First thing tomorrow morning I pile into my fuel-efficient vehicle and head to Denver for the national convention. I’m accredited through local Seattle blog HorsesAss.org, but I’ll also be posting national stuff regularly for Booman Tribune (as well as doing several community radio and newspaper things).
So here’s my question: what should I cover? There’s a ton of things going on this time, from the outside war zone protests to the PUMAs to Obama’s historic nomination, plus all the usual craziness of a national convention. I have good connections with all of these facets. What’s your priority?
I have two priorities.
One, I’d like to understand the nature of the different protest groups. What/who are they opposing. There could be, for all we know, groups protesting the nomination of a black man. That’s my first interest.
Two,
I think it’s imperative that there be coverage of clashes between police and protesters and more importantly, how those protesters are treated by the police and the court system. Much of what happened in NY in ’04 went unnoticed and uncovered. Not to mention what BooMan has said about Philadelphia in “00.
Of course upclose and in depth coverage of any police abuse and/or brutality will put you in a precarious situation.
I was in the thick of WTO in Seattle in 99 (and in fact have been in touch with some Denver folks about my relevant experiences helping to organize, as well as cover, that). So I have some idea of what to look for.
There’s five main coalitions from the progressive end coordinating activities in Denver, plus, of course, all sorts of others that will come out of the woodwork. Once I get to Denver (Thurs night or Fri) and have a chance to check in with some of my activist friends there, I’ll lay out what I know. And I fully intend (within the limits of my own personal safety) to follow it pretty closely throughout the week.
and post swiftly .. even little bursts or live-blogging. If they get your camera & you haven’t done a recent data dump, all that evidence will be lost.
If you can do it without getting caught early, you might also cruise the prepare detention center area, in advance, and post what you can, so that others can preview the situation.
I was also in Seattle.
Watch for the agent provocateurs aka PUMA members.
I have a soft spot for coverage of the wackiness of the delegates. Of course, the RNC is more ripe for humor, but our people are batshit nuts as well. I know a few of them.
I’ve always wondered, myself, who the hell comes to these things. I’m bursting with curiosity…
I resemble that remark! And a big no comment…
l would suggest that you make an effort to talk to the homeless people that call lodo “home”. there’s been a great deal if trepidation among them in the lead up to the dnc, and the city has said they;ll be treated “well”. it will be interesting to see what “well” means. there’s been a virtual shut down on any information in the public sphere since this article in the denver post from 1 july: Power to the street people during DNC:
the firm l was associated with for many years was one of the first to move into the area, prior to the development and urban renewal plans were developed and implemented. during the time l was there, l came to know a number of the denizens, and always found their take on the situation “on the ground” to be enlightening, to say the least.
although l have not obtained “official” media credentials, for a variety of reasons, l’m still contemplating going down there with my cameras and possibly portable taping equipment, and doing a photo essay on them.
if this is something you think is viable, perhaps we might coordinate our efforts. since you’ll be coordinating with the local “community radio” resources, l’ll be easy to get in contact with… tho to be quite honest, l haven’t decided whether or not to attempt it.
Dada – e-mail me at geovlp@earthlink.net and let’s see what we can work out.
Please report on things you find of interest that we aren’t likely to read about elsewhere. But I concur with supersoling–please focus on the protests and protesters, esp given your WTO experience.
I’m always curious about the people who attend conventions. In the event you happen to do any general interviews…
Thanks for asking and bon voyage with your drive.
Not to short circuit whatever reporting Geov does, but I’m guessing the primary answer to #1 is the same reason most people go to conventions. You go to expand your network, find out who might be helpful in your career, meet old friends, make happy talk with your ancient rivals while you’re sizing up how they’re doing these days, and find out the latest trends in whatever business you happen to be in.
That’s my guess, although it would be interesting to hear them say it.
I do hope you’ll be reporting a bit on the Washington delegation for Horsesass. That said, I trust your judgment — go where you think there’s going to be a good story, and report the hell out of it.
Make them afraid to bullshit.
Call them out every time they do.
Get into their slobfest cocktail parties and buffets.
‘Front ’em for the cowards they are.
Make them feel small.
Maybe some of them still have a conscience.
Or even a consciousness.
But I doubt it.
AG
Follow the money.
What else would be of interest? The powers that be ignore the hoi-polloi, so follow the money.
Then we’ll know what kind of government the Obama people are going to usher in.
Report on all the private high roller/lobbyist parties and those pay for players.
To get a sense of who’s really there, I’d like to see real interviews with real delegates, if you can find some who are willing and able to be real people with real quirks. Don’t really care what the consultant/pundit class has to say about anything.
On the substance side, I’d want to know about the platform and who is pushing how hard for each issue. The platform is routinely ignored by the MSM, so this is a wide-open niche for you and your peers.