Any political beat reporters here?

[Purplehaze]

I'm making the transition from GA reporting to covering state politics. Does anyone have any advice?

[Produce man]

Drink heavily.

[Lazlo Toth]

Don't drink heavily. You'll be mistaken for one of the politicians.

[Another side]

It's a very difficult beat to do right ... and it takes awhile to learn.

That presumes, of course, you stories beyond the typical press releases and scheduled news conferences.

[Another side]

Originally posted by Another side:
It's a very difficult beat to do right ... and it takes awhile to learn.

That presumes, of course, you want stories beyond the typical press releases and scheduled news conferences.

[Purplehaze]

Well, the job is similar to an affiliate service in that we do stories for several stations.

[Produce man]

Originally posted by Lazlo Toth:
Don't drink heavily. You'll be mistaken for one of the politicians.That's what gets you the good interviews/ :D

[miss hap]

Never covered it as a solo beat, but always have my paws in the mix wherever I work.

One thing I've always thought is that state house reporting is a lot like sports. Gotta know everyone's legislative RBI, what clubs they've played for and keep track of the score.

... And it's also a lot like high school.

Don't let the old vets in the capital press corps intimidate you. Find one you like, though, and buy him/her a drink and milk as much information as you can about what lawmakers do in the back channel and what the rhythm of the session is like.

Beyond that, it's all about making a list of what's hot that session and tracking the legislation behind those issues. From there it's a matter of getting the daily schedule and having the nose for what's news that day. And enjoying the tennis match.

What a great beat - congrats! I'm jealous.

PS if you're fair to members on both sides of the aisle and can keep your trap shut when you have scoops and inside gossip - word will get around the general assembly that you're trust worthy and the sources will come.

[ August 09, 2007, 05:11 PM: Message edited by: miss hap ]

[kycamman]

PM me if you want some scoop and some ideas.

Just remember that you are one of the lucky folks still covering politics in the teevee news business. Much of the reason I'm not in the business is because of a change in ideals about what is important in the television news business.

Currently, single car wrecks are important. Tax reform and school funding are not (unless there's a juicy scandal or a fist fight). There is something inherently wrong with that, but that's what happens when local news becomes a contact sport.

Just remember these two rules.

Rule No. 1: How does x story affect real people and illustrate that in your stories.

Rule No. 2: Follow rule number one.

[overthehill]

Take a lawmaker or politician to lunch, befriend him/her. Use them for your 'stupid' questions.

Hell, get THEM to take YOU to lunch!

Read your state constitution.

Get to know the departmental PIOs--Revenue, Transportation, Governor's office, Attorney General, etc.

Hang out with other state house reporters. Some states have a legislative correspondents association. Join, bond.

[Marty McFly]

1. Check your bias when doing the story. That's tough and darn near impossible, but you have to try.

2. Ask TOUGH questions. Think: Stossel.

[kycamman]

Be tough, but be fair. It's not personal until it's made personal by someone else, then don't take it personally. Lots of politicos hate the media and don't know how to deal with them.

Do your homework BEFORE the press conferences. Have statistics that are available through the state or county websites to base those questions on.

Be nice to politicians but don't befriend them. Joking and chatting out in the hallway is one thing, going on a fishing trip or to the pub is another. You don't EVER want the perception of bias.

[guesswhoiam]

Originally posted by Purplehaze:
I'm making the transition from GA reporting to covering state politics. Does anyone have any advice?i do PR for a state legislature. It's an interesting ride, even from my perspective. enjoy your new beat!

[Another OMB]

All of the previous advice is good, especially from miss hap. Try to learn the process of how things work as quickly as possible. It's very confusing, but if you don't know what's happening procedurally it'll be hard to stay on top of things.

Something else I've learned, having covered a state legislature for more than 18 years: the key to making your stories good is finding people who are affected by the bill you're doing a story on. The problem is they can be hard to find that day. So go to subcommittee meetings. That's when the average people who care about an issue are most likely to be there, too. The bill may not be worth a story then, because it's so early in the process, but you can get the names and phone numbers of real people you can focus on later when you do the story. If you know a certain issue is going to be big, keep your ears open around your neighborhood or at church for people who might illustrate that issue well. Read the letters to the editor and keep a list of topics and the names of people who write in about them. They'd probably be willing to talk about the issue on camera, too.

And I can't stress enough what previous posters have said--do all you can to establish a reputation for fairness. I can't count how many lawmakers have been willing to talk to me over the years because I've established that reputation.

[The Mockingbird]

Remember, when covering campaigns, don't actually focus on issues, just cover the horse race. It's what the viewers want! graemlins/eusa_shifty.gif

[overthehill]

While you certainly need to understand the "process" of state government, try not to make "process" too much of your reporting.

Most viewers don't care about "process" or "the battle" or the "manuevering." The viewer cares about the bill itself, what it will do to make his/her life better/worse, direct impact. Get beyond the capitol complex to do your reporting. Make it real with real people.

[Purplehaze]

Originally posted by overthehill:
While you certainly need to understand the "process" of state government, try not to make "process" too much of your reporting.

Most viewers don't care about "process" or "the battle" or the "manuevering." The viewer cares about the bill itself, what it will do to make his/her life better/worse, direct impact. Get beyond the capitol complex to do your reporting. Make it real with real people.Thanks, everyone. I think this especially is good advice.

[Lazlo Toth]

And try not to go from political beat reporter to beat political reporter.