Best of the best: Investigative reporter Steve Andrews

“I like doing what I do,” Steve Andrews. Primo investigating reporter with 25 years of experience talks for itself how high on his job is he today. There is no need of explanation who is he because tax payers in the Tampa Bay area know him closely through his revealing stories.

“On your side: News Channel 8”. Steve Andrew backs up his TV station’s slogan very well because his investigative stories open the eyes of many residents in the Tampa Bay area. He shows them how tax dollars are going in the wrong direction with the help of government agencies.

WFLA-TV 8 and Steve Andrews’s fascinating story about Workforce Alliance $ 20,000 spending on food brought attention not only to the public, but to many politicians on state and federal level. With the help of state agency public records, great amount of tips from people, and the powerful silence on TV the investigative reporting showed how taxpayers money fly away. NO JOBS for you people: SORRY we will eat our $9 a piece cheesecakes! The public and the lawyers’ strong responses of the story led to many changes in the Workforce Alliance agency. Steve Andrews showed the cultural political phenomena that people didn’t expected to see especially now.

According to Steve Andrews, public records are gold mine. He explained that the records take a lot of time to look through, but at the end they give us the key information. In investigative reporting we have to work until the stories are done. Mr. Andrews explained how his polite way of approaching people during his investigations give him extra power along the way. Bullying people during investigative reporting make the reporter look bad to his audience. Another good advice is that a reporter always have to have three key questions prepared to ask when he goes to a story. People usually get off subject to distract the reporter, but the written questions will always bring the reporter back on topic.

“Find the next logical Step”. Steve Andrews bombarded us with great advices, which will lead us in the right direction. His long time teacher Mr. Gil Thelen also added: Don’t wait, be a proactive reporter. What that means is to look ahead what’s coming up in the news world. Government meetings have agendas which usually give reporters clues if there is going to be an interesting issue discussion. BE READY!

In conclusion I would say that Steve Andrews’ professionalism was very impressive. He can be a role model to many future reporters. From him I learned that is worth knowing the rules and regulations in government because they are your guide in the work place.