Politics and power from high school to the campaign trail

The Boston Globe offers multiple perspectives and approaches to its coverage of the hostage situation at Hillary Clinton's campaign offices in New Hampshire yesterday. The main article gives the basic information of what happened before going into a lengthy treatment of the hostage-taker's troubled background. At first, the detailed descriptions of Leeland Eisenberg's past as one of the victims of sexual abuse who received settlement money from the Archdiocese of Boston a few years ago seem to be scandal-mongering, indulging in the fact that the article can discuss two crimes at once. Towards the end of the background, though, there is a quote that affirms the important role knowing the man's background played for police who were arbitrating the hostage situation. I would have moved this quote up a few paragraphs, but it does justify the article's approach. While the main news article focused on Eisenberg, The Globe also ran an analysis by an AP writer on the way Clinton handled the situation. This somewhat cynical view nonetheless balances Clinton's grace in responding to the hostage crisis with the underlying circumstance that she is, of course, trying to appear to respond well under pressure--and in front of the camera--despite the fact that she might have acted the same way if she were not as conscious of her image. The ironic thing is that for all the article's descriptions of Clinton's "regal" appearance, the photos included of her are all incredibly awkward, taken mid-speech with her mouth agape. Nice try, AP.

The benefit of writing an article in anticipation of news is that it gives you a lot of space to provide background information. A Washington Post article today previews the election being held in Russia tomorrow to take time to explain the significance of the election. It immediately makes the distinction between the ostensible purpose of the election--to vote in members of the Duma--and its actual importance--providing a referendum for Putin on the extent of his power. The article uses comments from opposition to describe the ways in which Putin could view a favorable election as a mandate to expand his power.

Real life is just as good as fiction in The New York Times article on Manhattan schoolgirls obsessed with the teen books-turned-tv-show "Gossip Girl." I can just imagine the reporter sent to cover that one, a man with a notebook surrounded by high-pitched teenyboppers--and this image is just the icing on the cake. The article crafts a very vivid picture by including copious amounts of dialogue from the girls waiting to glimpse their favorite celebrities, filming on location on the Upper East Side. The perspective lets the reader in on the excitement of a possible celeb-sighting for the girls by excluding comments from others on the scene, such as those involved in the production of the show. The pace of the writing helps create the expectant tone of the article without giving in completely to the tedium of waiting around. The best part is, the article is cleverly unbiased -- the girls' conversations and behavior speak for themselves, and the reporter remains and fair and balanced observer.