Word: pressing
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Dates: during 2000-2000
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...DETAILS Sure, it's nice for a candidate to say he has thought through nuclear proliferation, and here's how he would deal with India's medium-range ballistic missiles. But the more detailed your policies, the more ammunition you give to your opponent - and the press - to use against you. Remember, the President is a CEO; he doesn't have to know how to make the widget, only that people need more and better widgets. If you lay out the fine print of your plans, even the press might be shamed into doing a little work...
...EXPECT THE PRESS TO CARRY ANY WATER FOR YOU A campaign colleague who researched the records of rival candidates liked to say, "If reporters did their job, I wouldn't have mine." I'm not saying that all campaign correspondents are indolent and superficial; just that if you want them to write a probing critique of an opponent, you'd better hand it to them on a silver platter. Campaigns do a whole lot more investigative reporting than investigative reporters...
...byline on the front page. I was always dismayed when people in the campaign said certain journalists were on "our side" or on "their side." Journalists are on the side of the story that gets them the most attention. But then why, you may ask, does the press always seem to be doing the same story at the same time? Answer...
...Channel, do you ever wonder how those enormous schools of fish can all magically turn at the same moment, as if they were reading one another's mind? The reason is, they're not looking out at the water, they're looking at one another. That's how the press works too. Journalists spend a lot more time worrying about what other journalists think of their stories than about what readers or viewers might want or need to know. And because reporters tend not to be the most original folks, they're afraid of getting either too far ahead...
...CAMPAIGNS ARE ON OFFENSE, AND THE PRESS IS ON DEFENSE By that I mean, a campaign knows which move it's going to make, while reporters just react and try to figure it out. It's like in basketball - the guy with the ball always takes the first step; the defender has to adjust. Let's suddenly send the candidate to South Dakota. Why? Well, we're not exactly sure; let the press figure it out. Yes, there is more science to it than reporters think, but there's also a lot more guesswork masquerading as knowledge. And speaking...