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Washington Week Online
With Gwen Ifill
Journalist, Moderator "Washington Week"
Thursday, April 24, 2003; Noon ET
Each week, the country's top reporters join moderator Gwen Ifill for an in-depth discussion of the week's top news, from Washington and around the world. The longest-running news and public affairs program on PBS, "Washington Week" features journalists -- not pundits -- lending insight and perspective to the week's important news stories. Now, Ifill brings Washington Week online.
Ifill was online Thursday, April 24 at Noon ET, to take questions and comments about the news and issues of the week.
Ifill is moderator and managing editor of "Washington Week" and senior correspondent for "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer." Ifill spent several years as a "Washington Week" panelist before taking over the moderator's chair in October 1999. Before coming to PBS, she spent five years at NBC News as chief congressional and political correspondent. Her reports appeared on "NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw," "Today," "Meet the Press" and MSNBC. Ifill joined NBC News from The New York Times where she covered the White House and politics. She also covered national and local affairs for The Washington Post, Baltimore Evening Sun, and Boston Herald American.
"Washington Week," airs on WETA/Channel 26, Fridays at 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 12:30 p.m. (check local listings).
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Silver Spring, Md.:
I've seen you lately a few times on the Jim Lehrer News Hour nightly from 7-8. Are you now one of Jim's regulars? (All of the people on that show, in my opinion, are good journalists except Mark Shields... he does not impress me at all).
Gwen Ifill: Hello
I joined the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer as a senior correspondent in October, 1999 -- the same time I came to moderate Washington Week. Generally, I work three days of my week there, and two days of my week here.
But in reality, it always somehow becomes (as the Beatles would say) eight days a week!
Owensboro, Ky.:
Why do you think the Lott affair got such heavy coverage and any controversy over Santorum's hateful remarks has died on the vine? Are his remarks really mainstream in 2003?
Gwen Ifill: If you recall, Trent Lott was basically drummed out of his leadership position by members of his own party. By contrast, leading Republicans -- including Lott's successor Bill Frist -- have risen to Rick Santorum's defense. Strictly as a political calculus, that's the key difference.
Oakton, Va.:
Gwen. I watch your show regularly and I generally like it, but I notice that most of the columnists are usually biased (although I generally don't like labels) somewhat toward what could be called "Leftist" with pronounced "liberal" views. Like I said, I don't care for labels, but while I do like your show, I think it could benefit from having more people on like Charles Krauthammer, Fred Barnes, or Tony Blankley. These are people I wouldn't really call "Rightists." They are more "Centrist" and not particularly biased either way.
Gwen Ifill: I'm afraid we are going to have to disagree. The key difference between Washington Week and other talk programs you may tune in to, is that we have reporters on our program -- not pundits. We strive for reporting and analysis, not opinion.
I've discovered that viewers who are more conservative themselves generally detect a liberal bias among our panelists, while liberal viewers think we are shills for the Bush Administration.
As long as the criticism comes at us from all sides, I figure we're probably right where we need to be -- down the middle.
Washington, D.C.:
Gwen: I worked for another outlet when you covered PG County for the Washington Post (an all-star crew then, all gone on to bigger things).
Do you think national and international issues are as relevant to the audience as local issues, and why do so many reporters aspire to the rarified air?
Gwen Ifill: Covering Prince Georges' County, Maryland was among the meatiest things I have ever done. I've also covered local issues in Boston, Baltimore and Washington. Nothing could have prepared me better for what I do.
I firmly believe that everyone needs context in their news-consuming lives. People interested in why their local assessments skyrocket should also have an understanding on how the Federal Reserve works. And folks who are thinking of running for county council ought also to have an appreciation for national politics.
Most reporters aspire to practice their craft on a bigger stage at some point. (Some of my former colleagues who local covered utility rate hikes are now writing about turning on the electricity in Baghdad.) Fortunately, there are smart, young reporters following on our heels on the local beat.
Dubuque, Iowa:
Gwen,
I enjoy your show, but I also have detected a left-leaning slant from the panelists, many of whom are from the elite Eastern papers. Have you ever considered asking a reporter from The Washington Times or another conservative-leaning paper to join you? Or are conservative reporters too hard to find in Washington?
Gwen Ifill: see previous answer.
Albuquerque, N.M.:
You are a journalist, so maybe you know how it is that those brave press people ever had the nerve to go to Iraq. Did they get there and find themselves unable to leave, or did they really want to stay?
