Sunday, July 12, 2009

The Reporting Life: A Preview

One of our favorite MSM (mainstream media) reporters is Kathleen Miller. Ms. Miller covered Montgomery County for the Examiner and the state legislature for the Associated Press. We particularly appreciated her reporting on Delegate Luiz Simmons’s (D-17) position on slots, the state government’s anti-union website, the O’Malley administration’s transit project cuts, the preference of some County Executive staff for buses on the Purple Line and House Majority Leader Kumar Barve’s property tax issues. Now, we have truly lucked out: in an exclusive five-part series, Kathleen Miller is spilling the beans on what it’s like to be an MSM print reporter in Maryland.

Some of our readers have questioned why we discuss the media as much as we do. Let’s make one thing clear: you cannot understand politics without understanding how politicians reach out to their constituents. And even in the era of blogs, that demands understanding how the MSM acts as a conduit between elected officials and the public. Kathleen Miller lifts that veil in a way that has rarely been done in Maryland. If you are a politician, a wanna-be politician, an activist or anyone else trying to get attention, her description of a day in the life of an MSM reporter is a must-read for you. Read on tomorrow!