In 2011 and 2012, Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigations concluded that ethics standards for Georgia politicians – allowing unlimited spending by lobbyists and gaping reporting loopholes - were among the nation’s weakest. The system gave outsized influence to special interests and marginalized ordinary Georgians.
In 2013, Georgia legislators approved historic ethics reforms.
Coincidence? State Sen. Josh McKoon, R-Columbus, doesn’t think so.
“The AJC played a significant role in keeping the issue alive,” said McKoon, an advocate for tougher ethical standards. “Without the AJC beating the drum it would’ve been easy to ignore.”
Coverage of the Georgia Legislature and state government is among our most vital missions, and our work often gets results.
The 2014 session of the Legislature convenes Monday, and we will be there in force. Boasting the state’s largest and most experienced political team, we will be watchdogging hundreds of proposed laws – some of which were prompted by our work.
For example, our reporters spent months last year writing about heartbreaking cases of child abuse and neglect that occurred on the watch of the state’s child welfare agency. State officials responsible for protecting some of Georgia’s most vulnerable citizens failed them.
This session, lawmakers will consider legislation to reform or overhaul the child welfare system. (More examples of bills filed after our reports on A12).
It’s a fundamental responsibility of the AJC to challenge state leaders to make Georgia a better place. Our readers live here - and we do, too.
This year, we are deploying a team that has been covering the Georgia Capitol for a combined 85 years. Here’s the lineup:
Susan Abramson Potter, Political Editor. This is her seventh year leading our coverage. Potter works with our reporters to identify the most important stories, particularly those that might affect your wallet.
Greg Bluestein, political reporter covering Gov. Nathan Deal's administration. Bluestein covered Georgia politics for a decade for other news outlets before joining the AJC two years ago.
Jim Galloway, Political Insider. Galloway's print column and online blog are must-reads for anyone who wants the real story at the Capitol. He has spent 34 years covering state politics as an editor and reporter.
James Salzer, investigative reporter. Salzer has covered every Georgia legislative session since 1990. He is widely acknowledged as the state press corps' foremost expert on the state's multi-billion dollar budget.
Chris Joyner, investigative reporter. Joyner joined our Capitol team in 2010 after having covered government in Georgia, Tennessee and Mississippi. He has written extensively about lobbyists' influence under the Gold Dome.
Aaron Gould Sheinin, House reporter. Gould Sheinin has covered state government for us since 2007 after covering the South Carolina statehouse for seven years.
Kristina Torres, Senate reporter. Torres joined the team in 2010 to cover politics and state agencies after covering education in Georgia.
Jaime Sarrio, legislative reporter and editor. Sarrio is the newbie, added a month ago to bolster our coverage. She's written about education and government in Georgia and Tennessee since 2002.
In addition to that core team, we assign topic specialists, such as higher education reporter Janel Davis, transportation reporter Andria Simmons and others, to cover legislation that could affect your college or commute —- subjects you’ve told us are important to you. Veteran photographer Brant Sanderlin will chronicle the session visually.
While coverage of the Legislature may seem like old hat for much of our crew, readers’ constantly evolving expectations are changing the way we do our work.
Readers of our print newspaper tell us they want depth, context, the story behind the “official” version. Nobody does that better than our team.
Readers of ajc.com want news told as quickly as possible in text, video, photo and more. We’ll provide constant updates as bills move through what is expected to be a fast-moving session.
More readers are getting their news on smart phones and tablets. Follow our legislative coverage on AJC apps.
Readers of our premium website, MyAJC.com, want depth, more than the limited space of a newspaper can provide. If you haven't checked out MyAJC, you should. The site will offer exclusive content such as our comprehensive guide to legislation and lawmakers at www.myajc.com/navigator.
No matter how they get their news, readers tell us how much they value the role we play. Wrote one reader:
“You are doing incredible watchdog work at the AJC. Keep it up, and know that we rely on you to keep our government accountable.”
