for performing expert impact analysis in favor of having the impacted businesses and industries want a say in writing the analysis and laws for our representatives to vote on.
As a business owner, you would think I might like that, but it has negatively impacted our state and, ironically, businesses. For instance, our inability to regulate and demand specific levels of speed and service from our internet providers is a severe problem in Tucson.
hmmmm. The staff at the Joint Legislative Budget Committee does all the fiscal notes. They're legit. I wonder what you're talking about, though. I'm intrigued. Got anything to point back to?
Three things I don't like about political reporting are 1) often legislative campaigns/issues are treated as a sports game-who is up and who is down-one week to the next and often based on sketchy polls. 2) that all political opinions are treated as equal even though a politician may utter a known blatant lie, it's reported on the same level as a politician that has done the research. 3)Along the same lines...giving a 'balanced' view of sometimes 'unbalanced' political opinions-equal eyes/ink/pixels. As an example politician X says "well of course we all know moon landing was a hoax" and the reporter says "well let's talk to a scientist about that moon landing".
Totally agree. 2 and 3 especially are the great pitfalls that we've tried to avoid at the Agenda. The press corps absolutely treats bullshitters with too much legitimacy.
How should we handle another Lake campaign? I almost just asked that as today's question because I think it gets to that bigger point of like what is the role of the media in today's political environment. I think we have a different kind of candidate these days and almost 8 years after Trump, the media still hasn't figured out how to cope with the new landscape.
With another Lake campaign (or any campaign, really), I'm going to riff off the standard Jay Rosen advice: focus on the stakes for voters, not the takes. We have data about what issues matters to Arizonans, the polling conducted last year (or maybe 2021) by the Center for the Future of Arizona. For the issues Arizonan voters say matters to them, what are the positions of candidates, and what can they actually do if elected?
Least covered are county supervisor decisions. Usual done-as here in Cochise-when something exceptionally stupid or controversial happens. Those 15 counties have a ton of influence in peoples lives and a reporter that regularly highlights supe decisions on issues would better inform residents of what is happening in the State. (
Yeah, Cochise has got a lot of coverage this last year and a half. Imagine if every county just got that level of attention... We're coming for you, Greenlee County!
Nice! If you find any good ones, let me know. Maybe we can schedule something for January when the leg returns. Headline: "the 10 dumbest laws lawmakers should repeal this year (but wont)"
I just sent that AG opinion to Tucson Agenda suggesting like a backstory piece about how that law came about since it's a very tucson-centric backstory
What don’t you understand about how campaigns, government agencies and political bodies work?
The more I know about politics, the less I understand it. I'm mostly appalled by how people vote against there own self interests without understanding the issues. I would like to see more hyper local news coverage. We seem to have lost that with the changes in journalism. Anyway, keep up the good work.
Lol. yeah ain't that the truth i feel like I understand less every day. I was thinking more technical than psychological questions but i'll think on that.
Hank, I mostly know how that stuff works or doesn't work as the case may be. I want to start a local newsletter that covers N.Tempe but old age and lack of talent are slowing me down.
Nice! I feel like i've received so many of these I want to start a thing but don't have time comments. I'd love to have more freelancers! Just sayin...
Sep 22, 2023·edited Sep 22, 2023Liked by Hank Stephenson
Maybe sort of an Umbrella Agenda - with enough disclaimers? A platform. Suzanne mentioned she's a copy editor - maybe she and I (and you?) do a brief review before it appears under the umbrella.
Right?! There's some way to do this that makes sense. I kind of tested some of that concept out while i was on vacation with those intros to other substackers. But i like the idea of collaborating and sharing stuff when it make sense.
I really enjoy Meg O'Connor's reporting, but I'm biased because she covers repro and policing, which are two topics I follow constantly.
I would love to see more reporting on rural and tribal communities.
Agenda readers are get the inside baseball of politics, but I think a lot of people could benefit from a primer on how the legislative process works, including defining committees, how and why bills stall, etc.
Thanks, Hank, I'm very interested in the responses to these prompts, too! Especially as I'm trying to figure out next steps as ex-Twitter continues to move closer to self-destruction. (Substack?)
I like the response about campaign finance reporting - a lot of my investigative reports in the 2010s were on the rise of dark money in Arizona, but I've spent less time on it as the legal news/democracy beat has taken over my free time project. There is still so much to do on campaign finance - especially with the Stop Dark Money rules moving towards implementation.
I also would like to see us all do a better job of following up on stories - you guys have done a great job on that (but it might get harder sans Rachel). Ideally, it's almost like incremental reporting.
Thanks again for all that you're doing and will do!
Join our Regrettable Platform! I was just reading AZlaw at like 2 am the other day thinking I'd love to run through a few ideas with you. We should set up a call!
Agree with all of this. Left Twitter for my mental health. My feed no longer included the writers and topics that enlightened me. Had to dig through a lot of crap to find them.
Because of the demand of deadlines and editors, political reporters tend to focus on the minutiae of momentary political trivia and that gives events exaggerated importance. We need reporting that steps back and adds a bit of distance to these small events, perhaps even ignoring them.
Yes! I love minutiae, I'll admit. But like without filling in the gaps on why that shit matters, it means nothing to the average reader. That's what I don't like about reading political stories in newspapers. My analogy is its like reading the sports pages -- I literally cannot read a sports page and get useful information. I can understand the scores, but I don't have enough background to actually understand the stories because I don't watch sports. It's the same for political reporting -- if you don't already watch what's going on, it's really not that useful to you.
I really dislike when the writers show their own political party through their writing. It’s obvious for many, but it needs to remain impartial no matter how touchy the subject is.
How about highlighting community activists who are working hard to effect positive change? Personal stories that might inspire the rest of us in our collective fight for justice, free & fair elections, environmental protections, etc.
That's an awesome idea. I'm trying to come up with a short, manageable list of records that we need to request on an ongoing basis. I'll put AZPost on there.
What is missing? One source that would cover “news” from the viewpoint of all stakeholders. In our current climate, especially in education, kids are being exposed to fewer “lenses”. Multiple perspective create better discussion and solutions.
