High-powered senators rushing in and out of committee meetings, stressed out staffers juggling multiple BlackBerries, the constant barrage of business cards—it’s enough to make you want to turn around and run in the other direction. Washington can be an intimidating place, especially for young reporters still getting their feet wet.
People will deny you access, tell you that you can’t film here or there and belittle the work that you’re doing. One thing that that I didn’t realize until I spent some time observing veteran reporters here in Washington is that you can talk back to all those people who get in the way of your stories. Not talk back in the way your mom always told you not to, but talk back in an engaging way. It’s okay to push people a little and ask them why, for example, you aren’t allowed to shoot a few minutes of video on a public sidewalk. You’ll find that once you show you know what you’re talking about and that you’re willing to push back a little, they will usually back down and let you get what you need.
A couple of weeks ago, I needed to shoot a stand-up in front of the White House. I set up my tripod on the sidewalk and began to unpack all my camera gear. A security guard approached me and said I couldn’t have the tripod on the sidewalk and that I needed to pack up. As he walked away, I stopped him to ask if I could shoot video there as long as I didn’t get in the way. He said no and continued to walk away. Then I asked him if I could move the tripod to the street, which is blocked off from vehicles, and shoot the stand-up there. He shrugged his shoulders and said sure. He left me alone for the next 15 minutes while I shot and re-shot what I needed.
That security guard was not going to offer up the fact that if I moved my tripod a few inches forward, then I could get exactly what I needed. But once I showed him that I was willing to push back a little, I finally got the answer I was looking for and he was perfectly accommodating.
Similarly, while in a Senate hearing recently, I was relegated to an awkward corner with my camera and tripod. There was no elevated media platform and I was the only broadcast reporter there. Because of the way the room was set up, I couldn’t get shots of the committee members faces and a lot of the witnesses were blocked. During a lull in the testimony, I just moved my camera gear forward so that I could get the shots I needed and have video of all the witnesses. I was expecting someone to immediately come tell me that I needed to move, but instead the press secretary just nodded at me. Though he didn’t offer up the closer spot to me, he was just fine with me taking the initiative to get the shots I needed.
During your first couple of weeks in Washington, you will feel like you are always annoying someone or getting in the way. You’ll think everyone is rolling their eyes at your intrusive camera lens. But you’ll find that once you show that you take what you do seriously and are willing to work as hard as a “real” reporter, people are willing to treat you as an equal and help you out however they can.
So keep in mind that you have every right to be here and take advantage of the incredible access you’ve been granted for the summer—even if that means getting up in an official’s face with a camera. Remember: it’s your job!