Work is more important today
November 4, 2008 | 10:58 am
Jeff Jarvis’s post reminded of how much I used to hate being a staff writer on election day — particularly big, national elections (Democratic mayoral primaries in the city of Pittsburgh were the lone exception to this rule, and even those days kind of dragged). This is the second presidential election in my journalism career where I have not been a staff writer for a daily newspaper, and a god reminder of why I don’t want to ever be a staff writer for a newspaper again.
The culture of newspapers holds that these are big, important days, so it was implied that everyone needed to be in early and stay late. In my last few years at the Trib, when I was on the business desk and no business news was breaking, I started scheduling personal days for election day. But even that was kind of frowned upon. Again, that culture: we need everyone here.
For what? To write cookie-cutter news stories about voter turnout. To expense long, leisurely lunches and a take-out dinner to Richard Mellon Scaife. To grab a few photos of the candidates voting. To line up the same three or four “political analysts” to say the same three or four things they say after every election. Stories on the races themselves had been written days ahead of time, save for the lead reporting the winner, the loser and the score, and a couple of throwaway quotes about change from the victorious candidate (particularly after this election cycle, I’m feeling the most needed change in the political process is to ban the use of the word “change” by every candidate for office).
The reality is that in the entire election cycle, there may be no day less important than election day. The campaigning is done. People will vote, while others will not. The day is not nearly as important as the days, weeks and months that led up to it, and those days are not nearly as tomoorow and the four years that will follow.
The question is, where will the newspapers be tomorrow (figuratively — I have a feeling this is going to be another late election night and they’ll still be hunkering for the declaration of a winner by this time tomorrow. The good news is my political predictions are seldom right)? Where will they be when Obama or McCain doesn’t make good on campaign promises — many of which the shrewdest observers have noted will be difficult to fulfill?
Most likely they’ll be off covering the next horse race. Mid-term elections are just a mere 730 days away, and the next big one another 730 after that. There are a lot of trees that need to be killed between now and Decision ‘12.
Tags: Journalism, Newspapers, Politics
Jonathan Potts wrote:
November 4, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Maggi wanted to order a pizza tonight for old time’s sake.
Worst Reporter in Pittsburgh (ret.) wrote:
November 5, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Sorry, but I’m an old fire horse. When the bell rings, I want to go. So I kind of miss not working on election night.
Four years ago I pinch-hit at one of the radio stations on election night — just me, the AP wire and the web — and we did updates every 20 minutes. It was fun! I was too busy this year.
I also like city council meetings, so I’m a little sick in the head.
James Z wrote:
November 7, 2008 at 10:15 am
Good god in heaven, I actually agree with this post.