Provide names of other journalists involved.
Marni Jameson
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
March 18, 2012; April 26, 2012; June 3, 2012
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
What’s taking so long? That question frustrated more than 400,000 veterans waiting for the long-promised Orlando VA Medical Center to open. The $656 million facility was supposed to open in October 2012. However, it was at least 18 months behind schedule and $120 million over budget — and counting. To explain the complicated mess that is the Orlando VA Medical Center, the reporter clarified, simplified and humanized the problem in these 3 stories that: * Traced the bungled communications by following the trail of a six-inch steel stud * Put the delay in context of problems plaguing VA hospital construction nationwide * Focused on the hundreds of displaced the workers hurt most by the project’s poor management
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
To research the story, the reporter reviewed data from the Government Accountability Office on projected costs, construction drawings (original and revised), minutes from the subcontractors’ meetings, Requests for Information (RFIs), and photographs taken by workers on the site. She also obtained emails sent between workers and their subcontractor bosses. She also relied on testimony from a Congressional hearing held in March, and written statements from U.S. representatives.
Explain types of human sources used.
The reporter interviewed VA officials in charge of hospital and clinic construction, both in Washington and at the Orlando worksite, the main contractor, subcontractors, construction workers and independent construction experts. The reporter also frequently spoke with U.S. representatives familiar with the project, including the congressional chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, whose job it is to provide legislative oversight. By interviewing sources at all levels of the food chain, she was able to get a fuller picture of the mismanagement.
Results:
The story generated lively commentary online. Many readers posted comments grateful for the inside look and eager for more news. Many also shared frustrations about the delay. Judging from the several hundred comments, Central Florida residents appreciated the harsh light shed on the ineptness of this taxpayer-funded project.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No corrections, clarifications or challenges followed these reports. Both sides continue to want to present “their side” to the reporter.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Search high and low for information, literally. Go to top officials and to the guys hammering nails to get the whole picture. When covering a story that greatly affects your community, step back with a long lens. Look to see if the situation is being repeated elsewhere in the country, or world. Ask if the problem is an aberration or typical of a larger trend. Don’t avoid off-the-record interviews. You never know where they’ll lead you. The two key sources for the displaced workers story — Mr. Conner and Mr. Deese — started as off-the-record conversations. They were both wary of going to the media. But the more we spoke, the more they trusted.