Wandering the Floors at NEXPO—Part 2 (Sidebar)
by Richard Romano, contributing editor
Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Barack Obama (D-IL), and Hilary Clinton (D-NY) were each in town this week to take their respective campaigns to NEXPO’s Capital Conference.
John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, spoke at the Associated Press’s annual meeting on Monday morning. Beginning with a prepared speech that outlined the basic thrust of his campaign, he then took several questions from the crowd of AP reporters (this WhatTheyThink reporter was relegated to the very back of the hall and not allowed to participate in the questioning). Of prime importance to the crowd was the Free Flow of Information Act (also known as the “Federal Shield Bill”) which will make it more difficult for the government to compel a reporter to divulge a confidential source. (The bill, cosponsored by Reps. Rick Boucher [D, VA] and Mike Pence [R, IN], passed the House last Fall by a vote of 398-21 and is now with the Senate.) Senator McCain received hearty applause when he said that he would support the bill—although, he qualified, “narrowly,” as he expressed concerns that reporters sometimes come close to “crossing the line” by disclosing classified information that threatens the nation’s security.
A couple hours later, Barack Obama addressed the AP’s annual luncheon—an event, said AP chairman Dean Singleton, that drew record attendance and was “the first sold-out AP luncheon in 160 years.” Senator Obama again opened with some scripted remarks, poking a little gentle fun at the “bitter” comment controversy before launching into a stump speech. Afterward, Mr. Singleton read off several questions from cards that had been written beforehand by the AP membership, and one question again focused on the Shield Bill. Senator Obama, who is one of the bill’s cosponsors in the Senate, supports the bill, and believes that the courts should be the final arbiter of whether a reporter should be compelled to reveal his or her sources.
On Tuesday, Goss International and FERAG hosted the NAA/ASNE luncheon, at which Reps. Rick Boucher and Mike Pence, cosponsors of the Free Flow of Information Act, were awarded the 2008 Sunshine in Government Award for their commitment to strengthen open government. “the only check on government in real time is a free and independent press,” said Rep. Boucher in his acceptance speech. At the luncheon, the ASNE Award for Editorial Leadership was presented to Randall Beck, executive editor of the Sioux Falls, SD, Argus Eagle.
After the awards, and the luncheon (in which food your intrepid WhatTheyThink reporter was not allowed to partake), Hillary Clinton addressed the standing-room-only crowd. She began her remarks by thanking newspaper editors for their hard work and dedication—and citing that her favorite newspaper headline of all time was the famous “Dewey Defeats Truman” headline from the 1948 Chicago Tribune. She spoke about how newspaper stories “make a difference,” citing in particular the Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post coverage of the conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. She then used this conversation to discuss her views on the “power and promise of the Presidency,” and vowing to restore open government. After her prepared remarks, she fielded several questions from the audience. Interestingly, ASNE’s reporters tended to ask far more substantial questions than AP’s reporters had asked Sens. McCain and Obama. Clinton also supports (and is a cosponsor in the Senate) of the Free Flow of Information Act.
Answering a question on what the role of race will be in this year’s Presidential election, she responded that, whatever the outcome, “never again will a child grow up thinking that an African-American or a woman can’t grow up to be President.”
Richard Romano has written about the graphic arts for the past 15 years. The author or co-author of a half dozen books on computer graphics hardware and software, he is currently Senior Analyst for The Industry Measure, and in the past has served as Executive Editor of Cross Media magazine, Senior Editor of Micro Publishing News magazine, and Managing Editor of Digital Imaging magazine. He lives in Saratoga Springs, NY.
