White House Press Pool – round 3

How fitting that my first week and last week as a political reporting intern at Newsday took me to one of the centers of national politics – the White House. Monday marked my third and final gig as a press pool reporter.

A short recap – my first time in the pool included a trip in the presidential motorcade to Gettysburg with Bush and friends. The next month, I watched Bush speak at the Chamber of Commerce and in the Rose Garden. This week, I covered Bush’s remarks at a Menorah lighting ceremony in the White House Grand Foyer.

I arrived early Monday to watch Marine 1 – carrying Bush home from his trip to Iraq and Afghanistan Monday – land in the South Lawn.

Waiting on the South Lawn driveway for the chopper to arrive. A nice woman with Entertainment Tonight snapped this for me. She was at the White House with a big ET crew for an interview with Laura Bush earlier that day.

Marine 1 approaching the White House South Lawn accompanied by a companion helicopter. Two helicopters actually traveled with Marine 1 that day, but the other had already flown away at this point. Marine 1 never travels alone.

Turning around for the landing.

Safe and sound.

President Bush waves to the crowd of onlookers.

Crowd claps for Bush as he walks to the White House. For the most part, the people you see clapping are guests - maybe some staffers. With the exception of a few photographers, most of the White House press is behind me waiting for Press Secretary Dana Perino to leave the helicopter and walk past them on her way to the West Wing. Everyone wanted to see how bad her eye injury looked - a lighting device hit her during the scuffle when an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at President Bush over the weekend. I wasn't positioned well enough to get a picture of her.

Watching the helicopter land was just for fun. I headed back to the press area to get ready for a pool event - covering the annual Menorah lighting ceremony in the White House.

First time walking through the actual front doors of the White House.

Christmas trees in the Grand Foyer on both sides of the front door.

Sen. Joe Lieberman mingling with other guests.

Guests waiting for President Bush and the first lady.

Bush spoke about the tradition of Hanukkah and the relationship between Israel and the United States. That Menorah was actually a gift from Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion to President Harry Truman in 1951. Grandsons of the two mean lit the Menorah at the ceremony.

Jewish a cappella group Kol Zimra performed a medley of songs - complete with beat boxing and hand clapping - after the lighting of the Menorah.

Bush poses with the group.

President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush leaving the ceremony.

Scenes from the White House

I’m slated for White House press pool duty next week – my third and final during this internship. So in honor of my last day at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. as a Newsday intern, I figured I’d post some pictures from my most recent press pool experience.

Good morning, White House. I snapped this after the pool got back from watching Bush give an early morning speech at the Chamber of Commerce. Fun story - we traveled to the Chamber with Bush's motorcade, but he got dropped off at a back door while the rest of made a mad dash for the building, trying to reach the ballroom before he started his speech. I wish I could have snapped a shot of all of us running down the sidewalk in our nice suits with reporter notebooks and camera gear in hand. We arrived just as a man on stage said, "And now, the president of the United States."

A reporter doing her thing inside the White House gates. Broadcast news organizations have a reserved strip off the driveway where they film reports with the White House in the background.

Entrance to the press briefing room - no, we don't get to walk in the front door of the White House.

Waiting in the Rose Garden for President Bush to come out for a press conference.

My friend McKenna was also covering the press conference that day. He's in my intern class with the Washington Center for Politics and Journalism.

A beautiful day in the Rose Garden.... still waiting for the press conference to begin.

President Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff walk out to the Rose Garden.

Bush announced a new visa waiver program that would help ease visa requirements with certain countries for tourism- and business-related travel. Behind him are representatives from various countries who participated in the new program.

***McKenna took this picture with his nice camera, which shows just how inadequate my point and shoot really is. A fabulous picture of Bush and Condoleezza Rice as they head offstage and back toward the White House.

After the news conference, I had some time to kill before press pool duties resumed. McKenna and I took pictures in the Press Briefing room. Presidents and press secretaries have delivered the news and answered some of the media's toughest questions from that podium.

