One reporter finds shoe leather is a crucial tool

Patrick Lakamp of The Buffalo News tracked how his city doles out federal money for economic development and urban renewal. He found that one district of the city – where the mayor was formerly its councilman – received 71 percent of grants since 2006. One barbershop in the district received more than $100,000 – and created two jobs when the owner hired his sons.

After reviewing $2 million in grants to 144 businesses, Patrick concluded that businesses in three other districts that are at least as poor as the mayor’s former district got a combined 2 percent of the grants.

Patrick says he gathered grant and loan information from City Hall using state Freedom of Information requests. He then analyzed the data using the Microsoft Access database program and ArcView mapping software, which made possible an interactive map of where the money went.

While Patrick’s computer-assisted reporting skills made the story possible, his tip is to get on your bike and hit the streets.

Today’s Tip: Get a sense for the area that you’re covering by visiting at different times.

“Spend enough time doing the shoe-leather reporting on the street to give meaning to the data,” Patrick says. “I went to all of the streets several times, at different times, weekdays and weekends, and often talked informally with merchants for quite a while before pulling out my notebook looking for quotes.”

Patrick says he traveled through the area during his weekend bike rides to talk with people he wouldn’t have found during the workday.