Study highlights check-splitting in Va. gift reporting – The Washington Post.

This Washington Post story examines a legal practice that splits the cost of a gift from a lobbyist to an elected official. The cost of an expensive dinner divided by nine clients that the lobbyist represents becomes a cost below the $50 reporting threshold in Virginia. Some say “splitting the check in that way undermines the spirit of disclosure rules.”

The story uses real examples and on-the-record sources to examine the procedure. The story is a nice model of public-affairs reporting.