A nice White House reporter snapped this for us.

I’m hoping for another exciting day at the White House next week.

To young journalists (like me) – don’t give up

A friend asked me to describe my favorite and least-favorite things about the news industry for a paper she’s writing. I know she just needed a quick quote, but I couldn’t stop writing….

“Lately it feels like every day I read the same story – no good news for the news business. Just today, Tribune Co. filed for bankruptcy and The New York Times Co.’s future is looking bleak as well. In the midst of countless layoffs and paper closings, it’s sometimes hard to see the positive side of journalism. Newspapers are shrinking their staffs, and many who remain are forced to grapple with a shift away from in-depth enterprise reporting in favor of quick-hit stories that drive online readership. The ultimate effect is a drop in quality.
 
A print reporter at heart, this is one of my biggest concerns about the news industry. Newspapers traditionally pride themselves on not just getting the story – but going beyond the surface for an analytical look at a myriad of topics. I worry that attention to detail is waning, and that scares me for the future of the business.
 
But while it may seem like a mere flicker, there is a light at the end of the dreary tunnel for journalists. The best thing about the industry right now is its possibilities. The news business is changing, and for young reporters like myself, that means a world of new opportunities to tell stories in compelling, inventive ways. I think a strong core of journalists will emerge from this recent downturn focused on upholding journalism and all it stands for in a new era.”

Billy Joel’s take on presidential politics

I covered Billy Joel’s appearance at the National Press Club last week where he was slated to talk about celebrity endorsements of political candidates. The hour-long conversation/mini-concert moved from politics to an entertaining peek into his life and musical career. It was one of those assignments where I was pleasantly surprised at its unpredictability. I got the story … and I got to hear Joel play and sing snippets of hits and “Summer, Highland Falls” all the way through to an audience of no more than about 300.

The final sprint

Can you believe the presidential election is a week away? Living in DC, interning at Newsday, working with reporters who cover this stuff every day… It’s hard to imagine not constantly thinking and talking about this election. A lot of people have compared it to a marathon. I ran a 13-mile road race a couple of years ago, and let me tell you, no matter what they say, it hurts until the very end. But in my experience, once you can see the finish line, the mood lightens and you get that final jolt of energy. After weeks of effort and slight panic that my county clerk forgot me, I finally got my absentee ballot in the mail today. My election finish line is here! All of you voters heading to the polls in person need one more week of endurance. And as for Obama and McCain – whoever wins (if he’s doing his job) won’t stop sprinting for another four-eight years, he’ll just get a quick water break before the real race begins. At least the view is nice…

Adventure buddies

It’s been a while – I apologize – DC is wonderful and beautiful and keeping me very occupied. I’ve been spending my weekends with some pretty amazing fellow WCPJ interns. We’ve got a diverse group from all over the country – Oregon, Minnesota, Wisconsin, California, New York, Georgia and Illinois to name a few. A couple of them make fun of my accent, and on the rare occasion I slip “y’all” into a conversation, they’re quick to point out that I am indeed from Kentucky. So glad I hang with such a perceptive bunch.

Melissa and me out on the town for McKenna's birthday

Kyle (left) and McKenna out in Chinatown for the birthday celebrations

Laura and me at the interns' Big Lebowski party

More from the Lebowski fun night ... "Over the line"

Enjoying the show at McKenna’s and Bob’s house

Kyle, Melissa and me on the amazing terrace at the Newseum

There are a couple of other friends I hang with just about every weekend, but for some reason we don’t have any pictures together. I’ll get on that. But let’s get back to the Newseum … a pretty amazing place. If you’re at all interested in news, history or general awesomeness, you have to check this place out. They have front pages from around the country on display outside the building – I spotted the Courier-Journal and Herald-Leader, made me miss home.

They love interactive exhibits at the Newseum. You can host your own broadcast or give a weather forecast on screen. We preferred the ethics section, where a high-tech game put your ethical barometer to the test.