Gwen Ifill: Many of the reporters I know who went to Iraq did so voluntarily, and did it because they knew it would be an unforgettable assignment. Many of us who stayed home were content to follow it from a distance.
But every single reporter who went into the war theater provided invaluable context, understanding and detail that enabled the rest of us to make some sense of an important conflict.
A few even gave their lives to do that. You can't say more about dedication to the craft than that.
Vienna, Va.:
I watch your show "Washington Week" show regularly, among other local talk shows. What made you take Ken Bode's place. Did he retire?
Also, how do you determine your panelists? I notice (like other talk shows) that more or less the same panelists are there every week, although lately I've noticed that Gloria has been missing.
Can I make a suggestion?: Have everyone make a round of predictions at the end of the show like John McGlaughlin's group. That is very interesting.
Gwen Ifill: Three questions in one!!
1. I took this job because it (along with my gig at the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer) was an offer I could not refuse.
2. We use a variety of methods to pick our panelists -- but generally, we decide which topics we want to cover, determine which among our stable of regulars is available to cover it...then throw in a little pixie dust to figure out what the best configuration might be.
(During the war, for example, panelists like Gloria Borger were often unavailable because they were on deadline for their own publications and programs).
3. You won't be seeing any McLaughlin-style predictions on our program. Reporters who have to face the President in the morning generally aren't really fond of speculating about what he might say the night before. That's one of the distinctions we draw between analysis and opinion.
Arlington, Va.:
Gwen, actually I think that there are conservative reporters on Washington Week, but they understand the role of the program is not to take sides but give reasonably dispassionate analysis. People who feel agrieved by a "liberal" slant always have the option of watching something else.
Gwen Ifill: Agreed.
Fairfax, Va.:
Do you think that, like Trent Lott, Tom Daschle's days as a Senate leader may be numbered? His many foolish public remarks, while of a different nature than Lott's, were no doubt just as foolish.
Gwen Ifill: Gee, are you asking me to make a prediction???
Washington, D.C.:
Hi Gwen,
I love your reporting, interviewing, and
hosting.
I was wondering if you had ever been
invited on Reliable Sources to discuss
media? My guess is not, since FAIR just
issued a report showing Howard Kurtz's
guest list to be 96 percent white, almost 75 percent
male, and predominately conservative.
Also, since you do interviews, is it that
hard to find women, progressives, and
people of color to be guests?
Thank you.
Gwen Ifill: As a matter of fact, I have been on "Reliable Sources" more than once.
Howard and I probably have the same challenge, in that we draw from a pool of reporters (national, Washington-based writers) which contains a relatively small number of people of color.
It is one of my major pet peeves, and one I am striving to address.
Crownsville, Md.:
Hello Gwen,
Washington Week is a Friday night ritual for us and we really enjoy it. Who decides which stories to discuss every week and which reporters will discuss which aspects of a given story? (It seems like most of the panelists are so well informed they could speak knowledgably about all aspects of the stories they cover.)
Gwen Ifill: As a rule, I make the final decisions about what stories to cover and who will cover it. But I have great help throughout the week from my production team, who keep track of panelists and the stories they are covering.
More often than not, they know more than I do.
(Oh no, did I really admit that?)
Wheaton, Md.:
I wouldn't necessarily say that your show is unlike "other" talk shows in who the panelists are... for example, Nina Totenberg of your sister organization NPR (National Public Radio) is a regular on Gordon Peterson's "Inside Washington" and I notice that you have a panelist from NPR on your own show.
Gwen Ifill: True.
I missed your question?
Boston, Mass.:
Hi Gwen! Is it true you went to Simmons College? What was your experience here like?
Lindsay (Simmons College Senior)
Gwen Ifill: Hey Lindsay,
I'm a proud Simmons '77 graduate. It was a wonderful experience, as I'm sure you know. I frequently meet other Simmons alums in my travels, and am amazed how similar we are, in spite of the different lives we've led. As you will shortly see upon graduation, the experience stays with you.
Fairfax, Va.:
Will you be covering the Santorum flap tomorrow night? I am a regular viewer, and think you do a great job! It is a refreshing change from the ideological wars on other programs.
Gwen Ifill: As a matter of fact, we are thinking about a way to cover the Santorum flap tomorrow night. But it's still a work in progress.
New Rochelle, N.Y.:
First, thank you for the NewsHour and Washington Week. I have become a junkie of real news and now only watch news on PBS or C-Span with an occasional report from the networks. Cable news is banned.
