What is news? Beats the heck out of me.

Posted at 9:17 AM on February 24, 2006 by Bob Collins (3 Comments)

Sometimes the ability of politicians and political candidates to control the news through the use of a fax machine scares me. I often wonder who the heck is at the other end of those machines who grab the press releases from candidates and dutifully run to the computer to type up a story, rush to the studio to read it, or quickly paste it on the blog.

Ford Bell is the latest candidate to say something he's said before that didn't, apparently, get news coverage and get it because he later sent out a press release saying the same thing. He had a news conference to also say the same thing... again.

The Star Tribune bit on the four-page release (which, for the record, I tossed in the recycling because it wasn't new) from Bell announcing he wanted soldiers out by Christmas. So did the Pioneer Press. And if it's in the newspaper, you can bet it's on the TV and radio stations. Even the bloggers are going whole hog on it today. (Thus proving that the media that is supposed to be an alternative to mainstream media, is still too dependent on it).

It's a decent story. One worth looking at.

So how come the folks who think it's news because he sent out a news release, didn't think it was news when he said it before? It's been almost a month since he said it.

Go to this page, go to the right column where it says On the Issues and click "Iraq."

Listen.

And while you're there, click all the other links too. And see what will be reported as news weeks from now.

It was an interview that MPR's Tom Scheck did on January 26. Tom went to the news conference and apparently was one of the few political reporters who had (a) previously asked Ford Bell what his position was on the most pressing issue facing the country today and (b) knew the answer so when it was reiterated yesterday, he recognized it wasn't a breaking story. Or even a story at all.

It's scary. Very scary. The news media gets pretty defensive over some of the criticism it gets, but a lot of it is deserved... especially the willingness to let the news come to them in news releases and press conferences before considering what's news and what's not.

Oh, by the way, Ford Bell is on Midday today at 11.

Comments (3)

Let's see if I have this right. You're saying that candidates should only state their position on an issue once for MPR. If it's reported there everyone in the the state will hear it and there will be no more need to repeat it. Wow, Tom Scheck is good, but I didn't know that he was that good.

Hmmmm, this sounds a bit arrogant on MPR's part.

Bell is contrasting himself with his two opponents. He is the ONLY candidate with a plan and a timetable for getting our troops out of Iraq. Its a good issue and that is why the other media picked up the story this week. Whether your agree with him or not, you know where he stands.

The real problem is that most reporting on politics is centered on the horse race. How much money raised, who's endorsing who, blah, blah, blah. Candidates have to keep shouting thier positions over and over again to get heard.

I'm backing Ford becasue he is taking a clear stand on the war, and a clear stand for single payer health care. Maybe cynical political Polinauts who have landed on planet Earth just don't know how to recognize a genuine person who gives you a straight answer to a question.

Posted by Tim Heikala | February 24, 2006 8:38 PM

No, actually you don't have it right. What I'm saying -- actually asking -- is how is it a candidate is in a race for can be in a race for months BEFORE a political reporter asks him his position on the most pressing issue facing the country today.

The point is not aimed at Bell; he's just doing what candidates do when reporters sit back and wait for the news to come to them.

Don't you think someone in the news business -- besdies Tom Scheck -- should've asked him the question without him having to wave a big banner saying "yooo hooooo.....over here.....here's my position?"

Boy, I sure do.

The people who cover campaigns are SUPPOSED to know a candidate's stands on the issues. Multiple forums, a couple of news conferences, and plenty of time to pick up the phone and, you know, ask... went for naught.

That's what I find scary.

Posted by Bob Collins | February 25, 2006 8:15 AM

What is news? Beats me, too. I've been in this game for more than 20 years, mostly as a PR flack (er, I meant a highly-skilled profesional communicator), but I did do a brief stint as a newspaper editor, so I have been on the receiving end of news releases and pitches, too.

Recently, a story on radon-resistant building practices I successfully pitched to a small Minneapolis business daily, Finance & Commerce, jumped into the Knight Ridder wire, then to the Associated Press national wire, resulting in nationwide coverage.

The odd thing is this -- the original story ran in the little (circ 1,000) paper a month ago, with little fanfare (athough it it did make front page).

Suddenly, for reasons I and Brian Johnson, author of the fine article, cannot explain, a couple of Minnesota builders who make radon-resistant homes are national news.

Of course, I'll take credit for the national headlines.

Just don't ask me how I got them.

Bob Moffitt
Communications Director
American Lung Association of Minnesota

Posted by Bob from ALAMN | February 27, 2006 8:22 AM

Services

• Hourly Newscast
• HD Radio
• iPhone App / Mobile
• E-mail newsletters
• RSS feeds
• Podcasts
• Submit your photos
• Videos
• Weather
• Most e-mailed stories