Kyle and Melissa exercising their ethical know-how

Wall of 9/12/01 front pages - pretty interesting to have them lined up like that and see the different approaches newspapers used to convey the devastation of the 9/11 attacks.

Newseum's little chunk of the Berlin Wall

The Newseum's terrace has a great view of the Capitol. I'm up on Capitol Hill at least once or twice a week for work - it never gets old.

Adams Morgan Day Festival

I’m still trying to get acquainted with DC and all its neighborhoods. So much to see – why are weekends only two days long? I decided to experience Adams Morgan by way of its annual festival celebrating diversity and creativity. It didn’t disappoint. Plenty of street vendors were on hand selling everything from jewelry to handmade scarves to stained glass creations.

Supposedly there was live jazz music in a nearby park, but I ran out of time before I found it. I did however find a rap concert at one end of the festival. And at the other, a dance troupe (originally from Ghana) performed native dances to the beat of live drummers. It was pretty amazing.

I caught up with some of my fellow interns at the festival, and we agreed – Adams Morgan is probably one of the best neighborhoods in the city.

Crash course on White House reporting

It was a day for firsts. I sat in on my first-ever White House briefing, I drove in a motorcade with the president of the United States (granted I have no idea which one of the 17 cars he was actually in) and I served as part of the White House press pool.

And I thought the highlight of my day would be finally meeting the other Newsday reporters.

So let me start from the beginning. I showed up at the office at 10 a.m. with expectations to hang tight until my bureau chief and other members of Newsday returned from St. Paul. But instead I got a call from my boss who said, “I forgot it was our day to send someone to the press pool, so I’m gonna need you to go to the White House where you’ll be going on a day trip with the president.”

I was thinking, “no way did those words really just come out of his mouth,” but I responded with, “OK, tell me what to do and I’m there.”

I knew something like the press pool existed, but I got a crash course on the details over the phone. The pool travels with the president anytime he leaves the White House or Camp David. Pool members are the eyes and ears for the rest of the media … if anything out of the ordinary happens, they are there to get the report out to everyone else. Even if nothing eventful happens (as was the case Friday), pool members still send out a report documenting the day. So I was a representative for daily newspapers. Other organizations there on Friday included AP, Reuters, CNN and a few others. But it wasn’t a big group … about 12 or 13 people including photographers, broadcasters and reporters.

After I got through security at the White House, I found the press briefing room, where Dana Perino, Bush’s spokeswoman, was still answering questions. A friendly reporter showed me how to sneak in the back, and I caught the tail end of the conference. Then I met up with a press aide and the other journalists in the pool for the day.

We piled into two vans and were off to Camp David to pick up the president and all who travel with him. We waited outside the grounds for about an hour and a half to join the motorcade and then headed to Gettysburg, where Bush and friends were to take a private tour of battlefields, monuments and a new visitor center. The tour was private (not open to the media), and I never actually saw President Bush, but the whole experience was just incredible.

Riding in the motorcade was interesting. The thing is, for it to be effective, each car in the line has to stay really close to the next, prompting some manic driving at times. I held tight to my seat belt.

Once in Gettysburg, Bush and friends stopped at a memorial while we went on to the new visitor center for a press tour. Once the prez was finished visiting battlefields and monuments, aides ushered us out of the building along with everyone else, and he got a private tour of the visitor center. In the meantime, secret service men were everywhere with their giant guns and binoculars scoping the scene. When he was finished, we all piled back into our vehicles and the motorcade rolled out.

It was a long, uneventful day for all the other press members there – but it was one I will never forget. On the ride back to Camp David, I phoned in my notes to my bureau chief, who typed up the report since I didn’t have a computer with me. And from Camp David to DC (which if you’re curious is about an 80 minute drive), I talked with another reporter and reflected on the awesomeness of what had just happened … my first week in DC, and I already feel like a part of it all.

