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5 Questions for David Corn

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5 Questions for David Corn for the friends of FROM JAY HARRIS… Welcome to the firstdigital edition of “The Insider”! With this issue, we’re not only lightening our enviro footprint, we’ve also been able to snazz up the graphics. But there’s more than just new packag- ing—there’s lots of meaty news as well. In an era of huge concern about the future of good reporting, Mother Jones has been invited into the Journalism Club. The club doesn’t have yearbook pictures or a secret handshake (if we did, we’d never be able to keep it secret), but being acknowledged for great reporting and high standards has earned us entry. David Corn and the reporters in our DC bureau have sufficiently scooped their way into prominence. Meanwhile, even the New York Times has deemed Mother Jones a “role model”(page 5). We’re drawing notice in other areas as well. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom officially declared March 28, 2009, “Mother Jones Day” in our home city. That honor comes with some nice perks — it turns out you can’t get arrested on your day — only they didn’t tell us that until late in the evening. Were they worried we’d put it to the test? That recognition came in the midst of a great Mother Jones event: an evening with MSNBC star Rachel Maddow. Rachel is the hardest-working host in TV news, and her intelligence, work ethic, and wit showed—it was a rockin’ good time. A big thank you to the host committee and everyone who turned out! Why did you decide to attend the and broadcast networks, the White House press briefings? major wires, and the national The daily press briefings give you newspapers sit in the front two a preview of both how the White rows. At every briefing, Robert House is approaching issues in the Gibbs calls on each of them news (often by watching for what and allows them to ask several Q the press secretary DOESN’T questions. After he’s done with + say) and the ever-changing media this group—which takes up the narrative regarding the Obama ad- bulk of the briefing—Gibbs calls ministration and the larger world on most of the reporters in the of Washington. You can easily see third row (NPR, Washington A5 Questions how mainstream media outlets Times, USA Today, and others), will be framing the news on the and then he turns to only a for David Corn basis of the questions asked. few others in the room. Each David Corn secured the first White briefing ends with a number of disappointed journalists who House press pass in Mother Jones Can you give us a lay of the land? What’s the pecking order? were not granted the opportunity history. We asked him to tell us what There is a strict pecking order. to pose a question. It’s not the room is really like. Correspondents from the cable a very democratic system. theinsider Ana Marie Cox (an ex-MoJo reporter to do nothing but reporting for journalists under the age of 35. Bruce editor) wrote an op-ed piece in enterprise stories about what is update from the dc bureau truly has a knack for getting the dirt. While he was the Washington Post a while not on the front burner. Many researching a Mother Jones piece on how difficult back that described the White outlets do try to do this. But it If you watch cable news, you may have noticed that it is to actually gain access to CIA documents House briefing room as the does take resources. MoJo reporters are showing up on the news shows that are fully declassified and considered “public,” place where “news goes to die.” a lot these days. It’s true: With the opening of our he came across a 1978 internal CIA memo that What’s your take on the White How does Mother Jones address Washington, DC, bureau, our reporters are getting described Mother Jones as “a locally-produced House press corps? the problem of covering both asked to weigh in on the issue of the day just about scandal sheet published by a dissident group.” There is not much news gener- the front-burner news and the every week. (David Corn’s been on MSNBC’s Hardball Guess we showed them. ated by the briefings. It is Gibbs’ stories that require a lot of dig- six times in the past two months.) Meanwhile, we’re sorry to report that reporter job to spend an hour or so talk- ging and legwork? You can imagine how important this is. While our Jonathan Stein is leaving the MoJo DC bureau for ing about the hot-button topics Steroids. Seriously, it means be- the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC-Berkeley of the day—and NOT make ing both nimble and selective—as “[Mother Jones] is a locally- to, in his words, “learn real, concrete solutions to news. And most White House you scout for the right stories produced scandal sheet the problems we write about on the Web