(The Center Square) – A Michigan lawmaker wants to pay reporters and media outlets to expose public corruption and save taxpayers money.
Republican Councilman Joseph Aragona of Clinton Township came up with the idea after The Detroit News recently exposed questionable spending surrounding a $20 million grant by businesswoman Faye Beydoun, who served on the executive committee of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
As Previously reported The Detroit News first reported the spending at a press conference in Centre Square, which included $4,500 for coffee makers, $11,000 for airfare, $100,000 in sponsorship fees and $9,400 in annual dues to the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Since then, Attorney General Dana Nessel has launched an investigation, and both the House and Senate have voted to remove the remaining funding.
Aragona sees the idea of offering rewards to journalists who uncover taxpayer misuse as a way to promote local journalism.
“Local journalism is declining, and that’s not good because the public needs to be informed and have an independent watchdog to monitor the actions of their government,” Aragona said.
One of the items purchased with the taxpayer-funded grant was a Jura Z10 coffee maker in Diamond White, which came to $4,526 after adding 10 accessories including a cooling control $359, a cup warmer $249, a filter $196, decalcifying tablets $68, a milk system cleaner $25 and a glass milk container $50.
Other expenses included $21,400 for furniture from Wayfair, more than $4,000 for a hotel, $3,950 paid to a recruiter to find a chief of staff and $40,800 for housing over two years.
The terms of the grant require an audit only once half the funds have been spent.
He said taxpayers would save $19 million if the state were to take back the unused $10 million already paid and eliminate the remaining subsidy, and he believes 10 percent, or $1.9 million, should go to The Detroit News and its reporters who cover the issue.
“The federal government offers whistle-blowers bounties,” Aragona said. “In Silicon Valley, they offer big bounties because it’s much cheaper to find vulnerabilities before they’re exploited. The same principle applies here. There are some practical problems to solve, like how to decide who gets the bounty, because big news stories are usually covered incrementally, with many contributors building on previous coverage.”