Did you know that staff have been committing violence against kids in their care at Canyon State Academy in Queen Creek. That's the largest group home in the state for kids in foster care. Did you know that foster parents and group homes in Arizona don't get surprise visits. Visits and inspections are pre-scheduled. Foster care is definitely a beat that deserves more coverage, but its very nature makes it difficult to report on because of confidentiality laws. People involved in the system also don't come out publicly often because of retaliation by case workers. Also because the broken foster care system itself inflicts so much trauma on the children and foster families that by the time they leave the system, they are too traumatized (by the system!) to stay involved or talk much about it. However, there are advocacy groups that are advocating for sunlight laws that would allow reporters in the courtrooms as long as they don't reporting identifying information. I don't know that this beat would be a good fit for your organization, but there is a desperate need for someone somewhere to take up this beat.
That's a great thought. Mary Jo Pitzl was doing some really great child welfare coverage but i think that beat was grant funded and the grant ran out or something. Sad we can't just have that kind of thing as a beat that doesn't require a billionaire to fund.
It is definitely not a beat that's going to bring in money unless someone obtained a steady grant. And I don't think it fits with what you're doing, but every time I get a chance to tell a reporter about it, I tell it.
But like should every beat have to pay for itself? I mean we have very limited resources so for us, kind of. But the Republic can't afford one reporter to cover this stuff? People care about it. It matters...
A topic that I would appreciate greater coverage is the kerfuncle involving Arizona pbs, Arizona State University and the Hobbs Lake debategate.
I am a follower of Ted Simons and Arizona Horizon particularly the journalists round table. It's clear there's more than meets the eye behind the debate gate as Michael Crowe continues to exercise an oversized level of political and economic influence in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
It's just this type of event that raises skepticism in the mind of those of us in the independent category in attempting to evaluate our sources of information. Clearly Ted Simons is uncomfortable with what happened but has been instructed not to allow his audience and insight into crows heavy hand. The week after the cancellation at the journalist round table how we made an effort to open that line of discussion and was quickly reminded by Ted but the story was closed.
I would like more coverage on that as well! It kind of pisses me off that this is an open secret in journalism and nobody except me is writing about it because it's "navelgazing" or because of the powerful people involved or because everyone is conflicted out because they work for ASU. I think it matters who controls our local PBS. but maybe that' just me.
I'm concerned that AZ Horizon and Journalists' Roundtable is pulling too many punches.
To wit, "Why did they (e.g. state leg) file this or that lawsuit in Yavapai County" and the roundtable answer is "I'm not sure." Duh, it's too often because the plaintiff is judge or jury shopping. Say that!
Or, "Who is challenging this, what is their motivation?" Answer "Not sure." But they DO know...it's usually whoever bought or is lobbying for that position... CAPolicy, ALEC, Free Enterprise Club, Goldwater, Americans for Prosperity, AZ Chamber, Koch Fuel. Say that!
I don’t live in Arizona and I never have. I paid for a subscription because I an concerned about rhetoric in places where unscrupulous politicians try to bombard voters who don’t have time to research everything they are told. They lie so often that voters figure it must be true. And so I try to support news organizations that I feel are fair, to ensure they can continue doing good work. I am extremely disappointed that news channels can lie and hide behind “opinion piece.” But my recent frustration is that news channels (all of them) appear to pick what voters should be concerned about. Tuberville not even living in the state he represents and holding up military promotions just isn’t covered enough. But they sure talk about Biden’s age every day. Is it a concern? Sure. (I was concerned about Obama’s lack of experience as well.) But noone I knew, even Trump supporters, was screaming it was a top concern until the news channels focused on it non stop. Now it’s all the talk. This is how Trump became president - the news “made” him. The news is now the tail that wags the dog. How do we change that?
You don't live in Arizona and you PAID for a subscription. Take note, people! That is classy.
I think we're all struggling with the wag the dog situation. I've talk to lots of reporters about it. Like if Kari Lake puts on a circus, at what point can we just not attend? Unfortunately, IDK if that's even an option at this point. My answer is to show up and treat it like the circus that it is. But even that is a pretty weak solution.
I don’t want to read about Kari’s circus just for the sake of Kari’s circus. I would like coverage of of any republicans or independents who are standing up to the circus. If you can find any and they have they courage to come forward.
Hi Hank, The least covered niche of politics are down ballot races lilke rhe Maricopa County Superintendent of Schools Office. There is so much happening there like the current Superintendent who has $5-6 million dollars of unaccounted for expenditures, and he has not taken a shred of responsibility for any of it. That is our taxpayer funding that is missing.
This also ties into bond override elections - voters often think they are supporting traditional public schools by simply approving bond override after bond override, yet there is rarely, if ever, any follow up to determine whether the extra dollars are well spent or have led to incremental increases in performance n return for the higher property required to support the overrides (a good example is the Phoenix Union/Creighton school districts, where property taxes for bonds are 25% higher than in the Scottsdale school district, despite Phoenix union/Creighton consistently ranking at the bottom, statewide, with Scottsdale doing considerably better). Another area where coverage is lacking is the detrimental effect of not having more consolidated school districts in Arizona - the amount of money spent on administration here is materially magnified by our dozens of school districts.
It came to my attention when I first moved to AZ IN 2007. It seemed that the ruse was “we are cutting the budget for staff and saving the taxpayers money.”
Model legislation isn't inherently awful: a lot of good state laws in the 1970s were the result of model bills written by advocates for things like consumer protection. What might help would be some discipline to require a substantive hearing the year BEFORE passage of most bills, to prevent copycat passage of bills around the country.
Wow. What a fabulous chain of comments. I just read through every one of them and liked so many! To all of you who wrote those smart, insightful things - thank you! SO refreshing to read such diverse comments - with intelligent opinions - on a wide variety of topics that are important. I learned a lot just from reading these comments.
Thank you also Hank for your column and opening up this up for reader ideas.
I would love to see more coverage about how out of state money affects our local elections in the ramp up to 2024, both in direct candidate contributions and indirect influence of our local media market. Your piece this week on the spike in advertising rates was a great example of this.
When I was younger and living in reliably-Red AZ, I wondered what it would be like to live in a swing state that could alter an election outcome; now that AZ is a swing state, I'd love to track how it affects our political conversations.
