What Not to Do   

Being ignored obviously isn't easy, and it's one of the big mental adjustments a lot of Washington reporters have to make. Most came to the capital after climbing their newspapers' ladders, routinely covering the biggest local stories and even being sought out by local sources. Suddenly in the capital, instead of zeroing in on the top story, reporters have to worry about why the judiciary committee is holding up federal bench nominations in New England or whether the House appropriations committee will cut low income energy aid, which could mean higher heating bills for thousands of people in their paper's region.

Even if a story is a terrific local find, chances are it will barely be noticed in Washington. That's why reporters need to remember four common pitfalls that dog regional journalists:

• Don't get involved in stories that can spin out of control. There's always a temptation to leap into Oklahoma City-type events. But the networks and the bigger papers can mobilize a dozen, if not dozens, of reporters on every big story. On the opening day of the 104th Congress, for instance, it was tempting to write the main story. But it was unfolding on so many fronts – the House, the Senate, the White House response. Was it worth it for two people to try to cover this and use the wires to fill in the blanks? Why not zero in on the hometown Republicans and try to get inside their heads?

• Be different, but not too different. One of the current debates in journalism is whether politics and government are given too much coverage. They probably are, but the Washington bureau covers Washington, and it is a government town. Reporters are there to cover government and politics, not the woes of the city, or why traffic is a mess. A reporter is not being clever because he blew off the big Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the F-22 planes so he could write a feature about the struggling actors at the Folger Theater (unless, of course, one of the actors is from his paper's city). Always ask: Is the story being done because it has some meaning to readers, or simply because it's fun?

• Don't overblow the importance of local figures. The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette's Sylvia Smith describes the consummate regional reporter's dilemma. "I worry that by putting the quotes of a local delegation member high in a national story, it conveys the impression that they had a stronger role than they really did," she says. "But at the same time, by doing that, I'm giving the reader something he cannot get from the wires."

The rule here is simple: Use your news judgment. If the House is debating a tax bill, and a member makes a three-minute speech and nothing more, it's senseless to write a sidebar that might make it look like this speech swung votes. Ask how important the member's participation was – and ask on background, because no leader is going to dismiss the role of a colleague on the record.

• Don't waste time trying to develop sources you'll never get. The top advisers at the White House or the Republican or Democratic National Committees generally are not going to leak big stories to an unknown reporter from an unknown paper. There is, however, a great opportunity for regionals to develop sources who know their paper. James Kuhnhenn, Kansas City Star Washington bureau chief, got good stories on Dan Glickman from Kansas and Missouri natives living in D.C., so he was able to write, "The nomination of former U.S. Rep. Dan Glickman as secretary of agriculture has hit a snag as a result of FBI background checks, sources familiar with the process said Tuesday." Denver Post Washington correspondent Adriel Bettelheim likes to go to administration budget briefings each February and meet mid-level staffers who know programs thoroughly. Ellen Shearer, editor of Medill News Service, advises her reporters to attend congressional committee hearings that deal with important topics but attract little media attention; the principals often remember who took the time to show up.

– D.L.