When I came to Washington, D.C. two decades ago, a veteran Senate staffer gave me his blunt view of how the media covers the town: “It’s like watching 5-year-olds play soccer. Everybody runs toward the ball.”
By “the ball,” he meant the latest scandal or whatever reporters had settled on as the story of the day. That approach can still prevail (if you’ve followed the presidential race, you may find it hard to believe that someone other than Donald Trump is running). But the great thing about freelancing about government and politics here, I’ve learned, is that you aren’t limited to one ball: You can pick any you want, or put your own spin on the one that everyone else is chasing.
The panel on politics and current affairs that I’ll be moderating at the upcoming ASJA conference at the National Press Club on Aug. 28 seeks to explain just how that’s done. Beyond that, the “DC Markets” track will have other panels covering the vast variety of ways to write about Washington, encompassing everything from trade associations to travel and regional magazines.
All of the panels feature editors from D.C.’s top publications. On my panel, one of them is Adam Kushner, editor of the Washington Post’s Outlook section and one of the brightest minds in journalism. Last year, he launched “PostEverything,” a digital news magazine on the Post site that seeks diverse contributions about what’s happening in the world. As he noted: “The conversation about ideas (the smartest thinkers, the sharpest perspectives on the news, the best personal essays) isn’t confined exclusively to the Post, or even to the Beltway. Never trust a monopolistic claim of intelligence.”
My panel features another sharp young thinker in Elizabeth Ralph, an associate editor for Politico Magazine. Politico has come to dominate Washington’s journalism world in less than a decade, and the well-crafted long-form articles in Politico Magazine are a big reason. I’m also lucky to have Aaron Wiener, a senior editor at Mother Jones, which has showcased the highly impressive work of such ASJA members as my friend Katherine Reynolds Lewis.
While the Post, Politico and Mother Jones have national reputations, D.C. has many publications that are less well known but doing equally distinguished journalism. My panel has a representative from one of them – Maryann Haggerty, managing editor of the SAGE Business Researcher. It seeks to explain, in comprehensive fashion, issues of interest to college-level business students – government regulation of business, venture capital, sustainability, internships and more.
Also on my panel is Susan Milligan, an ASJA member and one of D.C.’s most talented journalists. Susan spent years at the Boston Globe (where she was one of the co-authors of a best-selling biography of Sen. Ted Kennedy), and now writes for U.S. News, Columbia Journalism Review and other publications. I highly recommend her blog if you’re the slightest bit interested in politics, and her recent CJR piece analyzing the White House press corps is a masterwork of even-handed and extremely detailed reporting.
Perhaps the thought of interviewing a politician makes you nauseous – but you’re still interested in public policy. If that’s the case, we have several other panels. One, moderated by ASJA’s Stephenie Overman, is about editing and writing for the government and will have representatives from private companies that do contracting work for federal agencies, as well as freelancers who have successfully done that work. Another being moderated by former Press Club President Tammy Lytle is on nonprofits, trade associations and industry groups and will include editors from AARP and other well-known organizations.
A final panel in the DC Markets track has little to do with politics or news. It’s on travel, regional and lifestyle topics, featuring editors from the Washington Post Magazine, Arlington Magazine, Bethesda Magazine and Arrive, Amtrak’s on-board magazine. ASJA member Christine Koubek will be moderating.
I hope all of this entices you to attend the conference. You’ll have a ball.