Since classified documents were found in President Joe Biden’s Wilmington home on Jan. 20, Christian Paz, senior reporter at Vox, tried to find the story that other reporters were missing. He spoke to Paul Miller fellows about Biden’s documents drama, how to make your story different from the rest and other political reporting tips. [Transcript | Video]
5 takeaways:
➀ “When everyone is zigging, you should zag,” Paz said. In the classified document case, Paz said the big thing that was missing in the coverage that he was reading was how little the average American cares or knows about it. He ended up with a piece that got into the specifics of why it matters and how it compares to the classified documents cases of Donald Trump and Mike Pence. Another story he wrote on the world of political TikTok and Jeff Jackson was an outcome of knowing that he wouldn’t be able to find a unique way to cover George Santos. “When everyone’s looking in one direction, you should look in the opposite direction” and try to understand what they’re missing, he said.
➁ “How can I explain American politics to people like my family?” Paz said is the thesis statement for his reporting. His parents, immigrants from Mexico, are the driving forces behind how he reports and writes. “That’s kind of a really important function of my work now, is putting myself in the position of my parents, people that I grew up with back home, and thinking about how I could try to explain classified documents or something like that to them.” Coming up with a thesis statement can be a helpful way to focus on what you want to do in journalism, from story ideas to career moves, he said.
➂ Look at community groups, like churches, for Latino sources. Paz, who often covers the Latino population, said churches have been helpful in trying to reach Latino voters. He also said he took PR calls earlier in his career; while they might not be the person you’re looking to speak to, they can connect you with other people. Organizations like Voto Latino and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials are also good places to look for resources and sources.
➃ What will Democrats do in 2024? A big question Paz is looking at ahead of the 2024 election is “how much do the American people know about what’s actually happened?” He’ll also be looking at how Democrats try to sell their accomplishments, how elected Democrats unite around primary challenges and specifically looking at California and Arizona.
When citizens don’t know where a Democrat or Republican stands on an issue, it raises “questions about how much investment these parties are making in this specific voting demographic, and I think that’s going to be hugely important in 2024,” Paz said.“I think it’s our job to try to hold even those people who claim that they are pushing forward the banner of representation … and ask them where the money is going, ask them what specific districts or neighborhoods they’re in, ask questions about whether the policy that they’re pushing” is known by people back home.
Politicians always say they talk to their constituents – journalists should, too. “Post up outside of a restaurant or in a mall,” Paz said.
➄ Swallow your pride; interviews are hard. Man-on-the-street interviews can be stressful, especially when a lot of people don’t want to talk to journalists. “A lot of it is swallowing your pride and being willing to be embarrassed in some situations,” Paz said. “Definitely more people have told me to go away and walk away from them than have chosen to talk to me about something … but then you get one conversation that’s important,” he said. When doing these interviews, Paz keeps a journal to capture his emotions. “Then you have a paper trail and you can use that for eventual writing about the bigger question of politics that you’re trying to answer with this one story or the bigger kind of narrative that you’re trying to write about what American politics is in this current moment.”
