After nearly four days of dealing budget stuff stories, I want different stories to write about Friday.
I knew I wouldn’t necessarily be spared from at least one more budget-related story. The budget council approved Thursday wasn’t a finished a work. They’re still in the process of looking for more cuts and they – at least most of them – hope there reductions tucked somewhere to be had.
My editor asked me if the experience was the most challenging budget week I’ve ever dealt with in my entire career.
It wasn’t really.
I had more difficulty when I was working in Fort McMurray and just beginning to understand reading financial documents.
Budgets are fun for some to go through. But when you’re looking at piles and piles of documents that talk about numbers and money, you can go crazy if you believe you can draw out all the interesting stuff in one sitting.
I dealt with quarterly reports from different energy companies, mostly those that have interest in the oilsands while I was working in Fort McMurray. They were difficult documents, sometime extremely dry that one would want to cry how to pull a story that actually affects ordinary people’s lives.
I did it for almost two years and I thought that was enough training to get through my career.
I was wrong.
As I moved one with my career, I realized I will always need the assistance of the experts, those whom I can trust to tell me, what’s the real story behind the numbers.
I was working in Edmonton in 2008 and was asked to pinch hit for the city hall reporter when council was finalizing the budget numbers.
I eagerly went to the final hour of council meeting and listened without really knowing where exactly they were.
They finished the meeting and approved the budget. The first thing I asked one councilor I thought I could trust was the tax rate. She gave some number. I hardly remember it now. I rushed to the newsroom with the news about the tax rate. It made front page the next day.
I was proud.
Then the next day, I was asked to explain why the number the competing paper had on its front page is different than what I reported.
I was profusely mad and ashamed. I felt betrayed.
My number was off a little. It was the number the councilor wanted. But council didn’t exactly get there.
That was a lesson, a painful one.
From then on I learned to asked not only a second person, but a third and if I have the luxury of time, which journalists don’t always have, I ask a fourth.
The past budget debate was interesting. It wasn’t neither the most challenging nor difficult budget coverage I’ve ever had.
But it’s challenging enough that I’m glad it’s almost over.
We’ll get back at it maybe in February, if not April.
For now, it’s time to board the plane to Kelowna and see my partner, who’s working out of town. He’s company has graciously offered to fly me to where he is. I can’t say no to that.
Dec. 3, 2010
