Basic questions to help cover the census

Planning to cover the unfolding story of people and political power, told through numbers

By LaBarbara Bowman

The census story started last month and will continue as a running story for the next two years, revealing whom we are, where and how we live, what we do and how we’ve changed since 1990.

This is an unfolding story of people and political power told through numbers.

Your planning should revolve around answering four basic questions, according to Steven Doig, an Arizona State professor and Paul Overberg, USA TODAY’s census czar, who are traveling the country giving training sessions sponsored by IRE to help reporters and editors cover this historic story.

How do we cover redistricting?

What do we do on our Web site?

What information do we put in the zones?

Do we want to get into mapping software?

“This isn’t a story where you can dial up a couple quotes, write a story and run a chart in the paper,” said Overberg. “For one thing, technology has made this story far more competitive.”

Redistricting. You’ve already started to answer the first question because at the end of December the Census bureau released information showing the population of each state and how many seats each gained or lost in the House of Representatives. Even if the number of congressional seats remains the same, migration and growth within the state may require a redrawing of district lines to comply with one-man, one-vote requirements. (Each congressman represents approximately 500,000 people.)

Small papers might decide the story is better covered by their own capital bureau or the AP because most of the action will be in the state legislatures.

The state legislatures redraw the boundaries for congressional districts plus their own senate and house or assembly districts.

What to do on the Web Site. The Census plans to release all the information on the Web. Your Web site is a great place to give readers heaps of information about their neighbors, their city, their county, and their state. How in-depth do you want to make the information? How searchable do you want to make the content? What about mapping on the Web?

Zoned sections. What do you want to do differently here? In communities where there have been great changes in age, race and gender do you want to do neighborhood profiles? How much overlap do you want between the zones and the Web site?

Mapping software. Maps are essential to telling the census story. Do you want to get mapping software? If so, you should check to see if the circulation or advertising department already has it. If not, you will need to budget for it.

Lastly and most importantly, you need to plan for accuracy.

The Census Bureau plans to release the numbers, state by state with little warning. There will be no embargoed information that allows you a few days to study it. It goes up on the Web site and the scramble begins.

You will need to plan early how to build-in fact checking because the initial stories will be written on deadline.

“The power of Census data lies in showing patterns at neighborhood level,” Overberg said. “This data will define the social landscape and debate for the next decade: on immigration, family structure, integration, diversity, sprawl, aging, inequality. Any editor who doesn’t passionately care about being first and best at telling those stories locally should rethink his profession.”

2000-2002 calendar for census news

Dec. 28-31 — State totals issued. These include overseas military and federal employees working abroad. Will include number of House seats for each state. Can easily tell winners and losers.

March-April 2001 — Rollout state by state. This is the information needed for redistricting. Count by race and Hispanic origin and age. Stories: growth (can compare to 1980 and 90); children; segregation; diversity; redistricting; the undercount.

June-September 2001 — This is information from the seven-question short form. Again state by state. This is the age, Hispanic and Asian origin information, gender, plus households and housing information. Stories: age, race, gender profiles, family structure, home ownership patterns.

December 2001-March 2002 — Information from the 52-question long form state by state. This will include information on marital status, citizenship, education, disability, and grandparents. You will need to look at the numbers that are most important to your community.

Bowman is ASNE’s diversity director.