Month: October 2006

How pros report the news.

A lot of people paint a Mr Smith Goes to Washington picture of investigative reporting, and maybe sometimes it does work that way, but really, not very often. There aren’t too many Woodwards and Bernsteins. Most of the reporting that goes on is pretty mundane workaday stuff, that follows a pretty simple template.

1. Get an idea. It could come from reading a colleague’s article at another paper (news stories tend to come in droves, once an idea is reported by one publication, it can often be repeated by others).

2. Make a handful of phone calls, ask people what they think. Write down some of what they say. The parts you don’t quote might be important to what the person thinks, but you can’t write it all down. Also at this point very often errors get introduced, also known as the “misquote.” The reporter may or may not understand the gist of what the person is saying, but that’s not important, because neither will the reader. Look for the juicy quote, that’s what they pay you the big bucks for. It doesn’t matter, emphatically, if the quote reflects the beliefs of the person you’re quoting. You’re trying to catch them saying something interesting, and that’s usually something embarassing, either to themselves, or someone else. Or something you can make sound embarassing (or stupid) by putting it after something that sounds reasonable or intelligent.

3. Do some searching on the Internet to get some impressive-sounding statistics.

4. Now it’s time to write your lead and your close. See if you can find the “middle ground.” Pick two extreme positions, and imply or directly say that the truth lies somewhere between. Even if the question is something that is true or false, like the sun revolves around the earth, or the moon is larger than the sun (it looks that way, doesn’t it, and perception is everything, they say).

[Scripting News]

I’ve noticed this myself. The big exception is when the story involves some very powerful entity which might shut the reporter out from future press conferences, etc. (government agencies being the most common example), in which case the reporter will basically regurgitate whatever they’re told to say.

More on the Gambling Ban.

Been doing interviews all day, including one with the BBC, which should air tonight.

Here’s the statement I issued through Cato:

This bill is paternalistic, moralizing big government at its worst. It won’t eradicate online gambling, it will only make those gambling sites that are incorporated and publicly traded and regulated in countries like Great Britain unavailable to U.S. customers. But the $12 billion per year U.S. customers spend on online gaming won’t dry up. Instead, much of it will now go shady offshore sites based in countries less steeped in the rule of law, meaning more potential for fraud, abuse, preying on minors, and involvement from organized crime and terrorist groups. Meanwhile, state lotteries (which studies show are among the most addictive forms of gambling) will exploit the exemption the bill grants them, and continue to spend millions of dollars encouraging their citizens to engage in government-run gambling, with far less favorable odds.

From House Republican leaders’ baffling attempts to invoke the shame of Jack Abramoff and pass the ban in the name of “lobbying reform,” to Senator Frist attaching the ban to a port security bill late at night on the last day of Congress, nothing about the way the GOP has pushed this bill has been honest. It is the height of hubris that the last law enacted by a party beset by charges of corruption and abuse of power was a moralistic bill passing judgment on the millions of Americans who play online poker and other games recreationally and responsibly.

[The Agitator]

I’ve never had any interest in gambling personally, but I have been hearing for years that The Gold Casino is a reliable and honest operation. Everything I’ve heard from their customers has been highly complimentary. As the name suggests, they accept e-gold, so you don’t have to worry about your credit card company selling you out to the Evil Empire.