Are you going to do a story on the FCC and Michael Powell's attempt to lossen the restrictions of owenership? We don't need more outlets for infotainment regardless of what Murdoch wants and I believe the media companies are purposely not reporting on this story because it benefits them. Thanks.
Gwen Ifill: We will do a story on that when it rises to the level of debate and decision that works for us. In the meantime, it's not quite soup yet.
Arlington, Va:
You seemed a little shaky in your war related questions. Were you afraid someone might give out some sensitive details? I'm worried about that guy from NPR myself. Thanks a lot.
Gwen Ifill: Shaky? Me? Perhaps on some subjects, but not this one. I'm certainly not afraid we're giving anything away. Our reporters are great professionals. Not only would they not reveal anything they were warned against, but the big challenge is often getting any information at all.
Woodbridge, Va.:
This is not a question but I hope you get to read this. I am a huge fan and think you do some of the best work on television. Thank you for the service you provide to a public that needs to hear and true fair and balance voice!
Gwen Ifill: I'm posting this question and answer just because it made me feel so good.
Washington, D.C.:
Do you think, given the relationship you mentioned earlier between local and national politics, that it would be helpful in some instances you have a reporter who focuses more at the local level represented on the panel? In specific, I'm thinking of examples like states and cities that are raising taxes at the same time as the nation discusses a tax cut to better represent the overall tax obligations of an individual or family. Could a local beat reporter provide a different perspective?
Gwen Ifill: That's a great idea. And now that we are moving away from our exclusively war-oriented programs, perhaps we can find a way to do it.
Oklahoma City, Okla.:
Dear Ms. Ifill,
Polls write that there is support for the War in Iraq. Gosh, everyone that I talk to have been appalled, and I live in a really conservative state and have conservative Republican friends. My neighbors, coworkers, friends and family think President Bush and his administration are all Idiots. Where is the information coming from that is so different than what I am hearing. Can you help explain this? Many Thanks.
Gwen Ifill: Depends on the question you ask.
Many people are supportive of the President, and therefore support the war, even if they have deeper misgivings.
By contrast, some people dislike the President and would never support anything he does.
A close reading of the more reputable polls will show that, yes, there is broad support for the war. But if you put the question into a larger context (tax cuts, casualties, length of commitment), the answers are not so hard and fast.
Edgewood, Iowa:
Gwen: Last week on your show two of your panelists stated that the American public didn't care that no weapons of mass destruction were found. Well, I care and I will still care in November of 2004.
Gwen Ifill: To be completely fair, what our reporter was saying is that there are polls that show that many Americans will still consider this war a success even if no weapons of mass destruction are found.
It goes without saying (I think, but maybe not) that a lot of folks disagree with that.
Vienna, Va.:
Several references here have been made on this show to "left", "middle" and "center". How would YOU define these terms? For instance, much of what is considered "left" or "far-left" nationally (especially in huge and vast areas of the South, Midwest, and West) passes off as everyday buisness-as-usual or "centrist" here inside the Beltway and in neighboring counties. In other words, much of what we deal with here every day and our lifestyles here are prevalent only in the large cities of the Northeast and California.
Gwen Ifill: Personally, I try to avoid using terms like "left," "middle" and "center," for precisely the reasons you state. I don't censor my panelists, so it may be true you sometimes hear those characterizations on Washington Week.
Labels are dangerous. Far better to say what you mean when you can, and to avoid generalizations altogether.
Vienna, Va.:
Your ability to connect the dots when disparate points of views are being presented (real-time) is remarkable.
Knowing what questions to ask, when to drill down into specifics and when to change tactics seems to be a bit of an artform to me. Some folks have it, some don't. You definately have it.
Having said all of that; have you ever had a situation where a guest was generating such confusion it was nearly impossible to bring things into context?
Gwen Ifill: Yes, that has happened. And I could name the guest -- but discretion is my middle name.
Takoma Park, Md.:
If you do choose to cover the Rick Santorum issue, I certainly hope you have at least one panelist who considers Santorum's comments to be in-bounds and mainstream. Sadly, most elite media types consider politicians who are not pro-gay rights to be "ultra-conservative," when in fact they represent the majority views of the country.
Gwen Ifill: I agree with you one one point. Rick Santorum does speak for a lot of people.
Yazoo, Miss.:
Do you participate on the speakers' circuit? Any plans to do a live show with an audience... say an expanded special of some sort? What is Ken Bode doing these days? Thanks for your work!
