Hail to the Chief; no disrespect intended
President Bush goes to Ft. Bragg on the Fourth of July. We don't.
Back in the day, we would have dispatched a reporter or two and a photographer or two. Dating back to at least the Reagan presidency -- which is when I arrived here -- our policy was that whenever the president touches down in North Carolina, we're there until wheels up. We followed that through Reagan and Bush 41 and at least some of the Clinton years.
Around the mid-90s, with 24-hour news channels popping up all over the dial, we started questioning exactly what our purpose was. We were one paper in a pack, closeted behind the press ropes, getting nothing more than anyone else, including the very wire services we subscribed to. The president almost never, ever, made news, other than being in North Carolina. What the heck were we wasting our time for? Was it regional pride? Was it a close brush with national politics? Was it a death watch?
So we stopped going outside the Piedmont Triad to cover a stump speech or a fund-raising appearance or a policy pronouncement or a cheering of the troops. What have we missed? I'd say nothing. Reporters from the Post, the Times and AP were there. They filed. We got it. Tomorrow, we plan to run one of their stories on our local front.
Instead, that's two or three staffers we can have doing something else, something that might be unique to our readers. Mistake? I don't think so -- I'd change it if I did -- but I'd be lying if I said I didn't hold my breath while he's on the ground in North Carolina, worrying that we might miss being at a big story. (Didn't this time, either.)
Comments (9)
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I for one commend your decision. Too many times I've fended off other photogs in the pack, been wanded by Secret Service agents and held onto the wobbly risers as Air Force One touched down, all while wondering just what the &%$@! I was doing there.
Then again, I get that feeling most days, presidential visit or not...
Posted on July 4, 2006 10:06 PM
did your truth seeking racial justice fighters attend nelson's press conference yesterday?
Posted on July 5, 2006 11:46 AM
I don't buy the existential angst and crisis of purpose. Nor do I believe that on a slow news day like the Fourth, you needed to free up staffers to do anything other than maybe attend a pool party or fireworks display. As a regular N&R reader, I have my own thoughts about why you didn't cover the GB2 visit, and I wasn't at all surprised by your decision.
That said, I'm excited that NC troops got to see the President on Independence Day. Awesome! God bless America. All of us. :)
Posted on July 5, 2006 11:50 AM
Ben, no.
Michele, glad you're not buying the existential angst or crisis of purpose because that's not what I'm selling. Worry, yes, but one of the things I get paid for is to worry over coverage. Did you feel you missed anything with our use of an Associated Press story on the president's visit?
Posted on July 5, 2006 12:03 PM
Yeah, I kind of do. I read the AP stories you included in today's paper. I especially enjoyed the one about the Special Forces soldier. I would have liked to have read more, and seen more pictures, maybe from a local perspective. Like interviews with Triad troops who serve at Bragg.
Yesterday was Independence Day, and our military folks represent how and why we are free. The President of the United States chose to come to our state to visit our troops on the Fourth. I think that's a big deal. (BTW, Charlotte Observer and Raleigh News & Observer both had Bush at Bragg stories written by staff writers.)
So that's MHO. But hey, life's (and summer's) too short to be grumpy, so I'm already over it. ;)
Peace, CM
Posted on July 5, 2006 12:46 PM
Cara, I also read the Fayetteville Observer newspaper online, they had excellent coverage of the President's visit.
Mr. Robinson, I feel your newspaper is best at covering local events. With the advent of 24 hour cable news, most world and national stories are presented in a much more timely fashion than possible with a local paper.
Posted on July 5, 2006 5:55 PM
Call me John, jaycee. We've certainly debated enough that we can be on a first-name basis. :)
I'd just say that I read both Raleigh and Charlotte and neither that I can tell localized the president's visit for their readers. They might as well used the Times, the Post or AP, too. (Unless I'm reading the wrong version online.) I didn't read Fayetteville's but you certainly could make the case that their coverage should be the most comprehensive and local of all as the president spoke in their city.
Posted on July 5, 2006 7:30 PM
The Fayetteville newspaper covers the military in depth, and the President's visit was about the military, after all.
Talking about the Special Operations soldiers stationed at Bragg, President Bush said:
"They were the first coalition forces to arrive on the scene after the bombing of Zarqawi's safe house. They administered compassionate medical care to a man who showed no compassion to his victims. And when this brutal terrorist took his final breath, one of the last things he saw was the face of an American soldier from Fort Bragg, North Carolina." That remark drew deafening applause.
The Fayetteville Observer also had some other local interest stories; Bush awarded a local teen a volunteer service award, and he visited with some retired soldiers, including NBA star Michael Jordan's brother. Though seldom reported by his request, I'm sure the President visited with the families of fallen soldiers as he always does when he's on the road whenever he can.
If he visited Greensboro, I'd expect the same in-depth reporting from a local angle.
Posted on July 5, 2006 10:04 PM
I think the president is a dork...and nobody should cover anything about her unless it is her impeachment.
Posted on July 6, 2006 10:08 AM