Preparation will likely determine whether reporters make the most of the rarest of opportunities—an interview with the president of the United States.
George Condon, White House correspondent at National Journal, and Reshad Hudson, Washington correspondent at Nexstar Media Group, urged the 2024 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship class members to be active listeners and seize opportunities for potential news-making follow-up questions, even if it means interrupting a president.
“If you have something you want to ask the president, ask him. You don’t know how long he is going to last,” said Condon, who has interviewed 10 presidents and still laments a 1996 session with then-President Bill Clinton who ran out the clock leaving key questions unasked in the midst of a re-election campaign.
The time-management failure, Condon said, was a lesson he still applies when prepping for other major interview subjects.
“That day went from 8:30 a.m,” Condon said, describing Clinton’s schedule. “It had eight motorcades, one Air Force One thing, five Marine One stops, and multiple stops ending with a fundraiser with Whoopi Goldberg. He was tired. It was a grueling day, and I should have recognized that. So, I have not made that mistake again,” Condon said.
Hudson credits persistence with scoring his 2022 interview with President Joe Biden.
After months of attempting to snag time with Vice President Kamala Harris, Hudson said a former Harris aide, who had moved to the president’s staff, called with an enticing proposition:
“Hey, I know you’ve been trying to interview the vice president, but I have someone better,” Hudson said, recounting the staffer’s offer. “And I was like, ‘Who could that be?’ Not thinking the president. He was like, ‘I can get you the big guy.’ And I was like, ‘The big guy?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, the big guy.’”
That was just the start of a process that tested Condon’s preparation, patience and nerves.
The scheduled 4:15 p.m. interview was ultimately pushed to 6:15 p.m., and the promised allotted time was ultimately cut from seven minutes to five.
Hudson said he was so focused on the prepared questions that he missed opportunities to follow-up, including on a newsy encounter earlier that day when a hot microphone caught Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressing concern to Biden about the pivotal Senate runoff election in Georgia—ultimately won by Democrat Raphael Warnock.
Among the tips, the correspondents offered to the class:
- Ask short, direct questions
- Listen for potential opportunities for follow-up
- Know how much time has been allotted—and track it
- Bring a back-up recorder
- Always be professional and respectful
Access the full transcript here.