The stories of Arizona Hot Strike Summer and the mobilization of workers and their unions deserves informed coverage, Hank. The “labor beat” gets little attention in context and scope—workers are the largest voting demographic in the country, and their bargaining is not just at the workplace, but is truly bargaining for the common good. From brutal housing costs and truly unaffordable medical care (including abortion healthcare), to high quality public education and the struggle for lifesaving heat protections at work, workers are challenging the primacy of greedy corporations to control our politics and our entire economy. Arizona Agenda is right on top of the the deliberately hidden stories of power politics, and the worst of the capitalists greatly fear the organizing of labor political campaigns and influence in the legislatures and Congress.
So incredibly late here, but would really liked to see an in-depth study of the Goldwater Instutiut and how it’s influenced Republican politics and policy especially in education.
It seems as though most political reporters focus on the same stories. Day after day. Especially nationally. And it’s all about law suits. Law suits move slowly so just report when something new happens.
I would like to see more specifics on actual voting records of elected officials. And if any of the laws they voted on were passed, implemented and how that affected people in Arizona. We just put them all in a “political party box” and leave it at that.
I would like to know more about how their campaigns are funded. And who is funding them and why.
I think a reporter should be assigned to Water in Arizona. We all have our heads in the sand and pretend it’s not going to affect us. Know who is making water decisions - cities, county, state, feds - and how that affects us specifically is important.
Oh yeah - thank you for the explainer sheets. I would like to see a few on government agencies that affect us in Arizona. Like - exactly why does the Az Corporation Commission exist, what are their duties, how do they decide issues?
And County Supervisors. Pretty sure we all know they have election related duties (still, I believe a breakdown of those would be helpful) but what else do they do? And how does it affect us.
I don't think there is enough coverage of school board politics which have become a major focus of groups like Moms for Liberty. I don't understand the information and money links between the Arizona legislature and various policy/advocacy groups like the chamber of commerce, ALEC, Koch brothers, Sierra Club, Save Our Schools etc. etc. Depending on the legislator they may just be a pipeline for so called model legislation being written by these groups. Do the legislators also solicit or receive donations from these groups--seems likely but how to figure that out? Also what has been the impact on the recently passed initiative on dark money. Who will write the regulations about that?
Yep. My real concern is the lack of regulation on the companies that have monopolies and especially those that get to use public property. Internet companies are a great example. If we could get the legislatures to regulate them, Cox would get to right the rules.
This was a great idea and made for fascinating reading. It certainly solidified for me the lack of 'old fashioned' reports who had the time to have a 'beat'...a specific city or department in a city ..and really follow what went on there. Another issue is: how is all the federal money that has come into our state really been spent to include the procurement process (which is where so much corruption 'can' take place.) Periodically I've read about $$ hat Ducey handed out and now Hobbs hands out but...are there specific guidelines re such and reports that have to be submitted to the feds after the money is awarded and then when it's all spent? And there also seems to be a lot of $ 'still there' and floating around!! I find that very confusing. Years ago I managed a federal grant program for the state of AZ and I know that we had to file regular reports on which entities got the money, how it was spent, how many benefited etc. Doesn't that still apply?
More in depth reporting on finance at all levels how it is spent. Like the SFB, cities counties, school districts , and especially the state by Governor and legislature.
What the attorney general is doing, same for the state auditor
Hey Hank, here's a series which needs investigating: what happened to the $30M (per State Senator) and $15M (per State Representative) which Ducey handed out last minute when the Feds were going to claw back covid money? For example, in Yavapai County, $15M was going to go to the non-profit rodeo grounds which is notoriously poorly managed. They pay the City of Prescott $1 a year in rent. No one told the city about until it was announced publicly. The fundraiser is a former mayor of Prescott who may be getting a big commission. But we needn't worry, the State Treasurer won't disburse any funds until the lawsuit is over...
Regarding what I like least about political reporting is the use of emotive language. I don't like being manipulated. Reuters and AP have become my go-to sources.
Well this was fun! You guys are great. Lots of good ideas and thoughts here. I've got a 9 am but I'll check back later for all you late risers.
Oh no i love the petty infighting and grievances.
Like: Heather Cox Richardson.
Oh that’s funny I’m subscribed but I never really read it often enough to get in the rhythm. What do you like about her work?
You must read Heather! She summarizes the day’s events and often draws a parallel to events in American history. She is an historian, special emphasis on the evolution of the Republican party.
I definitely agree with Suzanne's assessment of Heather Cox Richardson. It's one column that I must read everyday. So insightful.
I've tried a few times to get into the flow but I feel like I'm jumping in midstream. That's probably how new people feel with the agenda lol. I'll read todays when it arrives and just see if i can stick with it. I think it's also the timing. She publishes pretty late and I don't wanna read at that point. And in the morning i'm focused on like news that's relevant to me
She has explained why it is so late what with her book writing schedule, teaching, online chats, etc. I often wake up after midnight, read it, and then go on to do the NYT times various puzzles. Go back to sleep and wait for the AZ Agenda to come on just after 6am. You might find that her national perspective can provide some insight into the Arizona craziness.
lol Donna you are a dedicated reader!
Heather puts current events into historical perspective. Each current event creates expected and unexpected results. Reading Heather helps know what is likely next.
I follow some great national Government news orgs on Instagram and I wish something could be more AZ centric on that platform (Mo News and SharonSaysSo)
Ooh what ones? We’re talking about doing more short video content. But we’re trying to figure out what kind of format makes sense. Would love some examples of actual good newsy IGs. I don’t really use ig.
Copper Courier uses IG and TikTok pretty well IMO. I will watch them. Believe it or not, TikTok gets a lot of eyeballs, judging by the amount of views, likes, and comments.
Ooh I just watched they do have a pretty good TikTok
One of many things I’d love to see is someone covering all the bills that are put forth by the minority party that never get heard. I think if people saw that they would be appalled; the bills that personally could affect them and their families simply passed over. I guess I’ve never gotten over the fact that a suicide prevention bill we put forth through our legislative district senator who happened to be a Dem was simply passed over because he was a Dem. It only got traction in year 2 because it was co-sponsored by a Republican who could empathize (R’s only act when it affects them directly). Also, I’d like for people to see how some selfish reps manipulate the laws in their favor, like Eddie Farnsworth funneling tax dollars to his religious schools back in the day. Or present day cr*p pulled by fake electors and such or voter suppression... Just a really close watch on what doesn’t get put forth, that which gets blocked by the majority party and why.
