Amid severe political polarization and mistrust of the news media, Steve Scully, vice president of communications for the Bipartisan Policy Center, shared tips for fairness with Paul Miller fellows. [Transcript | Video]
4 takeaways:
➀ Speak with interviewees in their own words. When interviewing a source, the immediate instinct may be to ask them to respond to what someone else has said about them. When Scully interviewed President Bush in 2008, he didn’t mention criticism from The New York Times because it would have created the opportunity to criticize The New York Times. Instead, he quoted one of Bush’s own speeches from 2000 in which he stated his goals for his presidency. Scully asked Bush what had happened since and created a space for genuine reflection.
“He kind of slumped in his chair and was almost as if the air came out of the Oval Office,” Scully said. “It was just an incredible moment.”
When the opportunity is available, long sit-down interviews with sources bring about honest conversations that bring new information. Scully said he interviewed Bush for about 40 minutes, giving time to create comfort and in-depth discussion.
➁ Political candidates are more concerned about primaries than general elections, which affects policy. Because of redistricting, once candidates win their party’s nomination, they are almost guaranteed to beat the candidate from the opposing party. “Now these districts are carved up even neighborhood by neighborhood, that’s going to ensure a Democrat or Republican holds that seat,” Scully said. “So the primary is far more important than the general election, which means there’s much less of an incentive to try to deal with some of the big issues” across the aisle.
➂ Stick to your gut and the facts of the story. “Your gut, your emotions are a really good barometer in terms of where you want to take yourself and this profession,” Scully said. “Because it is hard.”
If you decide to be a reporter rather than a columnist, the best way to counter accusations of bias is to insist on accuracy and fairness. “Strive for solid journalism,” he said. “Cover the facts.”
➃ Maintain long-term relationships with sources, even when they fall out of power. In Washington, “people who are out of power are often back in power again,” Scully said.
He said he connected with Kellyanne Conway before she became Trump’s campaign manager, making it easy for him to get an interview her once she got the position. There’s no replacement for professional, “genuine relationships,” he said.
