1474 Megapixel Image of Inauguration

This is pretty cool. A 1474 megapixel shot of Pres. Barack Obama being sworn in.

You can zoom in. It's pretty cool to see all the people there, to zoom in and just look around.

When Candidates Become Presidents: How Media Coverage Changes

Journalists are pressing our new president, trying to judge how media-friendly Mr. Obama will be.

First link:
News access issues concern those covering Obama

When Pres. Obama re-took the oath of office, TV crews were not allowed in. And the article says major wire services like the AP refused to distribute White House photos of the new president, instead pushing for access for their photographers.

And a couple of links from Politico:
Obama flashes irritation in press room
Media frustration spills into briefing

I'll take Politico to task for the first. Looks like they tried to ambush Pres. Obama at an impromptu stop by the new president. There are times to ask tough questions, but that looked more like someone looking for a gotcha moment. Not classy, Politico.

The second piece shows how reporters are treating an administration that promised transparency and change.

I'm not trying to pass judgment on the new president, but look how members of the press (and White House) are drawing lines. I know the critics said reporters and the Obama campaign were too cozy, but I think those things do tend to change when candidates become presidents. I think reporters will keep a watchful eye, and I think the new administration will be a little more leery of news coverage than they were during the campaign.

Waving the Flag

Waving the Flag, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

Those logos on the microphones are called mic flags. Election night's always a good time to fly the flag high.

PRE$$ PA$$

I'm in the end zone. The crowd erupts. TOUCHDOWN!!!

It's no fantasy. It's really happened. No, I wasn't the one with the ball, but the guy with the camera shooting highlights for the evening news.

One of the perks of being a TV reporter in Nebraska is the access to big time college football. Texas, Oklahoma, USC, and Virginia Tech are just a few of the schools I've seen.

It takes a press pass to get that kind of access. Of course, I'm not always the guy on the sideline or in the end zone. Sometimes I have to go to the photo box on top of the stadium. You have to take stairs up to the roof to get there.

Make no mistake about it, covering a game is work. I've put in 16 hour days, schlepping a camera for hours. You take a play off, and so does the defense. As soon as you turn the camera off, someone scores.

While we don't pay to get in, we do pay to get there, and pay to park.

Big time politics is the same way. From what I understand, it's not unusual for the TV folks to pay to park their satellite trucks. Those on the campaign press planes pay for their travel. Reporters at big campaign stops pay for internet access and phone lines.

But paying just to cover the event? I thought that was unheard of.

Until now.

This year the two presidential campaigns have what amount to a pay-for-play plans for election night.

No media get in free to John McCain's post-election party according to a columnist with the Chicago Sun-Times.

Barack Obama has a free option -- if you want to huddle into a tent watching a TV with other journalists. If you want a good seat, be ready to shill out $1000 or more. Main riser? Pay $1870. Don't believe me? Look at Obama's website.

Columnist Lynn Sweet said in this piece about Obama's plans, "This is an outrageous pay to play plan that caters to national elite outlets with deep pockets."

I agree.

Journalists are considered the fourth estate. They play an important role, that frankly shouldn't be restricted by who can afford to pay.

Yeah, it's not a problem for CNN, ABC, or the Washington Post. But is it limiting coverage by alternative voices or smaller market outlets?

Every journalist should be able to cover this historic election freely, unhindered by finances. I think this sets a dangerous precedent.

Even with the TV contracts in big time college football, members of the local media still get in free. But we're not talking sports, we're talking about the next president. Do you want to limit news coverage to those with the deepest pockets?

Don't mess with guys with badges

As I've said before, I always feel like I'm doing something noble when I have to defend my First Amendment rights.

In this case, it was hardly worth having to defend.

Our small town airport now has direct flights to Vegas. And with 150 seat planes, it's a real flight on a real plane, not some puddle jumper.

So when the first flight was leaving, I made sure to shoot generous amounts of what we in the business call b-roll. A-roll is your interviews, and primary stuff. B-roll is what fills in a TV news story. And who knows when I'll be able to see this many people getting on a plane here again.

So I needed it for file video.

I walked right up to the counter, as I've done before, and got shots of people checking their bags. I should point out, when you walk in the door to the airport, you're basically at the counter. It'[s not big.

I made some small talk with the TSA agents about the fact that it was a busy day for them, considering we haven't even had an airline here in months. I grabbed about a 10 second shot of them picking up a suitcase, and went on with the people in line.

At this point, some TSA guy came me the business about that was private property and I couldn't be there. When I had to remind him it's a taxpayer funded airport, and I sure could. He wanted me to "erase" my tape, whatever that meant. So I told him I'd back off and went back to the passengers in line.

At which point some guy whips a badge out of his pocket and asks me to come with him. He told me it could be a threat to national security to show the TSA screeners on TV.

It was so blown out of proportion. The screeners stand at the counter in plain sight. There's no screen, no visual deterant. And I got one 10 second shot just to cover my bases, that would probably never even been shown.

Maybe I was just charged up because of the reporters arrested in Denver and St. Paul, but I don't appreciate being lectured by government types. If they're really worried about terorrists finding out how they screen luggage, why wouldn't they do it behind a wall?

