Politico Live: garage-band political TV reporting
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Version 0 of 1. In their ever-more-competitive scramble for viewers, cable news networks have invested heavily in snazziness. Pompous thematic intro music, animated graphics, increasingly redundant "magic" screens whose 21st-century information presentation is literally marred by the MacPaint-esque scribblings of news presenters. CNN has been trying to incorporate holograms into its coverage for at least four years; at some point, someone will figure out that the appeal of holograms is the illusion of three dimensions and when you just film them for television … anyway. All of this amounts to the networks still frequently bringing updates from "the internet" by zooming in on computer screens and being able to screen Chris Matthews' spittle flying in high definition. (Can't wait for <em>that</em> in 3D.) The impact of technology on political reporting is actually felt (rather than seen); it's present in the speed of information, the superficiality of the analysis, and hyper-focused attention paid to events that can be measured (votes! Polls! Reaction to controversy!) rather than policies, which can't. And this is where the deceptively low-fi "Politico Live" broadcast comes in. The coverage streams on politico.com and airs on C-Span. It is the opposite of high definition, apparently shot through cameras polished with a snotty sleeve. As far as I can tell, the principals – Politico editor Jim Vandehei and senior report Maggie Halberman who anchor a gang of other writer types – are bare-faced and dressed for a day at the office. The graphics are courtesy of C-Span, clunky but straightforward, and often obscure most of the correspondent's neck. The reporters' penchant for checking (and reading from) their iPhones and Blackberrys on-camera may <em>seem</em> like another sign that it's amateur hour, but it's this habit that distinguishes "Politico Live" as possibly the closest a viewer can get to what it's like to actually <em>cover politics</em>. There is a lot of sitting around in fluorescent-lit rooms reading emails, interspersed with Adderall-speed chatter about WHAT JUST HAPPENED … and only just what happened. What happened five minutes ago is beside the point. The half-hour the Politico team spent on reading and analyzing Drudge headlines kind of sums up the approach. There is original reporting, sort of. There are reporters stationed at various places where live events will take place, and there are those emails: campaigns pushing spin, exit poll results. Having access to campaigns and exit poll results is, like, half of what modern political reporting is! The rawness of the feed is mostly endearing. The staff clearly have a working relationship that's worn a groove into their manner of speaking: it would be fodder for a workplace comedy if it weren't so inscrutably focused on political minutiae, everything from what the food is like on the Gingrich campaign to evangelical turnout in Alabama's northern counties. Their eagerness makes even their flubs just expressions of exuberance: "Hey, control room, find [Politico star reporter] Mike Allen!" <br /> <br />Get a bunch of enthusiastic folks in a tight space, give them some fancy toys, let them make mistakes or nip at each other if they need to and just keep the cameras on. It's the Puppy Bowl of primary coverage. |