Newsweek's "secrets of the campaign trail" stuff: Some journalistic questions

Charlie Brown · Nov 7, 2008

If I'm missing the obvious on this I'm prepared for someone to school me, but the Newsweek series linked on the Politics board intrigues me. I've got questions.

-- How do you do something like this while still doing your regular work? Did these reporters work 20 hours a day for months? File their copy, then keep a running journal of leftovers?

-- Also, all this copy was ready for release by Election Day. Some of the most compelling stories are in this package. Did Newsweek hold too much back from its weekly coverage by saving this for now? And if so, could it be accused of not reporting news until after people had decided and voted? Or is it a case of not being able to get everything in?

Tremendous work, no doubt. Just curious about how you decide to save stuff like this, stuff that clearly has people spell-bound in the days after the election. I'd enjoy hearing what others think.

In Exile · Nov 7, 2008

November GQ has a story by Michael Hastings that explains the process. Essentially Newsweek double-staffed each campaign with the understanding with each campaign that all reporting by the second staff would not appear until after the election in a special issue a/o book. Hastings quit halfway through, which is why his story (Hack: Confessions of a Presidential Campaign Reporter) appeared before the election. His story is worth a read, too.

WaylonJennings · Nov 7, 2008

In Exile said:
November GQ has a story by Michael Hastings that explains the process. Essentially Newsweek double-staffed each campaign with the understanding with each campaign that all reporting by the second staff would not appear until after the election in a special issue a/o book. Hastings quit halfway through, which is why his story (Hack: Confessions of a Presidential Campaign Reporter) appeared before the election. His story is worth a read, too.

I'm sure Newsweek was proud to read about him watching porn and masturbating in his hotel rooms, etc., etc.

What a romp that piece was. Entertaining as hell.