Ah yes. Eddie… what a guy, My whole life I’ve used the filter so I don’t even have to look at Dem bills when I’m reading through what’s introduced because they never become law anyway. But that’s a totally fair request. Especially since Dems keep getting closer and closer to taking the legislature.
And Eddie would never let us bring forth the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Such a douche.
I remember one time I was finishing a cigarette (I quit, mostly, I swear!) like within 50 feet of the House and he told me to put it out and I said no and he lost it! lololol. Nothing I ever wrote seemed to get under that guys skin as much as simply being told No. I don't think that guy heard it enough in his life.
🤣 Love it! I especially liked when he came down the hall outside one of the meeting rooms in the Capitol, facing the Handmaids after he wouldn’t acknowledge them or the ERA and they all pointed at him chanting “SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!” 😂 So good! I left regular scathing messages (never cussed) on his machine. He was one of the very worst!
Oh boy, Eddie. Maybe a "where are they now" series? Eddie, Bundgaard, JD Hayworth, Robson, Huppenthal, Dial. See what their ill-gotten legislation got for them.
JD writes a regular column in the local papers and spews Faux News perspectives/ pro-Trump nonsense, bashing Biden regularly. Such a washed up jerk. And how did Tom Horne get resurrected to do more damage?!
Looking forward to Dan Ariely's new book on the origins of misbelief. Why do so many of us believe self-destructive untruths. A close friend went down the Qanon rabbit hole. Many Americans believe in the superiority of authoritarianism. Zealots are determined to make everyone live according to their religious doctrine. The insanity of everyone being allowed to have deadly military grade weapons.
Dan Ariely ... This Duke economist has I fear fall and pray to temptations surrounding either shortcuts and research or worse.
https://retractionwatch.com/2021/09/14/highly-criticized-paper-on-dishonesty-retracted/
His is a cautionary tale for those of us who are seeking reliability in the information that we consume.
Ugh I got through several comments logged in under Tucson Agenda before I noticed. Lol. It’s too early.
My biggest issue with political news, is the fact that the loudest voices (not necessarily sane) are getting the most attention. I would like to see more reporting on the hard working underdogs just trying to do what’s best for their constituents. Let’s see some light shined on the positive side of government (Oxy moron?). How about some hard hitting coverage on the Arizona fake electors? Met Anthony Kerns at my health club, introduced myself as one of his democratic constituents, and haven’t seen him in there since. Let’s call them out for not doing ‘our’ job.
Yeah, the loud ones do get lots of attention. Any hardworking underdogs who deserve praise come to mind?
Mitzi Epstein! Stacey Travers! In LD 12, my district.
I always liked Mitzi. I remember writing about her years ago in one of her elections and I tagged along as she campaigned door to door on her little folding bike and she was like clearly annoyed at how much I slowed her down. Lol. Don’t know travers though. What do they do that makes them so special and deserving of praise in your opinion?
Mitzi fights for the underdog. She assembled a coalition of counselors, parents, etc. to work on suicide prevention for teens (teen suicide an epidemic). Her work alongside Sean Bowie was instrumental in getting it passed, although the R’s work against her often. Stacey has a military background and is a Dem who can work well with R’s. Not easy. But she has gotten bills passed. Both are friends of mine and they have such integrity.
In Glendale I notice that Council member Jamie Aldama is committed to improving his district. But legislative wise it’s Debbie Lesko (see the above post on fake electors). Nuff said
I wish I had more time to cover cities! That's like the most critical undercovered level of government and there's so much interesting stuff/petty corruption happening at the city level. I'll have to tune into Glendale and check out Aldama.
I want to second what you're pointing to here, Hank. I started getting involved in city issues in Phoenix and there seems to be very little news coverage of what's happening at that granular of a level. It's hard to know where successes and failures are really happening.
I think it’s not just the City government, but ALL of the local offices that seem to have been infiltrated by hard core conservatives. The school boards in the Valley (ok, and elsewhere), have taken a turn that is very alarming. This includes the reading of scripture BY BOARD MEMBERS at meetings. And if that’s happening, you can imagine the policies that group is advancing. Jeanne Casteen from Secular Coalition of AZ has been working tirelessly to attend as many meetings as possible or review the recordings. The meetings can only be described as “circus-like”.
You can see a sample of the reports here:
https://secularaz.org/secular-az-blog/
Theresa Martinez.
I like her! I don't know her well but she actually seems fun and like she doesn't take herself as seriously as some of those dorks.
Watch how they vote, not what they say.
She is not afraid to work both sides. She fought for the funds for the I-10 and 347. She helped to drag ADOT and another rep down the 347 during rush hour to see how things really are.
And she doesn't dirty talk like the other one does. She is focused on her role.
Matt Gress - hard-working, moderate, young.
Gress is what?
Analise Ortiz comes to mind. She explains the people-focused issues she is passionate about in video posts to multiple platforms.
Good job on Kerns. It often takes very little sunlight.
Votebeat’s Jen Fifield provides outstanding in-depth reporting on AZ’s voting and election issues.
Jen is amazing. I loved her stevens profile a while back -- just re-read that one. But basically everything she does is great.
What I like least about political reporting is the bias. Report the actual facts, not your spin on them. If candidates are lying or rude, then please do not give them more direct air time and if they lie or mislead, then counter with facts.
The least covered niche in Arizona politics? How about state specific laws that can affect candidates positions, like our 100 year old abortion law? We have some very weird, old laws that need updating.
I use to always ask candidates “what law would like to you repeal?” It really stumped them, especially a lot of republicans. (Dems often just said sb1070). There are a lot of old more dumb laws that we should take off the books.
Perhaps do a column on the top 10 of the old dumb laws on the books.
That would be fun. I guess I could ask people for suggestions, rather than read the entirety of ARS. Got any favorites that come to mind?
I'm disappointed to hear you don't read all the statutes for fun every weekend.
HA! Beth will you write this piece for us?
That would be FUN. Except for the reading all the statutes part.
That old abortion law. And we have a law that makes cohabitation illegal. And spitting on the sidewalk but that one is useful again, now.
The impact of rogue campaigns intrigues me. It seems that each election the number of groups which choose to ignore legislation requiring them.to register grows. Is that true or am I simply seeing more incidents because i now look for it?
