WHAT PRESS CORPS?
By Chris Daly
The Times has a piece on Page 1 today that may prove to be one of those milestones, pointing out the dramatic cutbacks among the press corps traveling with the presidential candidates on a regular basis. (The piece is accompanied by a fine, poignant staff photo by Damon Winter that looks much better on-line than in print.)
Two numbers in the piece, by Jacques Steinberg, leapt out at me:
1. Expert S. Robert Lichter is quoted, in part, as saying: "Now the news comes from everywhere — from bloggers, maybe some guy with a video camera. Anyone can generate news and everyone can generate news. What’s the advantage of being the 50th guy on the bus?” Obviously, the "50th guy" is a rhetorical device, but it's a valid question. Before we get all misty about the "end of an era," we have to keep that question in mind. A lot of the coverage in the old days could be repetitive.
2. Newsweek's Jon Meacham says it costs $30,000 a month to keep a correspondent on the presidential trail. With three candidates in the race, that's $90,000 a month. That's more than $1 million a year, just for a single correspondent (never mind photos) per campaign.
The Times has a piece on Page 1 today that may prove to be one of those milestones, pointing out the dramatic cutbacks among the press corps traveling with the presidential candidates on a regular basis. (The piece is accompanied by a fine, poignant staff photo by Damon Winter that looks much better on-line than in print.)
Two numbers in the piece, by Jacques Steinberg, leapt out at me:
1. Expert S. Robert Lichter is quoted, in part, as saying: "Now the news comes from everywhere — from bloggers, maybe some guy with a video camera. Anyone can generate news and everyone can generate news. What’s the advantage of being the 50th guy on the bus?” Obviously, the "50th guy" is a rhetorical device, but it's a valid question. Before we get all misty about the "end of an era," we have to keep that question in mind. A lot of the coverage in the old days could be repetitive.
2. Newsweek's Jon Meacham says it costs $30,000 a month to keep a correspondent on the presidential trail. With three candidates in the race, that's $90,000 a month. That's more than $1 million a year, just for a single correspondent (never mind photos) per campaign.
posted by Chris Daly at 9:15 AM
0
comments
links to this post
