Arkansas might feel disconnected from our nation's capital sometimes. Then again, once in a while a piece of Washington finds its way into our lovely state. That happened Wednesday night at the University of Arkansas. The school brought in a speaker from The Washington Post, one who covers the White House just about every day.
Students, professors and a few guests gathered in the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House to hear Josh Dawsey speak about his job and what he's observed when covering our president. Turns out Mr. Dawsey was an editor for The Daily Gamecock at the University of South Carolina. When offered a camouflage hat with the Razorback logo on it to better get Sarah Huckabee Sanders' attention, he tried it on briefly before deciding to stick with his Gamecocks.
Mr. Dawsey went on to discuss what it's like to cover the president in the age of "fake news." He talked about how, whether you like the president or not, he's undeniably changing the fabric of this nation. For good or bad? The Washington Post reporter left that to his listeners to decide. (As he should.)
During his remarks, Mr. Dawsey told the audience that Donald Trump is a leader of "remarkable contradictions." He said this president is more accessible to the media than any other president has been. At 6:50 a.m., the president tells everyone exactly what he's thinking. On Twitter. And he answers just about any reporter's questions on the lawn when going into or leaving the White House.
Our guest told a story about recently being in a Washington, D.C., bar with some friends on a Saturday evening when he got a phone call. The operator asked if they were speaking to Josh Dawsey. He confirmed they were, and then asked the reporter if he'd take a call from the president of the United States.
"What do you say to that?" he asked the audience.
The reporter had sent some questions over to Miss Sarah on the topic of slain Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi. Four hours later from Air Force One, President Trump called to discuss it. So, with his laptop on top of a recycling bin outside the bar, Mr. Dawsey said he spoke with the president and took notes for about 45 minutes.
And while they did discuss the killing of Mr. Khashoggi, the White House correspondent said the president got off topic (as he tends to do). He brought up the fact that North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un had written him "beautiful" letters. The president then asked if Mr. Dawsey wanted to see them sometime.
This is the side of Mr. Trump that's not portrayed as much on cable news, the man who calls reporters back to talk for hours after being given a list of questions. Apparently the president loves to talk, sometimes more than his staff would like.
After that phone call, Mr. Dawsey said he was in the White House with a couple others for an interview with the president. As his staff was trying to quickly shuffle him out of the room after answering questions, Mr. Dawsey reminded the president of his offer to see the letters. Mr. Trump immediately called for them to be brought in and displayed on his desk for Mr. Dawsey and others to see.
He isn't an easy president to corral. When he wants to talk, he will. And the president is done when he says he is.
But while Mr. Trump may be one of the most accessible presidents to the media, Mr. Dawsey also said he's one of the most antagonistic, calling journalists the "enemy of the people." And there's that contradiction again. He'll speak often to reporters, but he may not hold many press briefings. The president might call reporters on their cell phones, but he may chew them out.
The president might bring unique challenges to coverage for reporters, but one of those Mr. Dawsey talked about is finding the actual story. As mentioned above, our president has a habit of talking on multiple topics in what literature professors might describe as stream of consciousness. What's the headline when our president talks about 500 different things? the White House correspondent asked.
That challenge considered, Mr. Dawsey said he still enjoys his beat and believes there's real substance to this presidential coverage.
Another challenge Mr. Dawsey mentioned in his job is audience belief. As a Washington Post reporter and part-time CNN analyst, surveys have shown there are just portions of the country in which a lot of people refuse to believe anything he writes. Then there are spots of the country where people refuse to believe anything more conservative outlets write.
"People retreat to their corners," he said.
To The Post's credit, Mr. Dawsey said the paper is rethinking its transparency policies and working to show readers primary source materials to combat perceived media bias. While the reporter said every outlet makes mistakes, the paper he works for is actively trying to show people where it gets its information from when a source isn't anonymous.
"I wish I could bring folks into the newsroom and let them watch," Mr. Dawsey said.
We had to nod as he described the countless hours he and his colleagues spent going over stories, how to write them, how to best present the most accurate information, aka journalism. All this is done to restore faith for the readers.
And speaking of reading, Mr. Dawsey said there's a misconception that our president doesn't read much. But apparently he reads The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The New York Times every day, cover to back. Why? Because he wants to know what people are writing about him, Mr. Dawsey said.
Mr. Dawsey discussed the bigger picture when it comes to all this coverage of Mr. Trump's presidency. With so many people writing about the here and now like there may be no tomorrow, it's refreshing to hear a reporter talk about the future. He said 50 years from now, people will be reading the first draft of history we're writing now.
"Every day is interesting, part of something that feels important."
The White House correspondent told us that although he owns the paper, Jeff Bezos is not a regular figure in the newsroom. Mr. Dawsey said he's met the billionaire once.
When the president called Washington Post workers Amazon lobbyists, Mr. Dawsey said he found that to be a funny claim.
"I don't know a single thing about Amazon," he said, laughing.
He added that when he was at The Wall Street Journal, the reporter never felt input from owner Rupert Murdoch either. There's a certain distance that exists between some newspapers and their owners, the reporter concluded.
One person in the UofA audience asked about the multitude of the president's tweets. How does the paper decide what tweets are worth reporting? To this, Mr. Dawsey said you know important news when you see it. Personnel firings, travel bans--these are the things reporters should look for. He added reporters simply can't ignore the tweets. It's the president.
Perhaps the most insightful question of the night came when someone asked if all the headlines, firings, resignations, Mueller report, etc., are wearing on the president. That is, if there are any obvious signs.
Our guest thought for a moment and then said the president doesn't sleep much. President Trump supposedly goes to bed at midnight or 1 a.m. And wakes up at 5 or 6 a.m., the reporter said. He doesn't drink. So when asked how the president is "holding up," the White House correspondent said things do weigh on the president. And the next few weeks "should be interesting."
It was a fascinating evening. But while it is interesting when a piece of Washington, D.C., comes to Arkansas, it also makes us happy to be where we are, doing what we're doing. The barbecue is better here.
Editorial on 04/08/2019