New at CJR: Covering a "national campaign" in NH

I'm starting a regular gig as a New Hampshire campaign correspondent for Columbia Journalism Review. My first post, which focuses on the challenges of covering an increasingly national campaign for the GOP presidential nomination, is now online -- here's an excerpt:

At one time, the hope was that people in early states would have a unique opportunity to avoid the media filter and get to know the candidates and what they stand for on a more intimate level. In this cycle, however, analysis of how the candidates are faring threatens to crowd out the actual content of the campaign, even in early states like New Hampshire. The danger, in other words, is that the presidential campaign will be Politico-ized all the way down.

Is there a better approach? Rather than adopting the prevailing framework from national journalists, we should hope that state reporters write in a framework that is attentive to strategic factors but still places their primary emphasis on the positions and proposals of the candidates.

Hope you'll go to CJR and read the whole thing.

Comments

[David in Cal]

Congraultions on your new gig, Brendan. ISTM that a political scientist should have lots of useful advice for political reporters.

I fully agree that political reporters ought to do a better job of explaining policy proposals. OTOH focusing on policy can lead to biased reporting.

E.g., in discussing Gingrich’s proposal to add private accounts to Social Security, the Boston Globe reporter focused on a negative: the lack of available details on how it would be funded and implemented. Someone with the opposite bias might instead have pointed out that such a plan has worked in Chile and that private accounts are legally guaranteed, whereas SS benefits can be cut.

[JP]

Super cool! I look forward to more inside info like Verman Supreme. Also the Bachmann staff resignation link is blocked, can you repost the article?

[Metrichead]

Congratulations, and your article was a great read.

I'm curious to know if you have an opinion on other states having moved their primaries/caucuses up to compete with New Hampshire and Iowa. I realize that isn't what the article was about, but in the opening paragraph, I thought you'd be headed in that direction.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[Rob]

And Happy Thanksgiving to the Nyhans at their festive New Hampshire home.

[uggs on sale]

True love needs you to wait for it.Everybody can say that he/she loves you but not each of them can wait for you.