More importantly, how much money is spent on candidates or issues defying the duty to report the spending?
I was stunned by the realization that in addition to about $100,000 of reported campaign funds, 2 SUSD board candidates benefited from at least twice as much spent by rogue groups who blatantly refused to identify themselves or disclose what they spent.
Spending a quarter million on a couple of school board seats seems insane unless you consider the opportunity to liquidate the District's real estate portfolio as you intentionally destroy its enrollment from within.
Needing only 1 more of the 3 Board seats up for election in 2024, the District's enemies are already spending without reporting.
It seems that they count on the inability of election officials to respond to all of the shadowy operators.
If SUSD is overcome by saboteurs planted on its board through the boldest of dirty campaigns, the template is set for repeating that process throughout the State
The objective? Launching ESA Voucher funded private schools on the campuses absconded from Districts.
No one can afford.to build a new high school campus on the meager Arizona school funding.
But why build your own when you can steal.a few board seats and take all the campuses you want?
Especially if ignoring campaign finance statutes goes unpunished.
Ugh campaign finance reporting is one of my biggest pet peeves -- especially for offices at the bottom of the ballot, it is such crap. I could write about that every edition. Those rogue campaigns absolutely take advantage of the fact that there's no enforcement ever.
So I'm not suffering from hyperbolic paranoia? At least that part is comforting.
I didn't say that.
Point taken.
What will happen with Kyrsten Sinema's campaign war chest if she doesn't run or if she loses with lots of money unspent. In LD1, Representatives raise money but don't seem to spend much...because they don't have to. Where does that money go?
I wish I could quintuple like this comment.
Yep. The continued effort to takeover school boards, the subversion of curriculum and best methods, and the conversion of public education assets into excess, and transferring them to charter and private entities for pennies.
The ranting about CRT and grooming of children is nothing but cover for the real intent - which has always been privatizing the $10B/year state school system. Read Steve Twist's writings from the last century, prior to his participation in forming the Goldwater Institute and then helping to launch Great Hearts with his twin sons. We should take him at his word.
Came here to make this comment. Thousands spent canvassing, sending out mailers, and printing signs and there is zero attribution of who paid and who is behind it. For two election cycles, people have reported these violations to city, county and state authorities and sent info and pics to reporters- NOTHING. Nobody says or does a thing. It’s as though laws don’t exist and nobody cares. Why should candidates bother to file finance reports? Apparently, it doesn’t matter. It’s maddening. I feel like I live in the Wild West where everyone is afraid of the drunk town sheriff and the big land owning a-hole that pays the sheriff’s salary.
So many cheaters, cheating so flagrantly and frequently that the oversight process is overwhelmed. Isn't that what the cheaters bank on? And so far they're right. Who's gonna stop 'em?
Here is what I dislike…
I know campaigns run on money. In 2020 I donated a modest monthly amount through ACTBLUE to Mark Kelly’s campaign effective through the election. Since then I have been inundated via text and email and mobile phone to donate to EVERY democratic candidate for every level of government in every state in the entire nation! Every election cycle! It’s maddening! Next time I’ll send cash anonymously!
Yeah, I don't donate but I add my email or phone to every listserv so I'm just constandly bombarded by Trump and Lake and Biden and somehow every Republican in New Mexico. But at least you didn't get hooked with one of those shady donations that are automatically recurring. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/04/22/arizona-governor-karrin-taylor-robson-refunds-fundraising-winred/7296433001/
'Morning! We have 12 counties holding elections Nov.7th with ballots mailed October 11th. An explainer about Bond and Budget over rides could be super helpful. Not to mention Election processes as they matter in an 'off year' as well.
I look forward to reading with my morning coffee.
Hey Mary! That's a really good explainer. Adding to the list. I never know how many people actually understand what a bond or override are, even. I didn't until I covered education. But then again, I rent, so property taxes aren't something I think too deeply about.
I bet your landlord passes the property taxes off on you, in the form of slightly higher rent! If you do the bond/override explainer, I'm a bond attorney representing most of the school districts in the state, I'd be happy to offer input.
For me it's water. I've lived in Arizona for over 40 years now and I must say that I was shocked that there were no conservation measures that seemed to be in place when I came and still are not. At least nothing that I would consider enough to help. While we are told that in the Phoenix area, "we have planned," did those planners account for a 20+ year drought and the explosive growth/influx of more people or the industries that suck up a horrendous amount of that precious water? I am mindful that there might be some governmental movement on this issue, but is it going anywhere?
Yeah, water is such a difficult topic. It's one of those things that is critical to our future that only like 12 people truly understand (and I'm not one of them). And maybe two of those 12 can explain it in a way that doesn't immediately bore the hell out of me. I really like the way Luke Runyon covers it. But he's in Colorado i think. Tony Davis at the star is also great, obviously
I also recommend the Arizona Republic editorial writer Joanna Allhands.
True! She does a really good job at making water about people.
JoAnna Allhands (AZCentral) is our default water reporter. She needs a few more covering the topic for diversity and depth (no pun intended). I'd love an online non-partisan AZ Water University, where partisan commentary is kept in clearly labeled silos by party leaning, so you don't have to read the garbage opinions mixed in with the facts.
Definitely this one. The 40+ years I’ve lived in politicians pay lip service to water issues but developers get to them and buildings and housing development go in where they never should have. Are there any laws that make a difference. If so at what level of government are they made. And are they ever enforced?
My understanding was two decades ago; state legislators traded out paid staff for performing expert impact analysis in favor of having the impacted businesses and industries want a say in writing the analysis and laws for our representatives to vote on.
As a business owner, you would think I might like that, but it has negatively impacted our state and, ironically, businesses. For instance, our inability to regulate and demand specific levels of speed and service from our internet providers is a severe problem in Tucson.
I’d love to see reporting on the impact.
hmmmm. The staff at the Joint Legislative Budget Committee does all the fiscal notes. They're legit. I wonder what you're talking about, though. I'm intrigued. Got anything to point back to?
