Regardless if a journalist covers sports or religion or the tech fields, there will come a time when he or she likely will be sent to cover politics, too. They might not enjoy it. Hearing politicians preach their liberal and conservatives views might not be a pastime they consider worthy. However, if the more knowledge they have, the easier the experience will be and the more pleasant the assignment will turn out.
By learning how to approach legislators, handle sources, knowing how to craft a compelling question, and much more, you will improve your political reporting skills quickly.
Cover Politics Early
The Research
The exact moment you find out you are to cover an assignment, you should start researching that subject. Who are the candidates involved? Who is best to speak with? Are there any questions that are expected or off-limit?
If the assignment is about someone’s entrance into politics, then you could begin studying the past accomplishments that have gotten him this far. Have them discuss their goals clearly and with as much depth as possible. The more they speak of their intentions if elected, the better you will know what to ask next.
Are they being supported by anyone the public may already know? It is always good to know who represents a candidate for office. Voters want to know. If the crowd that a candidate associates with is shady or has made questionable choices in the past, then voters will likely judge them for it. It is a journalist’s job to uncover such mingling of undesirables.
Craft a Question
Be prepared for a politician to lie to your face.
We all know when someone is lying to us. And the older we get, the more attuned we are to notice the tell-tale signs. Their facial expressions and body language will give them away immediately. As a journalist, you should expect that and have good, solid questions ready for them.
Even if a candidate doesn’t lie to you, you should know that to cover politics correctly they will likely feed you ready-made answers that politicians have been serving the journalists who question them for years. A good one is “I plan to lower taxes.” This is the mother of all lies any politician can say. Since when do taxes ever go down? Be realistic. So, if you hear a candidate express such a lie, you should be prepared to counter with questions that specifically target how that candidate plans to lower taxes. Will any other funds suffer because of the lowering of taxes? Where will the money come from to support current programs?
The point is to have an arsenal of detailed questions at your disposal.
The Pressure
You are in charge. Not them.
If you are covering politics, then you need to ask the questions that they don’t want to answer. It is always the hardest question that a politician faces that will make or break them in the election. If they say a garbage answer or an outright lie, it was your responsibility to present them with even more tough questions. If it makes them sweat and stutter, then good. That response will give you good info to write about later on. And you can target a specific audience that could be affected by the candidate’s lame answer.
Also, if the candidate’s spokesperson or the candidate themselves wants to only answer questions that they set during a conference, you should learn to manipulate your questions. If need be, have your questions be a two-part question. When it is your chance to speak, ask your question in such a way that will force them to answer it in more detail. And if they still don’t, then blatantly ask the question.
Covering Politics with Sources
A journalist worth his or her salt will have sources ready to cover politics. Here are some you should absolutely have ready.
Press Release
These are typically given to any newsroom. You don’t really have to search for these because political agencies want you to cover their candidates. Nowadays, they are obtained by email, but you might get them in by snail mail and faxes (do people still fax?).
The News Conference
This is a big one. Whenever something of worth happens, a news conference will pop up immediately. Cops, lawyers, doctors, etc. will be there to speak to the public about whatever happened. A news conference is a great chance to get info from the candidate and from others close to the candidate. Even if you may not get to a candidate to ask a question, try to seek out someone close to him or her in their political party. Probe and get any information you can.
For news conferences with such a massive amount of people and loud exchanges, I suggest you use an audio recorder. I think all smartphones have them already equipped these days. If not, there are apps that can do the job. News conferences are so busy that a journalist needs more than just a paper and pad to get a good story.
Meetings
As boring as they sometimes are, meetings cover politics well. That is where all the big decisions are made, especially at the local level. Sometimes, they are televised, as well.
Town meetings are an awesome way to gather information on low-level candidates, like mayors, city councilmen, and school board administrators. Even by sitting in the audience and listening to the officials discuss topics you can get great insight about politics. Also, the way they answer the questions of the audience will reveal loads of information. What are their methods to handle this problem? Do they lean more left or right? Do their responses match up with the overall goals they have professed during their campaign?
Look for inconsistencies in a candidate’s argument.
Hard Copies
Somewhere along the way, you will need to research actual documents. Or at least, you should. Because, eventually, you will realize that a candidate can only answer your questions so far before going silent on you. That is why you need to venture to the city hall and libraries.
You can cover politics from online sources, too. However, the likelihood that you will encounter online farce is great. If you really want to dig up answers, then check out government reports and records.
Cover Politics Off the Record
Politics is a dirty game since time immemorial.
You can’t trust anyone. A candidate might think they have a friend, but that friend turns out to play for the rival opponent. Happens all the time. They might even become an unnamed source for you. Who knows, you might the journalist that breaks a major story against some sleazy candidate because a source provided you with important info.
One can hope.
However, they will only share their info with you if you swear to God that you will never divulge your source. Can you do it?
Once you have the information needed, naming the source in your report is unnecessary because it will ruin your relationship with that source. And after all, you might need a good rat for future stories, right?
Hopefully, with the info the unnamed source has given you, you can then link up with different sources to get more info. Thus, relieving the option of putting in the bullshit “an anonymous source” routine that nobody will buy. If you put something like that into your report, you mine as well just look for a different career. A tried and true journalist would never use a gimmick like that. Go work for a tabloid.
However, a decision must be made when the unnamed source is the only source you have. All other sources have turned up nothing but dead ends. Do you still use the unnamed source or do you kill the story? Many editors worth their salt will never use an unnamed source. It could damage the news outlet’s reputation forever. And moreover, if you did print that info and a judge forced you to testify about where you got that info…would you give up that source or would you choose to go to prison?
Most editors won’t entertain citing an unnamed source and neither should you.
Related Questions
How can you deal with criticism?
Listen, you’re a journalist. You should be used to someone taking you on. You will get accused of changing things and lying all the time. If a candidate feels you are not on their side 100%, then you are an enemy. The key for you and any journalist is to stay as objective and neutral as humanly possible. Once you begin taking sides, the candidates and sources and anyone involved will look at working with you differently. You could miss out on the big stories because of this.
What if you befriend a candidate?
The simple answer is don’t. The schmoozing skills the average candidate has is unlike any mortal has ever seen before. That is why they are in politics and you aren’t. It takes a certain type of personality to schmooze. You don’t have it, at least not to the extreme as they do. Therefore, don’t get too close to those running for office. Just cover politics the best way you know. You need them and they need you in a professional manner. Nothing more
Instead, worry about what type of story you will write for the readers who follow you.
What does “Off the Record” mean?
It is a vocal agreement between two parties made at the beginning of a meeting with a journalist and his or her source.
Seem simple enough. It isn’t.
Quotes made off the record will not hold up in a court of law. That is the most important factor you need to know. Just because a source said it doesn’t remove them from responsibility if push comes to shove. Most times, it never gets that far. But you should know that off the record is basically a joint agreement between two parties who want to discuss information without being responsible for allowing that info out in the world.
Check this link out for more about off the record.
~M