Out of the Pressboxes; Onto the Field — Again
The Charlotte Observer is one of 14 news organizations in the state collaboration on coverage of the U.S. Senate race. Lambasted in 1996 by national newspapers for being “insidious and dangerous” and a “fraud,” the statewide North Carolina election partnership is back – wiser and better than before. The “Your Voice, Your Vote” initiative this year […]
Beyond the Ballot in Maine
By Eric Conrad Assistant Managing Editor Portland Press Herald People often ask journalists: “Why don’t you write about my issues when you report on elections and government? Why don’t you cover things that are important to me?” With those voices in mind, editors and reporters at the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram set out in the fall […]
Broadcasters: Rethinking Elections
There were some differences of opinion and some lively discussion about how television stations should cover elections but one unmistakable theme emerged from the first Best Practices 2000 workshop in Washington, DC, December 10-12: The old “horse race” kind of coverage simply isn’t going to cut it. LEFT: Broadcasters check out “Citizen Voices”, The Philadelphia […]
TV: Building Innovative Election Coverage for 2000
By Dave Iverson Executive Editor Wisconsin Public Television Last October, teen mom Taranda Brown, an “A” high-school student, walked to a microphone in North Minneapolis and put the candidates for Governor of Minnesota on notice. Taranda was at Lucille’s Kitchen, a neighborhood restaurant. The candidates were in KTCA’s studio in St. Paul. “Do you think […]
Covering Elections, Making it Worthwhile
By Nick Pappas Managing Editor/News The Telegraph of Nashua, NH Two years ago, while preparing to kick off coverage of what promised to be a long summer of political rhetoric, The Telegraph came to a startling conclusion. We couldn’t do it. Press conferences and sound bites. Sound bites and press conferences. Candidate A attacks Candidate […]
NY Senate Race Triggers a Public TV Coalition
By Gary Walker Vice President, News & Public Affairs WXXI-TV, Rochester, NY In Syracuse, people are worried about lagging behind the rest of the state. In Buffalo, border crossing is a growing concern. In New York City, citizens are bracing for a nasty and negative U.S. Senate race. The Empire State is home to an […]
TV Election Initiatives Seek New Ideas
By Walter Dean Associate Director, Pew Center Pilot partnerships have formed in 11 major markets to develop innovative election coverage as part of the Best Practices 2000 project, a partnership of Wisconsin Public Television, the Pew Center, RTNDF and PBS. The Best Practices 2000’s (BP2K) national workshops and partnerships have “demonstrated how eager people […]
Campaign 2000: Pressure is on the Traditional Press — Will We Reform Coverage? Or Will We Continue Our Old Ways?
Keynote by Pam Johnson Senior Vice President-News and Executive Editor The Arizona Republic Amid this year’s “predictable” and traditional presidential primary coverage were some positive signs that favored citizens, “signs that we should be watching and reacting to,” asserted Arizona Republic editor Pam Johnson. “We chased Bush and cocaine and we chased Gore and campaign finance […]
The Presidency and the Media
Luncheon Keynote by Robert Dallek Presidential Historian Boston University Today’s White House press corps cover the nation’s Presidents far more adversarially than they did before the Vietnam War, when journalists limited disclosures about health problems or sexual indiscretions, took pains not to endanger national security and even overlooked policy contradictions, asserted B.U. presidential historian Robert […]
Meeting Citizens’ Needs: What’s Next? Can the news media do more to inform citizen choices?
Moderator Robert Zelnick engaged panelists David Shribman, the Boston Globe’s Washington Bureau Chief; Jeannine Guttman, Editor of the Portland Press Herald; Candy Altman, News Director of Boston’s Channel 5 television; Chris Satullo, Editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer’s editorial pages; and Joe Sciacca, The Boston Herald’s deputy managing editor for politics and investigations. Zelnick (right): David, what’s […]