Capitol Hill hearings can be reported as daily stories or used as background for larger pieces. They can be horribly boring or surprisingly interesting. Having the right approach will help you maximize a hearing’s use for you as a journalist.
1 – Know your battle. The day or days before, find out if you are supposed to RSVP. It’s generally a good idea, even if it doesn’t say to RSVP, to track down a press contact and let him or her know you are coming. Having yourself on a list never hurts.
2 – In talking to the press contact (see step 1), ask a bit about the hearing. Is this for a specific bill, and if so, what exactly is going to get done at the hearing? If there is no specific legislation involved, what is the purpose of the hearing? Does the hearing have a charter – a list of witnesses and related materials — or any other paperwork available the day before, and if so, can you get it e-mailed to you? If you think you might record the proceedings, find out if there is a mult box to plug into. (More on this later.)
3 – Do your homework. Figure out who the witnesses are, read over the charter or any paperwork, and brief yourself on any legislation. This doesn’t need to take long. You don’t need to be an expert on the ins and outs of the bill or know the witnesses so well you can recite their grandkids’ names, but have a basic idea of what’s going on.
4 – Get your equipment together. If you plan to record decent audio, you need a Marantz or other high-quality recorder to plug into the mult box, which is plugged into all the hearing mics so you’ll get clear audio of everyone. Having a camera isn’t necessary but isn’t a bad idea. If you’re writing for the Waterloo Courier, for instance, and a representative from Iowa is the chair of the committee, you might want to get a picture of him or her. And, obviously, bring plenty of pens and business cards and a notebook.
5 – Using www.wmata.com, figure out how long it takes to get to the Capitol from your starting point and allow plenty of time. In fact, it’s a good policy to get to the hearing about half an hour early. This gives you the opportunity to find a good seat. If you’re recording, you might want to sit close to the mult box so you can turn the recorder on and off if you so desire. (If you can’t find a seat close to the mult box, you can always plug the Marantz in to record and keep an eye on it from your seat.) If you’re taking pictures, figure out a good angle for what you want to photograph and sit there. You might be at a press table or just in a row of seats designated for the press; you might be the only one there or you might be patting yourself on the back for getting there so early and snagging a seat among the crowd of journalists. Remember that as press, you don’t have to wait in line with everyone else.
6 – When you get to the hearing, look around for any printouts of prepared testimony or biographies on the witness. If it’s paper and it’s laying around, grab it. Very useful for getting correct spellings of names and exact titles. If you’re recording, ask someone if the mult box is line feed or mic feed, and use the appropriate plug.
6 – So you’re at the hearing, you’re early, you’re all set up and there’s still 20 minutes before the starting gun. Look around. Eavesdrop. Also, figure out who’s from what news organization and what they’re doing there. As every gangster and politician knows, it never hurts to make friends with a reporter. Also look for press contacts or communications directors for the witnesses. They’re usually more than willing to hand out business cards if you want to talk to the witness later, and may even approach you.
7 – During the hearing, if you are recording, write down the time at which witnesses or members of Congress talk. It can get confusing later when listening to the recording, and nothing is worse than having a good quote and not knowing who said it.
8 – Be prepared for weird recesses, buzzing and bells. The people running the hearing are also running the government, more or less, and they’ll get called away to vote. Also be prepared for the hearing to run as long as four hours. If it’s a hot topic, there will be many questions for the witnesses; the witnesses are usually only allowed five minutes or so, but those five minutes can add up if there are a lot of questions.
9 – Listen for witnesses going off their prepared testimony. This is generally more exciting than listening to them read from a piece of paper. Also listen for questions the representatives or senators ask the witnesses at the end, since these put the witnesses on the spot. If you’re lucky, there will be some disagreement, maybe even a fight.
10 – After the hearing is over, talk to the witnesses if you have additional questions and get their contact information for a follow-up.