About a month ago, I moved to D.C. I barely knew how to find my way home from the grocery store, let alone travel to Capitol Hill for hearings and interviews. Over the past month I have learned many things about reporting in this city. With an assist from veteran public affairs officers Bridget Serchak of the National Transportation Safety Board and Lisa-Joy Zgorski of the National Science Foundation, here are the 10 commandments of Capitol Hill for new reporters.
ONE: You shall Google and do your homework before interviews.
People will be much more likely to talk to you—and trust you—if it seems you know what you’re talking about. Press secretaries also hate being asked for definitions. Let Google become your best friend.
TWO: You shall not ask questions that can be answered on a website’s “Resources for Journalists” page.
Make sure to check out an organization’s website before calling. If there is a page designated to help reporters, that should be your first click. It will help you figure out the procedure for contacting the press secretary and what they’ve had in the news lately. If there isn’t a page for media, you’ve at least learned a bit about the group by going to its website.
THREE: You shall not disrespect the PR people; you shall not annoy the PR people, nor call them at home for background, nor misquote, nor publish off-the-record quotes.
These people are the gatekeepers to D.C. They can get you in touch with the right person with a transfer of a call or make an interview impossible. Be smart and make friends, not enemies.
FOUR: You shall always make the last phone call — it will not be in vain.
When you think you have your last source, keep picking up the phone. In my experience, it is the interviews you think you don’t need to do that often lead to new information and even a new story.
FIVE: Remember the deadline, and meet it.
Be clear with sources about your deadline because missing it makes you unreliable. Press secretaries want to know your deadline so they can figure out how best to help you. Don’t be afraid to tell someone you need a piece of information by a certain time.
SIX: Honor thy smart phone.
I have yet to see someone on Capitol Hill without a smart phone. It is acceptable, if not expected, to check your e-mail constantly. As a corollary, people generally expect a quick response and will call if an e-mail is not returned in a timely manner.
SEVEN: You shall not wear a skirt to a committee hearing when taking photos.
Crawling around on the floor in a pencil skirt while taking photos of a witness is not fun. Wear pants.
EIGHT: You shall be nice.
Journalists have a reputation as bullies, coercing people to get what they want. I’ve learned quickly that that often isn’t how the Capitol Hill world works. If you are nice, people are more inclined to be nice back.
NINE: You shall not smell good.
D.C. is hot in the summer. The rising temperatures bring the entire city together in sweatiness. You will sweat and you will smell, but no one will care because everyone is sweating and smelly. If you ever get intimidated at interviewing a senator, remember that he probably has sweat dripping down his back at that moment, too.
TEN: You shall wear seersucker.
If you want to blend in on Capitol Hill, invest in a seersucker blazer. Also, if you’re reporting here for the summer, make sure to dress for Seersucker Thursday, which takes place in the second or third week of June.