Three things I don't like about political reporting are 1) often legislative campaigns/issues are treated as a sports game-who is up and who is down-one week to the next and often based on sketchy polls. 2) that all political opinions are treated as equal even though a politician may utter a known blatant lie, it's reported on the same level as a politician that has done the research. 3)Along the same lines...giving a 'balanced' view of sometimes 'unbalanced' political opinions-equal eyes/ink/pixels. As an example politician X says "well of course we all know moon landing was a hoax" and the reporter says "well let's talk to a scientist about that moon landing".
Totally agree. 2 and 3 especially are the great pitfalls that we've tried to avoid at the Agenda. The press corps absolutely treats bullshitters with too much legitimacy.
How should we handle another Lake campaign? I almost just asked that as today's question because I think it gets to that bigger point of like what is the role of the media in today's political environment. I think we have a different kind of candidate these days and almost 8 years after Trump, the media still hasn't figured out how to cope with the new landscape.
This is one for the best things about a Substack style platform. Thank you for that.
No the media has made these lovers by relentless coverage; without that we would never see or hear from Lake and her ilk again.
With another Lake campaign (or any campaign, really), I'm going to riff off the standard Jay Rosen advice: focus on the stakes for voters, not the takes. We have data about what issues matters to Arizonans, the polling conducted last year (or maybe 2021) by the Center for the Future of Arizona. For the issues Arizonan voters say matters to them, what are the positions of candidates, and what can they actually do if elected?
Least covered are county supervisor decisions. Usual done-as here in Cochise-when something exceptionally stupid or controversial happens. Those 15 counties have a ton of influence in peoples lives and a reporter that regularly highlights supe decisions on issues would better inform residents of what is happening in the State. (
Yeah, Cochise has got a lot of coverage this last year and a half. Imagine if every county just got that level of attention... We're coming for you, Greenlee County!
Besides the abortion law, not just off hand. But let me ask around.
Nice! If you find any good ones, let me know. Maybe we can schedule something for January when the leg returns. Headline: "the 10 dumbest laws lawmakers should repeal this year (but wont)"
Thought of another one: The one that states cities cannot destroy confiscated guns, but must sell them.
I just sent that AG opinion to Tucson Agenda suggesting like a backstory piece about how that law came about since it's a very tucson-centric backstory
What don’t you understand about how campaigns, government agencies and political bodies work?
The more I know about politics, the less I understand it. I'm mostly appalled by how people vote against there own self interests without understanding the issues. I would like to see more hyper local news coverage. We seem to have lost that with the changes in journalism. Anyway, keep up the good work.
Lol. yeah ain't that the truth i feel like I understand less every day. I was thinking more technical than psychological questions but i'll think on that.
Hank, I mostly know how that stuff works or doesn't work as the case may be. I want to start a local newsletter that covers N.Tempe but old age and lack of talent are slowing me down.
Nice! I feel like i've received so many of these I want to start a thing but don't have time comments. I'd love to have more freelancers! Just sayin...
Maybe sort of an Umbrella Agenda - with enough disclaimers? A platform. Suzanne mentioned she's a copy editor - maybe she and I (and you?) do a brief review before it appears under the umbrella.
Right?! There's some way to do this that makes sense. I kind of tested some of that concept out while i was on vacation with those intros to other substackers. But i like the idea of collaborating and sharing stuff when it make sense.
Paul, I’d be up for that! Also, Hank, I gave your name to a couple of reporters I know who recently lost their jobs.
Can UA or ASU journalism students intern for you?
I really enjoy Meg O'Connor's reporting, but I'm biased because she covers repro and policing, which are two topics I follow constantly.
I would love to see more reporting on rural and tribal communities.
Agenda readers are get the inside baseball of politics, but I think a lot of people could benefit from a primer on how the legislative process works, including defining committees, how and why bills stall, etc.
Yeah, we kind of did that in our bill to law zine. We tried to capture not only the official process, but the real process and all the nonsense that goes with it. https://arizonaagenda.substack.com/p/how-an-arizona-bill-becomes-a-law?s=w
And yeah, Meg is another gem.
Thanks, Hank, I'm very interested in the responses to these prompts, too! Especially as I'm trying to figure out next steps as ex-Twitter continues to move closer to self-destruction. (Substack?)
I like the response about campaign finance reporting - a lot of my investigative reports in the 2010s were on the rise of dark money in Arizona, but I've spent less time on it as the legal news/democracy beat has taken over my free time project. There is still so much to do on campaign finance - especially with the Stop Dark Money rules moving towards implementation.
I also would like to see us all do a better job of following up on stories - you guys have done a great job on that (but it might get harder sans Rachel). Ideally, it's almost like incremental reporting.
Thanks again for all that you're doing and will do!
Join our Regrettable Platform! I was just reading AZlaw at like 2 am the other day thinking I'd love to run through a few ideas with you. We should set up a call!
Your reading habits sound like a weird country song! Yeah, let's talk!
And I didn't even mention i was on the porch with my dogs.
Agree with all of this. Left Twitter for my mental health. My feed no longer included the writers and topics that enlightened me. Had to dig through a lot of crap to find them.
Because of the demand of deadlines and editors, political reporters tend to focus on the minutiae of momentary political trivia and that gives events exaggerated importance. We need reporting that steps back and adds a bit of distance to these small events, perhaps even ignoring them.
Yes! I love minutiae, I'll admit. But like without filling in the gaps on why that shit matters, it means nothing to the average reader. That's what I don't like about reading political stories in newspapers. My analogy is its like reading the sports pages -- I literally cannot read a sports page and get useful information. I can understand the scores, but I don't have enough background to actually understand the stories because I don't watch sports. It's the same for political reporting -- if you don't already watch what's going on, it's really not that useful to you.
I really dislike when the writers show their own political party through their writing. It’s obvious for many, but it needs to remain impartial no matter how touchy the subject is.
On a scale from 1-10, how bad am I?
I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and assume positive intentions. It’s hard to accurately described it but my best guess is a 7.
It’s easy to only interview people or only included the most extreme people for certain stories to help a particular side seem more extreme.
I don’t think it’s always particularly on purpose, but it’s easy to do so when you believe the opposite of someone.
is 10 good or bad on this scale? lol.
10 is the worst. 6-7 is more fair
How about highlighting community activists who are working hard to effect positive change? Personal stories that might inspire the rest of us in our collective fight for justice, free & fair elections, environmental protections, etc.
I LOVE this idea! And I know a ton of them.
