Cracking open the reporter's brain pan

One difference between a good reporter and a bad one is that a good reporter usually knows a great deal more about a story than he or she is able to squeeze into a single article. In the old days (BI: Before Internet), the workaround to this information choke was to give the reporter a series, or a niche beat, or even a book. When the institutional/insider knowledge built up to dangerous levels, a reporter might even get a column.

But all of those solutions cost money. Today, mostly the blog serves as the information release valve. The problem is, however, that blogs demand too much and too little at the same time. They need constant feeding, but only want snacks. But for readers to care, the reporter needs to craft the bite-size story into something akin to a funny joke. That's a talent in and of itself, which means many blogs are full of time-consuming flops, flabby and/or caustic criticism, or boring notebook detritus.

As a radio producer, my job is, in part, about giving reporters a chance to say all the things they couldn't fit into a story (after they recount what they did put in the story). Then we give the story a second life by getting people, often experts, to talk and debate. The key is the host - the interlocutor who directs the discussion and asks the questions.

There are news and commentary sites springing up that follow a similar model. Calbuzz, started by Phil Trounstine and Jerry Roberts, is one such outlet. On occasion, it allows good journalists to go deeper into the weeds on stories than most general interest newspapers, but they have an audience that will willingly follow. In this case, too, the two hosts - and their curiosity - drives the conversation.

A good example of this is today's special report from Gene Maddaus, political writer at the LA Weekly. Maddaus took exception to some overly generalized CW on Calbuzz and, in response to his message, the editors asked him to write what most good political writers wish they could cram into their campaign coverage - but don't.

This kind of interaction improves journalism without robbing anyone of their valuable time (Gene didn't have to post the piece if he didn't want to) and without mindless consolidation or content-farming other news outlets have embraced (cough, AOL, cough, MediaNews).

Setting the bar low, then jumping it

Slate blogger Mickey Kaus has set an exceptionally low bar for himself in his windmill-tipping battle to embarrass Sen. Barbara Boxer in today's Democratic primary. He's declared that if he wins more than 5 percent of the vote it will be, as LA Weekly reporter Gene Maddaus put it, "a historic repudiation" of the three-term incumbent.

Except that even the most obscure challengers often exceed the 5-percent mark in primary elections. Meaning Kaus will almost certainly succeed in his effort of a historic repudiation, and probably with two or three percentage points to spare. But will anyone notice?

Next in line

The Latino/labor political machine has a finely tuned process for anointing new leaders in the age of term limits. Gene Maddaus at the LA Weekly profiles the emergence of Ricardo Lara, a nobody to outsiders and already a favorite to win California's 50th Assembly District seat.

The nine

The LA Weekly evaluated budget planning in the cities of Los Angeles, San Jose and Pasadena and came up with a list of nine mistakes L.A. made on its way to this year's budget crisis. LAW

Daily Breeze reporter headed to LA Weekly*

Gene Maddaus, who covered the city of Carson and politics for the Daily Breeze, has accepted a job as a staff writer at the LA Weekly. From the newsroom memo (via LA Observed):

We have hired a reporter to fill our staff writer opening. Gene Maddaus of the Daily Breeze will come aboard Jan. 11.

Gene is an energetic, tough-minded reporter who has laid down a lot of shoe leather working at three newspapers in Southern California. He has an impressive record of enterprise and investigative work, stories he turned out at a time when that kind of reporting is harder to execute at daily newspapers.

At the Daily Breeze, Gene covered politics and Carson City Hall for more than three years. Before that, he covered the city of Pasadena for the Pasadena Star-News. He began his newspaper career at the Inland Valley Times, a now-defunct Times Community newspaper.

Gene is a 2000 graduate of Syracuse University in 2000. He grew up in Maine.

Gene also is a a former colleague of mine and I wish him the best.

*Update: Memo from Daily Breeze City Editor Frank Suraci:

To all,

Congratulations are in order for our colleague Gene Maddaus, who will be leaving the staff in two weeks to join LA Weekly. Gene has done solid work for us covering politics and the city of Carson and we'll miss his firebrand reporting style.

Join me in wishing Gene the best as he moves along to the next chapter of his career.

Frank

P.S. Haven't heard from Jim Dear yet, but I imagine he'll consider this the best Christmas gift a guy could get.

For those not immersed in Carson politics, Jim Dear is the city's mayor.

Keeping up with: Rep. Jane Harman

The Rep. Jane Harman wiretap story just keeps crawling deeper and deeper into the labyrinth. The most recent revelations:

Gene Maddaus at the Daily Breeze reports that Harman has challenged CQ columnist Jeff Stein, who broke the story, to a road race. Her attempt to show she's taking things in stride seems misguided - shouldn't she be challenging ex-CIA Director Porter Goss?

Laura Rozen at Foreign Policy reports that Harman, desperate to smother any more bad news, has hired former Clinton adviser Lanny Davis as her media adviser. Rozen's piece also includes a summary of the political backstabbing behind the wiretap story - which reveals a disturbing level of political gamesmanship among people entrusted with America's safety.

Harman talks about wiretap*

MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell scored the first interview with Rep. Jane Harman, D-El Segundo, about yesterday's Congressional Quarterly story. An NSA wiretap (some say it was the FBI) recorded a conversation in which Harman allegedly discussed a quid pro quo deal with a "suspected Israeli spy" while she was trying to get appointed chairwoman of the House Intelligence Committee. Harman adamantly denies doing anything wrong.

*Update: Gene Maddaus at the Daily Breeze is following every twist at turn at the paper's Pipeline blog.

Print-on-TV action

Gene Maddaus at the Daily Breeze continues his watchdogging of local television news with a story yesterday that Fox 11 got it wrong when they reported City Councilwoman Janice Hahn provided city funds to active gang members:

"But a review of the Fox 11 News story found major flaws that undermine its central allegations. Most notably, records and interviews show that the gang intervention workers identified in the report have not received city funding."

Indeed, that would seem a major flaw, given that the central allegation made by Fox was that Hahn provided "city funds to active gang members under the auspices of gang intervention programs."

This is not the first time Maddaus has questioned the reporting of a television news station. In 2006, he wrote a column for the Pasadena Star-News about KTLA "Morning News" anchors receiving free rooms, along with free wine and chocolate, in exchange for giving air time to the Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel in Pasadena. Turns out shilling violates certain ethical standards, even for TV. Maddaus won several awards for his work.

Incidentally, the Ritz is now the Langham, and the KTLA "Morning News" is now the KTLA "Morning Show."

-30-

Soon to be former Los Angeles Times reporter Henry Weinstein talks about the effect of the cuts and buyouts in shrinking newsroom on today's Which Way, LA? Thus far, 30 reporters and editors have agreed to leave. Listen to the show at 7 p.m. on KCRW or anytime here.

Also on the program, state Senate leaders Don Perata and Dick Ackerman remind us that Democrats and Republicans can't find middle ground on taxes and Daily Breeze reporter Gene Maddaus talks about the horrific shooting of a 6-year-old boy yesterday in Harbor Gateway.