and in reporters are chained to cover- to cover and the right way to published by a dissident group.” the magazine.” Jonathan promises to come across ing the events of the day—and cover them. The goal is to always — 1978 internal CIA memo the Bay Bridge and visit with us once he’s settled. these days, there is a lot going publish or post information that Fortunately, joining the bureau is Rachel Morris, on at the White House—so they tells a reader something he or magazine and website regularly reach about 1.5 former editor of the Washington Monthly and Legal are not able to spend time dig- she doesn’t know about a story million people, television lets us not only reach a lot Affairs. Rachel is a seasoned Washington journalist ging for substantial scoops. already in the news or that breaks more people, but lots of different people, too. When with superb editing news itself. In the Washington David, or James Ridgeway, or Daniel Schulman talk and reporting chops, bureau, we work long and hard to about an issue on one of the news shows, people so we are thrilled “It is Gibbs’ job to do both. learn about Mother Jones, and might also think she’s joined the spend an hour or so harder about where they get their news from. team. With Rachel talking about the asked & answered If you’re following David Corn on Twitter, you may on board, associate hot-button topics of have read his real-time coverage of the press briefings editor Daniel the day—and NOT The White House press briefings at the White House. David’s a fully accredited White Schulman will have make news.” may be an ironically undemocratic House correspondent, and he’s been attending these more time for in- system, but David Corn has press briefings with White House press secretary depth reporting, so managed to subvert the pecking Robert Gibbs, along with President Obama’s news be on the lookout for How would you improve re- order. In April, David asked not conferences, since the new administration took DC bureau editor Rachel Morris more of his byline. porting from the White House? one, but two questions about office. We asked David to tell us a Reporters need to ask prob- the Spanish investigation of little bit about this part of his work; ing questions and also need to Guantanamo. Of course, that his answers are over on the left. Raise Hell in Your Next Life resist the herd mentality that was after he stumped Gibbs with Meanwhile, for a story he By including Mother Jones in your will or estate plan, you can causes them to become part of questions about AIG and TARP published in The American Scholar, sustain the good fight and make sure that progressive values groupthink narratives. But the funds in March. DC reporter Bruce Falconer is a stay alive in the national press. It may not bring immortality, best thing for large convention- The next time David is at a finalist for the 2008 Livingston but it’s a sure way to extend a life of hellraising. al media outlets to do would be “presser,” he might just ask for Awards for Young Journalists, Visit our website at motherjones.planyourlegacy.org, or to assign one reporter to cover some suggestions. the nation’s largest all-media, contact Steve Katz, vice president, strategy and development, at the official news of the day and general reporting prize for local, [email protected] or 415.321.1700 to learn more. assign another White House Follow his Tweets: @DavidCornDC national, and international 2 the mother jones insider › spring/summer 2009 › www.motherjones.com Click to see how much San Fran- “We should all be Rachel Maddow’s Got MoJo the top 10 cisco loves Rachel. concerned with how many clips of Rachel On behalf of Mayor Maddow and editors good reporting jobs there Clara Jeffery and Gavin Newsom, Monika Bauerlein in Supervisor Bevan are in the United States… conversation. Dufty thanked Rachel Somebody’s got to be for her work supporting the gay and paying people to go find lesbian community and delivered a facts in the world.” proclamation recognizing Mother Jones’ —Rachel Maddow contributions to independent journalism and naming the day Mother Jones Day. Thank you again to our event chairs, State Senator Mark Leno also presented Susan and Nick Pritzker, and to our Rachel with a proclamation from the host committee: Anne Bartley and Larry state of California, thanking her for her McNeil, Chris Desser and Kirk Marckwald, “commitment to challenging newsmakers Sara Frankel and Alyxandra Marine, to be candid with viewers on matters of Dave Glassco, Laurie Gottlieb, Anna importance to all of us.” Hawken McKay and Rob McKay, Rick After the cocktail reception, we walked Hess, Nicole Hollander, Adam and Arlie across the street to the Yerba Buena Center Hochschild, Markos Kounalakis, Christina for a larger public event.
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