One thing that Caitlin used to do was a monthly reporting on officers who lost their certifications from AZPOST.
I’m a huge LE supporter but it’s important that those people who lose their certifications are known to the community.
They are buried in AZPOST notes and you can’t get the details without a FOIA.
That's an awesome idea. I'm trying to come up with a short, manageable list of records that we need to request on an ongoing basis. I'll put AZPost on there.
Ditto: Heather Cox Richardson
What is missing? One source that would cover “news” from the viewpoint of all stakeholders. In our current climate, especially in education, kids are being exposed to fewer “lenses”. Multiple perspective create better discussion and solutions.
Did you know that staff have been committing violence against kids in their care at Canyon State Academy in Queen Creek. That's the largest group home in the state for kids in foster care. Did you know that foster parents and group homes in Arizona don't get surprise visits. Visits and inspections are pre-scheduled. Foster care is definitely a beat that deserves more coverage, but its very nature makes it difficult to report on because of confidentiality laws. People involved in the system also don't come out publicly often because of retaliation by case workers. Also because the broken foster care system itself inflicts so much trauma on the children and foster families that by the time they leave the system, they are too traumatized (by the system!) to stay involved or talk much about it. However, there are advocacy groups that are advocating for sunlight laws that would allow reporters in the courtrooms as long as they don't reporting identifying information. I don't know that this beat would be a good fit for your organization, but there is a desperate need for someone somewhere to take up this beat.
That's a great thought. Mary Jo Pitzl was doing some really great child welfare coverage but i think that beat was grant funded and the grant ran out or something. Sad we can't just have that kind of thing as a beat that doesn't require a billionaire to fund.
It is definitely not a beat that's going to bring in money unless someone obtained a steady grant. And I don't think it fits with what you're doing, but every time I get a chance to tell a reporter about it, I tell it.
But like should every beat have to pay for itself? I mean we have very limited resources so for us, kind of. But the Republic can't afford one reporter to cover this stuff? People care about it. It matters...
A topic that I would appreciate greater coverage is the kerfuncle involving Arizona pbs, Arizona State University and the Hobbs Lake debategate.
I am a follower of Ted Simons and Arizona Horizon particularly the journalists round table. It's clear there's more than meets the eye behind the debate gate as Michael Crowe continues to exercise an oversized level of political and economic influence in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
It's just this type of event that raises skepticism in the mind of those of us in the independent category in attempting to evaluate our sources of information. Clearly Ted Simons is uncomfortable with what happened but has been instructed not to allow his audience and insight into crows heavy hand. The week after the cancellation at the journalist round table how we made an effort to open that line of discussion and was quickly reminded by Ted but the story was closed.
I would like more coverage on that as well! It kind of pisses me off that this is an open secret in journalism and nobody except me is writing about it because it's "navelgazing" or because of the powerful people involved or because everyone is conflicted out because they work for ASU. I think it matters who controls our local PBS. but maybe that' just me.
I'm concerned that AZ Horizon and Journalists' Roundtable is pulling too many punches.
To wit, "Why did they (e.g. state leg) file this or that lawsuit in Yavapai County" and the roundtable answer is "I'm not sure." Duh, it's too often because the plaintiff is judge or jury shopping. Say that!
Or, "Who is challenging this, what is their motivation?" Answer "Not sure." But they DO know...it's usually whoever bought or is lobbying for that position... CAPolicy, ALEC, Free Enterprise Club, Goldwater, Americans for Prosperity, AZ Chamber, Koch Fuel. Say that!
I don’t live in Arizona and I never have. I paid for a subscription because I an concerned about rhetoric in places where unscrupulous politicians try to bombard voters who don’t have time to research everything they are told. They lie so often that voters figure it must be true. And so I try to support news organizations that I feel are fair, to ensure they can continue doing good work. I am extremely disappointed that news channels can lie and hide behind “opinion piece.” But my recent frustration is that news channels (all of them) appear to pick what voters should be concerned about. Tuberville not even living in the state he represents and holding up military promotions just isn’t covered enough. But they sure talk about Biden’s age every day. Is it a concern? Sure. (I was concerned about Obama’s lack of experience as well.) But noone I knew, even Trump supporters, was screaming it was a top concern until the news channels focused on it non stop. Now it’s all the talk. This is how Trump became president - the news “made” him. The news is now the tail that wags the dog. How do we change that?
You don't live in Arizona and you PAID for a subscription. Take note, people! That is classy.
I think we're all struggling with the wag the dog situation. I've talk to lots of reporters about it. Like if Kari Lake puts on a circus, at what point can we just not attend? Unfortunately, IDK if that's even an option at this point. My answer is to show up and treat it like the circus that it is. But even that is a pretty weak solution.
I don’t want to read about Kari’s circus just for the sake of Kari’s circus. I would like coverage of of any republicans or independents who are standing up to the circus. If you can find any and they have they courage to come forward.
Yes. Agree.
Hi Hank, I LOVE that your reporting isnt full of trash! It makes it easier to make decisions with accurate and informative information.
Hi Hank, The least covered niche of politics are down ballot races lilke rhe Maricopa County Superintendent of Schools Office. There is so much happening there like the current Superintendent who has $5-6 million dollars of unaccounted for expenditures, and he has not taken a shred of responsibility for any of it. That is our taxpayer funding that is missing.
This also ties into bond override elections - voters often think they are supporting traditional public schools by simply approving bond override after bond override, yet there is rarely, if ever, any follow up to determine whether the extra dollars are well spent or have led to incremental increases in performance n return for the higher property required to support the overrides (a good example is the Phoenix Union/Creighton school districts, where property taxes for bonds are 25% higher than in the Scottsdale school district, despite Phoenix union/Creighton consistently ranking at the bottom, statewide, with Scottsdale doing considerably better). Another area where coverage is lacking is the detrimental effect of not having more consolidated school districts in Arizona - the amount of money spent on administration here is materially magnified by our dozens of school districts.
Agree. And it is very difficult to find any information on candidates for these offices.
https://publicintegrity.org/politics/state-politics/copy-paste-legislate/you-elected-them-to-write-new-laws-theyre-letting-corporations-do-it-instead/
It came to my attention when I first moved to AZ IN 2007. It seemed that the ruse was “we are cutting the budget for staff and saving the taxpayers money.”