Newsday

I made it to DC! This city is beautiful, full of energy and wonderfully diverse. For now, I’m getting settled at my new office. That’s my desk, right under that Newsday sign in the photo above. It’s a pretty sweet spot, and I can already tell it’s going to be a busy four months. Keith and I are still getting things organized at our apartment. I’ll get pictures up when it’s more presentable.

My workplace is smack-dab in the middle of downtown DC. I get off the metro and am only about a block away. Newsday was owned by the Tribune Company before Cablevision bought the paper this summer. Our offices are still located on the same floor with DC bureaus of newspapers including the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Baltimore Sun, the Hartford Courant, other papers owned by Tribune and at least one television station. It’s an interesting set-up. Each publication has its own designated area that’s somewhat private, but the atmosphere still feels open. You can walk around and see and hear other people at work, and we all share the same break area.

Newsday’s section was empty when I arrived Tuesday … everyone I work with is off covering the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, so I’ve been showing myself around, trying to figure out computer stuff and plowing through a some “light” political reading. I’ve got a lot to catch up on and stay on top of, but it’s a good challenge. I can’t wait to meet everyone when they get back from the convention.

Here is a pic with a view of the front of the office (lots of TV screens everywhere):

And me in my little corner.

And here’s a picture of my intern group with the Washington Center for Politics and Journalism. We get together twice a week for seminars hosted by special guests who are experts in certain areas of politics and/or journalism. Tomorrow we’re going to hear from directors at the Federal Election Commission bright and early, so it’s time to get to bed. I’ll get pictures of my apartment and Silver Spring (my new home) up soon!

My friend Satchmo

My family never had a pet. I remember asking for a puppy when I was 10 or 11 years old, but my parents quickly shot down that request. We were always too busy to give a dog the attention it deserved.

So instead, I embraced my role as “fun aunt Julie” to other people’s animals. I would play fetch with dogs whenever I visited their owners, maybe give them a special treat. But as soon as a dog started getting on my nerves, I would hand the leash back to its owner and make an escape.

This summer, I got a taste of what it might be like to have a dog full-time, no escape. About two weeks after I moved into her house, Victoria adopted Satchmo, a black Lab-Boxer mix as spunky as any puppy I’ve ever met. Satch and I had a rocky start. He was scared of me, and I was still trying to decide what to make of having a puppy around 24 hours a day. But we got used to each other and became friends.

We found different ways to bond. I would let him out of his cage to play. He would grab underwear out of my hamper and dart downstairs for a game of “how long until Satch lets go of Julie’s panties this time?” I would rub his belly. He would bite my shorts. I would let him hang with me when Victoria was gone. He would lick my glass of lemonade right on the rim where I was about to go for another sip.

I could tell stories about Satch for hours – about how he was afraid of doorways and couldn’t climb the steps when he first arrived in Cape Cod. Or about how when my parents came to visit, he left a hot, smelly surprise in their bedroom one night. (I was too disgusted to carry it outside, so I made my dad do the dirty work.)

But in all seriousness, after spending so much time with Satch, I understand now why people get so attached to their pets. I loved it when he would plop down on my feet when he needed a nap. Or when he would give me a high five.

And I always knew I would have one friend so excited to see me when I got home from work that he would pee a little when I walked in the door.

With the exception of a few days when Victoria was gone, she took care of the “messy” parts of dog-ownership while I got to be Satch’s fun “aunt Julie.” But I can appreciate why my parents never let me have a puppy – it is a huge responsibility. They’re just like babies – needy and whiny yet very loving and almost unbearably cute.

When it came time to say goodbye to Satch, he ran outside and hopped in my car packed full of boxes. He knew something wasn’t right, so naturally he bolted around manically and then jumped on me, leaving a nice big paw print on my white shirt. I like to think that he was trying to say “please don’t go,” and for me, the dirt was a reminder that at least for one summer, I got to be best buds with Satch the dog.