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Updated: Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Published: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 |
Review: NABJ Watergate Conference on Political and Congressional Reporting
Below is an review of the NABJ Watergate Conference on Political and Congressional Reporting, October 19 21, 2007, from Region II Director Charles Robinson.
No spin, Just the Facts on Political Reporting
Washington, DC Everything is political in Washington so what better backdrop for the NABJ Media Institute on Political and Congressional Reporting than the Watergate headquarters. Held in the offices of the National Journal, nearly 100 participants received nuts and bolts training on political and congressional reporting.
The subjects were varied and participants received critical advice on covering and entering the world of political reporting. A whos who of reporters and editors were on hand to field questions on a variety of subjects.
Saturday, October 20
Getting to the Front of the Bus with Deborah Mathis
Presenter: Deborah Mathis, Director of Communications and Outreach, Public Justice Foundation
Deborah Mathis talked about her varied experiences from getting her first job right of high school at the local newspaper to being courted by the local television station.
I didn't know anything about television, but when they told me Id make $110 a week I changed my mind.
The reporter would land in Washington and take the skills she learned along the way.
Look, if you covered the local school board, the mayors office you have to look at Washington the same way.
Mathis later went on to talk about her experiences sticking with a story.
Id been working on a story about an inmate who was wrongfully accused. The inmate would call me collect from prison and wonder when the story was going to air. Id respond. Itll air when its ready. There would late phone calls trying to take her off the story and even an unknown car tried to run her off the road. Eventually, the piece would air and she would win numerous awards.
Mathis also discussed her time covering the white house. Her early run-in with the Clintons would serve her well when she arrived to cover the Whitehouse.
Mathis would begin serving as an analysts and contributor to various shows based in Washington. She would receive an invitation to co-host Hardball on MSNBC. After several attempts of working with Chris Matthews the producer pulled the plug. He (Matthews) felt hed like to try it on his own. As they say, the rest is history. She was initially bitter but finally let it go. You have to know that every thing happens for a reason.
What Covering State & Local Politics Taught Me about Washington?
Moderator: Kenneth Cooper, freelance journalist
Panelists: Halimah Abdullah, Washington correspondent, McClatchy Newspapers; Charles Robinson, correspondent/associate producer, Maryland Public Television; Chuck Todd, political director, NBC News and Linda D. Williams, deputy managing editor, The News & Observer
A group of journalists who've covered the state house gave their impressions of the beats where Washington based journalists get their starts.
We dig a little deeper especially asking for the transcripts of meetings and asking for FOIAs. Its proved to be a gold mine on stories. Linda D. Williams, deputy managing editor, The News & Observer
The stories I cover in Washington are sometimes right out of types of state stories I worked on, especially those with ties back to communities. Halimah Abdullah, Washington correspondent, McClatchy Newspapers.
Block grants. Governors use these to reward friends and punish enemies because there are no strings attached as to how they are spent. Charles Robinson, Correspondent, Maryland Public Television
Help Wanted: What it takes to get hired today
Moderator: Fredreka Schouten, money/politics reporter, USA Today
Panelists: Catalina Camia, political/White House editor, USA Today, past president, UNITY, Inc. Journalists of Color; Carl Cannon, staff correspondent, National Journal, and Matt Kelley, Washington investigative reporter, USA Today
This workshop featured a frank discussion on what editors are looking for and how people of color are changing news coverage.
We saw this little blurb from Senator Joseph Biden about how Senator Barack Obama was clean and articulate. Automatically, Fredreka (Schouten) of USA Today and I knew this as code. As an editor I wanted to explore this use of language. The regular political reporter was off that day so I asked Fredreka to follow the story. We eventually did that story and broke the story surrounding whether Obama was black enough. - Catalina Camia, political/White House editor, USA Today, past president, UNITY, Inc. Journalists of Color
Covering the Black Candidate: Opportunities and Obstacles
Moderator: DeWayne Wickham, columnist, USA Today
Panelists: Jim Barnes, staff correspondent, National Journal; Joe Davidson, assistant city editor,The Washington Post; Brian DeBose, national political reporter, The Washington Times; Pamela Gentry, senior producer/blogger, BET News, and Les Payne, associate editor emeritus, Newsday
Past NABJ President and founder DeWayne Wickham moderated this session and asked panelists, Do Black journalists cover Black candidates differently? He pointed to the first and second Jesse Jackson presidential runs.