Ahh gotcha. The model legislation stuff. Staff still does analysis and stuff, but yeah, lobbyists write their own bills. Here's a very old clip that is still relevant today. https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2016/02/05/bill-milling-lobbyists-draft-bills-then-openly-roam-capitol-seeking-sponsors-2/
Model legislation isn't inherently awful: a lot of good state laws in the 1970s were the result of model bills written by advocates for things like consumer protection. What might help would be some discipline to require a substantive hearing the year BEFORE passage of most bills, to prevent copycat passage of bills around the country.
Wow. What a fabulous chain of comments. I just read through every one of them and liked so many! To all of you who wrote those smart, insightful things - thank you! SO refreshing to read such diverse comments - with intelligent opinions - on a wide variety of topics that are important. I learned a lot just from reading these comments.
Thank you also Hank for your column and opening up this up for reader ideas.
I do not like all the speculation about what might happen in the future. Please be "reporters" and cover in depth what is going on now.
More coverage in Pinal County. It seems to be poorly run.
I would love to see more coverage about how out of state money affects our local elections in the ramp up to 2024, both in direct candidate contributions and indirect influence of our local media market. Your piece this week on the spike in advertising rates was a great example of this.
When I was younger and living in reliably-Red AZ, I wondered what it would be like to live in a swing state that could alter an election outcome; now that AZ is a swing state, I'd love to track how it affects our political conversations.
I would give anything to have an Arizona version of the FP National weekly commentary by Nellie Bowles - non-partisan, thoroughly humorous, and unrelentingly honest: https://open.substack.com/pub/bariweiss/p/nellie-bowles-tgif-ennui-the-people?r=1pv2jp&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
The stories of Arizona Hot Strike Summer and the mobilization of workers and their unions deserves informed coverage, Hank. The “labor beat” gets little attention in context and scope—workers are the largest voting demographic in the country, and their bargaining is not just at the workplace, but is truly bargaining for the common good. From brutal housing costs and truly unaffordable medical care (including abortion healthcare), to high quality public education and the struggle for lifesaving heat protections at work, workers are challenging the primacy of greedy corporations to control our politics and our entire economy. Arizona Agenda is right on top of the the deliberately hidden stories of power politics, and the worst of the capitalists greatly fear the organizing of labor political campaigns and influence in the legislatures and Congress.
So incredibly late here, but would really liked to see an in-depth study of the Goldwater Instutiut and how it’s influenced Republican politics and policy especially in education.
It seems as though most political reporters focus on the same stories. Day after day. Especially nationally. And it’s all about law suits. Law suits move slowly so just report when something new happens.
I would like to see more specifics on actual voting records of elected officials. And if any of the laws they voted on were passed, implemented and how that affected people in Arizona. We just put them all in a “political party box” and leave it at that.
I would like to know more about how their campaigns are funded. And who is funding them and why.
I think a reporter should be assigned to Water in Arizona. We all have our heads in the sand and pretend it’s not going to affect us. Know who is making water decisions - cities, county, state, feds - and how that affects us specifically is important.
Thank you for all of your hard work.
Oh yeah - thank you for the explainer sheets. I would like to see a few on government agencies that affect us in Arizona. Like - exactly why does the Az Corporation Commission exist, what are their duties, how do they decide issues?
And County Supervisors. Pretty sure we all know they have election related duties (still, I believe a breakdown of those would be helpful) but what else do they do? And how does it affect us.
I don't think there is enough coverage of school board politics which have become a major focus of groups like Moms for Liberty. I don't understand the information and money links between the Arizona legislature and various policy/advocacy groups like the chamber of commerce, ALEC, Koch brothers, Sierra Club, Save Our Schools etc. etc. Depending on the legislator they may just be a pipeline for so called model legislation being written by these groups. Do the legislators also solicit or receive donations from these groups--seems likely but how to figure that out? Also what has been the impact on the recently passed initiative on dark money. Who will write the regulations about that?
Hi, I am a candidate for this office. What questions do you have? I'm happy to answer what I can for you.
Yep. My real concern is the lack of regulation on the companies that have monopolies and especially those that get to use public property. Internet companies are a great example. If we could get the legislatures to regulate them, Cox would get to right the rules.
I follow Secukar Arizona for their reports in school Board meetings, which have become straight-up insane.
This was a great idea and made for fascinating reading. It certainly solidified for me the lack of 'old fashioned' reports who had the time to have a 'beat'...a specific city or department in a city ..and really follow what went on there. Another issue is: how is all the federal money that has come into our state really been spent to include the procurement process (which is where so much corruption 'can' take place.) Periodically I've read about $$ hat Ducey handed out and now Hobbs hands out but...are there specific guidelines re such and reports that have to be submitted to the feds after the money is awarded and then when it's all spent? And there also seems to be a lot of $ 'still there' and floating around!! I find that very confusing. Years ago I managed a federal grant program for the state of AZ and I know that we had to file regular reports on which entities got the money, how it was spent, how many benefited etc. Doesn't that still apply?
More in depth reporting on finance at all levels how it is spent. Like the SFB, cities counties, school districts , and especially the state by Governor and legislature.
What the attorney general is doing, same for the state auditor
Hank, things I hate about political reporting;
+baited questions, trying to steer you into ditch
+always trying to make conservatives look extreme,
+always making university professors with no experience look not extreme, or constitutionally centered.
+any pabum the Walter Cronkite school puts out
Things I like about political reporting;
*Horizon explained and cheat sheet graphics
* many capital times stories not written by Howie
*Hanks effort to not be like Azcentral, heading to Bk.
*Elliot Pollocks efforts to give percent of the total when explaining economics.
Hey Hank, here's a series which needs investigating: what happened to the $30M (per State Senator) and $15M (per State Representative) which Ducey handed out last minute when the Feds were going to claw back covid money? For example, in Yavapai County, $15M was going to go to the non-profit rodeo grounds which is notoriously poorly managed. They pay the City of Prescott $1 a year in rent. No one told the city about until it was announced publicly. The fundraiser is a former mayor of Prescott who may be getting a big commission. But we needn't worry, the State Treasurer won't disburse any funds until the lawsuit is over...
Regarding what I like least about political reporting is the use of emotive language. I don't like being manipulated. Reuters and AP have become my go-to sources.