Newspaper completes extensive public salary database

After 18 months of analysis and 140 public record requests, the (Middletown) Times Herald-Record  on Monday launched a comprehensive database of public payroll information in New York — containing the names, titles and salaries of 39,400 people at every level of government.  

The project, a sweeping example of how journalism and open records laws can combine to great effect, includes six news stories, a frequently-asked-questions section, a searchable database and a feature letting readers compare their salaries to those of government employees.