The Pench: Overhauling Rhode Island's Pension System

You just about needed to be an actuary to understand the numbers behind Rhode Island's troubled pension system. How was it funded? Why was it underfunded? And how could the projected rate of return make or break an entire state system? As discussions on overhauling the state's pension started rolling, we started getting confused by the numbers flying by. We assumed that our listeners were equally in the dark, so we rolled out a series that started with an explainer piece followed by stories featuring current state workers, retirees, unions, the state treasurer, and people drawing multiple pensions. We covered every small step of the pension overhaul in our newscasts, turned out a miniseries on the proposed legislation, tweeted public hearings, aired multiple commentaries, and produced a pair of public affairs shows talking with all parties involved. As our general manager said when the pension overhaul bill was signed into law, "nobody can say we didn't cover the pension fix." © Copyright 2012, RIPR