A rather simple list, and things that perhaps any editor should be demanding of his reporters. Too bad so few of them actually are. One might actually come to think that all these editors are demanding the exact opposite!
- Don't talk about clothes. (It's an insult to the readers.)
- Actually look at the candidates' policy proposals. (Like Bush's "ownership society"?)
- Beware of personal anecdotes. (Especially those that reinforce your own prejudices.)
- Look at the candidates' records. (Bush is not a centrist, and Dean is not a leftist.)
- Don't fall for political histrionics. (The "appearance of outrage" is just so much fluff.)
- It's not about you. (The race is about the candidates, not the reporters.)
Which brings me to my Story of the Year for 2003:
Yeah, I know. That story didn't appear in our mainstream news. But did you think it would?
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