Gwen Ifill: I speak infrequently -- mostly to college and nonprofit audiences. I'm too busy for more.
We have actually taken Washington Week on the road -- to Florida, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco -- and we hope to do it more. In public broadcasting, however, that's an expensive proposition. So we're always looking for ways and for funding.
Ken Bode, last I checked, is still teaching at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
Fairfax, Va.:
The polls indeed show vast support for the war here in the U.S but one reason I think the caller from Oklahoma is confused is that the antiwar side has been much louder and more vocal than the pro-war side, and the media in general has given it noticeably more attention. The pro-war side reminds me in many ways of Richard Nixon's "Silent Majority 30-35 years ago. But the fact is that like it or not, the antiwar side is a distinct minority here.
Gwen Ifill: I'll let this one speak for itself.
Talk amongst yourselves.
Geneva, N.Y.:
Just before the start of the Iraq war, President Bush gave a press conference wherein he appeared to be giving scripted responses to the reporters. While this had some mention in the media at the time, there seems to have been very little notice or discussion about which reporters were invited to the press conference and why none of them once asked the president to discuss the link between Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. Why was there so little coverage about this rather scripted in the media? I understand that it was eclipsed by the war coverage itself, but it would a shame if what appeared to be a staged press conference went un-examined.
Thank you.
Gwen Ifill: Hey, I've been to Geneva, NY! To Hobart & William Smith College!
But that wasn't your question, was it?
The pre-war press conference, according to the reporters who attended it, was no more scripted than any other public appearance by the President.
That is, the reporters did NOT clear their questions with the White House, and they did not know who was going to be called on and in what order.
But the White House clearly thought this through carefully. The President admitted that he was selecting questioners from a pre-prepared list. This is not unusual. No President walks into these things blind. What was different this time was that his prep was so apparent.
There are many opinions out there about the quality of the questions that night. The solution? Have more press conferences. Have more questions.
This does not appear immediately likely.
Silver Spring, Md.:
How were so many American and British journalists able to ride out the war in the enemy capital -- Baghdad -- and avoid being taken hostage or even killed? This just makes no sendse to me.
Gwen Ifill: I don't know the details of how the reporters who stayed in Baghdad pulled it off. I would, however, commend you to two accounts by New York Times reporter John Burns and NPR reporter Annie Garrels. Both have talked/written about their experiences in accounts that can be found on npr.org and nytimes.com.
Buffalo, N.Y.:
Hi Gwen,
You are, by far, our favorite news anchor
out there. We love you, Gwen!
Why? You have a great way of asking
questions with a twinkle in your eye,
zeroing in for the proverbial kill with a
disarming politeness. Plus you seem to
be very fair, and guests never seem
uneasy.
If I could bring you someone to interview,
and they would tell the truth, who would
you want to see and what would you like
to ask?
Gwen Ifill: Another question I am posting, because it cheers me up.
And because the questioner is from Buffalo.
There are many people out there who I would love to interview no-holds-barred. But if I were certain they would tell me the unvarnished, non-spinning truth, I'd love to hear from Colin Powell or Tony Blair.
But unvarnished and non-spinning is one of my fantasies.
Philadelphia, Pa.:
Gwen:
I've watched this show for years and always enjoyed it. I'd like to see a show where you and the pundits limit the discussion to the need for (or not), the Federal Reserve System.
Thanks.
Gwen Ifill: Whooo. That would be a toughie. You'd be watching, but you and who else?
Durham, N.C.:
Early in the war, I saw some disturbing footage taken when U.S. troops entered Safwan. Two Iraqi children and one older man dancing in supposed jubilation at the arrival of U.S. troops. Frankly, the scene looked staged, and one had to wonder what harm might come to these Iraqis, who were shown celebrating the arrival of U.S. troops only a few days into the war, when Saddam's regime was still in control of most of the country. Recently, I noticed a posting on the NPR Web site, expressing dismay that a Frontline special on the search for al Qaeda showed a reporter interviewing children in Yemen to find out about al Qaeda subjects.
My question: Do any of the major television news organizations provide any cultural sensitivity training to their reporters before sending them on assignments in foreign countries?
Gwen Ifill: Gosh, a great question. One I wish I knew the answer to...but do not.
Gwen Ifill: So watch us tomorrow night! We'll be talking about Iraq reconstruction, the spreading SARS epidemic, developments in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and 2004 politics!
See you then,
Gwen
washingtonpost.com:
That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the
discussion.
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