Is there really a need to flash a badge? Just ask me not to do it. Local cops do that all the time. They'll explain why they don't want something shown, and I won't show it. Often that's something like an undercover cop attending an awards ceremony. They don't want his face getting on TV because it could compromise his safety. I get that.

So that's my rant for today. I'm not a pushy reporter. Not by a long shot. But I will defend my rights.

Not quite a close shave

No close shave in either of the U.S. Senate primaries I covered this week. (Video of me & the governor here) Nor a shave for me either. The beard continues to grow.

Announcement!

After getting on a roll where I was going bloggy, bloggy at least one a week, I've been floating on the outer edges of the blogosphere.

But I can explain if my head's been elsewhere.

Sara and I are getting married!

New website is up at http://www.steveandsaraw.com/

Including a new wedding blog.

Thank you, thank you!

Quick hits:
* I present to you last week's Story of the Week -- a pheasant chasing a tractor. I kid you not. No one prepared me for that one in journalism school.

* At the TV station, we ordered up a big controversial story just in time for the November ratings period. It's the story of a 25-year-old teacher who fled to Mexico with her 13-year-old student. Pretty weird, and pretty sensational. Not necessarily a lot of substance, but when us TV folks find a story like this, we latch on.

* Interesting article on a subject I was wondering about. How Shyness Became a Mental Illness. I hate these ads that try to make people feel they need drugs to cope with life. Just because I tend to be introverted doesn't mean something's wrong with me.

* Had an interesting discussion yesterday with my youth pastor/history teacher/all-around-smart-guy friend Matt. It was about giving birth at home, something he and his wife did. We talked about making pregnancy a medical condition to be treated, a commodity in a sense. Interesting philosophical discussion too of why Nebraska allows home birth, but does not allow midwives to be present.

* Can you believe we'll have a new president in less than a year? I have no idea who I'm going to vote for. That's not for a lack of looking. I just don't know.

* Our church surveyed us last weekend, as the church begins the search for a new senior pastor. I'm glad they're seeking input. And while such an exercise is certainly useful, I hope it doesn't dictate what the search committee does. I'm confident it won't. It's like teaching to the test. The kids all look like they know what they're doing, but aren't well rounded. I hope we don't search to the survey. What people think they want could differ greatly from what God wants for them.

All righty... that's it for now. Hopefully if I throw a dozen topics in a post, something will stick. Discuss away.

Don't you know you'll destroy people's lives?

"Don't you know you'll destroy people's lives?"

The young man, probably only a few years removed from his high school days stormed out of his place of employment.

"I'm going to need to see some credentials," the haughty young man said.

Credentials? I thought to myself I'm never asked to show credentials. I don't need them at the courthouse, or even with the governor. They know who I am. Maybe when the President came to town I needed credentials. But that's it.

He continued, "I didn't give you permission to take my picture".

"I don't need your permission," I replied. "I'm on public ground."

Some sonic wall must have intercepted my words. But I continued.

"I'm sorry I have to be here today, it wasn't my choice," I countered. "I'm only doing my job."

"What right do you have to be here?" His questions proved to be rhetorical. The landscaping employee had no interest in hearing any answers.

That's because ICE (a cool new name for the INS) had just visited his employer.

Turns out they arrested 19 workers suspected of being illegal aliens. Plus the boss went to jail too, federally indicted for hiring illegals and paying them under the table.

I understand the young man was frustrated. I wouldn't be happy to be working for such an operation either. But if you don't want the feds, and in turn the news media to show up at your door unannounced, don't break the law.

I'm just the messenger.

It often startles me when subjects of bad news tell me I don't have the right to report on them. It's even worse when public servants pull this. You'd be surprised. (Or maybe you wouldn't). In small towns, seems the idea of looking in a public court file or city council agenda nearly requires a court order. The vast majority of public employees I deal with are great. But there are those, who like the young man, ask what right I have.

There's a little thing called freedom of the press. Thanks to the NRA, people fight for their second amendment rights. But how many remember the first amendment? You know, the one that allows you to worship as you please, speak your mind, assemble and petition the government? Yeah, that goofy thing also gives me the right to report on your bad news. Sorry.

Will a small market TV station's minute and a half long report be someone's demise?

But while I could have laid out these arguments, the young man instead parked a company truck in the way of my camera position. Then he jumped in a second truck, laid down some rubber, and screeched past me, nearly losing control in the process. Civil discourse, to the last.

If theirs was a show about nothing, the writers of Seinfeld surely must have had a hand in crafting Chuck Hagel's non-announcement Monday.

Political pundits, and many of us in the media thought he was preparing to launch a presidential bid. We talked to him two weeks ago, and he confirmed he was considering a run.

So when a press release came out late last week telling us the Senator was making an announcement on his future, we all showed up.

CNN and Fox were there. It seems every TV camera in Nebraska was there too.

So what did Hagel announce? Only that he'll make an announcement later this year.

Excuse me?

It's been called the announcement of an announcement.

Analysts call it bizarre, puzzling, disappointing. To say the least.

I'm so glad I got up at 5 in the morning to get ready to drive to Omaha to squeeze my camera in so I could hear an announcement about nothing.