In the early days Jackson campaign he would seek out Black journalists covering his campaign. During this period more Black reporters were given an opportunity to cover the first significant Black candidate. Les Payne, associate editor emeritus, Newsday
Wickham reminded the panel of how this closeness may have compromised the reporting process. He referred to the Milton Coleman incident where The Washington Post reporter heard Jackson in a off the record conversation refer to Jews from New York as Hymies and New York was called Hymie Town. To make his point Wickham played an excerpt from an NABJ convention where Coleman was confronted about why he took an off the record comment and put it on the record.
Look, I try never to give any of the candidates who are running for president the wiggle room to talk off the record. Brian DeBose, National Political Reporter, The Washington Times.
I said it then and I say it now. Coleman was wrong. I objected to his editor writing the story rather than him having the by-line. Les Payne, associate editor emeritus, Newsday
Wickham later asked should the record be corrected.
Look, we've done it on occasion to make sure the record is clear. Pamela J. Gentry of BET News.
The group also tackled debunking myths, like the claims by "experts" that Sen. Hillary Clinton has more experience than Sen. Barack Obama.
Obama has way more experience as a legislator and about the same amount of Senate time as Clinton. Brian DeBose, National Political Reporter, The Washington Times
Saturday, October 21
On-Line Innovators
Moderator: Charles Robinson, Correspondent/associate producer, Maryland Public Television
Panelists: Mario Armstrong, technology expert and talk show host, Mario Armstrong Media, LLC;
Jimi Izrael, freelance writer, Tallahassee, FL; Robert Redding, host, Redding News Review, and
Jane Roh, deputy managing editor, National Journals The Gate
The next generation of journalism online innovators talked about how Blogs, You-Tube and tech devices are changing politics.
Look, not every blogger is a journalist so you should be very careful. Bloggers don't always check their facts yet mainstream media is reading them. Jimi Izrael, Blogger and Commentator, Host of the Barbershop on NPRs, Tell Me More.
(Have Blogs changed politics?) Yes, people are using them to announce and circumvent traditional media. Janet Roe, National Journals Blog, The Gate
Every reporter should have at least a Blackberry or Treo (as hes saying this hes writing for his own blog).Think about getting your own name as a domain site on the web. Let me tell you, I told Tavis Smiley this several years ago. Now he cant buy his own name and hes kicking himself. Mario Armstrong, Tech Guru
The Editorial Board
Moderator: Wayne Dawkins, assistant professor, Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications
Panelists: Colbert King, Columnist & Deputy Editorial Page Editor emeritus, The Washington Post, Deborah Simmons, editorial page editor, The Washington Times
Two of the best in the business, Colbert King of the Washington Post and Deborah Simmons of the Washington Times editorial board sat in on this discussion moderated by Professor Wayne Dawkins of Hampton University.
King counseled journalists to distinguish themselves and don't always settle or compromise, thinking the move will get them promoted. Ten years later, you'll feel trapped and used up."
Editorial writers need to get out of the ivory towers and actually see things they write about. -- Colbert King, columnist & deputy editorial page editor emeritus
Simmons talked about the special impact editorial boards have on monitoring local officials, like D.C. city council members and the mayor. Write about the things you're passionate about.
White House Correspondent Roundtable
Moderator: Charles Robinson, correspondent/associate producer, Maryland Public Television
Roundtable Panelists: Mike Allen, chief political writer, Politico; Carl Cannon, staff correspondent, National Journal, and Kathy Kiely, political correspondent, USA Today
The discussion centered on being in the bubble of the White House Press Corps and breaking out of the pack.
The stories are hand fed to you but you got break out of the bubble to find the story which the Press Office doesn't necessarily want you to cover. -- Carl Cannon, staff correspondent, National Journal,
Since Nixon, the White House has been focusing on getting one message out on any given day. This presidency has taken it to a high art by not calling on certain reporters and chastising reporters for being disrespectful. -- Kathy Kiely, political correspondent, USA Today |
