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Howard Dean lauds local media

Former Vermont Governor and Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean appeared before the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation to discuss broadcast debating in particular and the relationship of politicians and the media in general. He remarked several times that the best of all media, on several levels, is local television.

Dean was generally critical of the media, especially at the national level. "I think the media doesn't understand what it's role is in this country any more," he said. He called the news media the fourth branch of government, saying that it was not calling the rest of the government to account. Instead, the national press corps engages in games of "gotcha" rather than uncovering and presenting a true picture of candidates and issues.

Reinforcing the fourth branch idea a bit later, Dean said, "News is not supposed to be entertainment." He said the news media has to make sure government is running right, again repeating his contention that the bigger part of the problem was at the national level. He continued, "It ought to be an article of faith, if not law, that a broadcasters has to spend a certain amount of time on politics."

He told local broadcasters in the audience that he feared they considered themselves second to their brethren on the national scene, urging them not to emulate the nationals but to keep doing what they're doing. People go to their local television station for news far more often than they go to the network evening newscast or to cable. He said that's because people want local news and that in general, a local station's balanced approach to presenting the news is preferable to the highly focused approach in other media.

Dean also answered a question about his infamous Iowa scream. He said it never happened, at least not in the way it was seen almost 1,000 times shortly thereafter. He was using a noise-squelching mic at the time, and was addressing a raucous, youthful and severely disappointed crowd. He was attempting to buck up their spirits, and was using a loud tone of voice because he had to just to be heard.

He noted that he didn't blame his defeat on this one incident. He'd already lost the Iowa caucus at that point, and in retrospect may have been wiser to use the coverage to address the national at-home audience, rather than the crowd at hand.

Nevertheless, the footage that went out neither showed the crowd visually nor did it record its loud cheering. It was as if Dean was going nuts in a virtually empty room. Dean said it showed cable at its very worst, what he called the "Murdochism of cable."

WTOP-AM VP Jim Farley seconded Dean on this, saying his staff looked at a fully-recorded version of the incident which confirmed that the news media, "Done him wrong."

The general consensus of the panel on political coverage was, not surprisingly, that they were for it, and for more of it. The other panelists were former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Torie Clarke and Hearst-Argyle News VP Candy Altman. Altman touted her station group's record on local political and civic affairs, saying on the one hand that it was a duty of every broadcaster, and on the other hand, noting that politics done right was a ratings builder, not a drag as some may fear.

It was noted that broadcasters occasionally have trouble getting politicians to appear on their channels, and Farley got the biggest laugh of the day when he asked where Mr. Dean was at the debate Farley's station was involved with just before the DC presidential primary. He told Dean that fellow candidate Al Sharpton had a lot of fun occasionally occupying the chair reserved for Dean.

Dean retorted that he won anyway, and that sometimes it doesn't make sense for a politician to accept a station's offer. He mentioned "Meet the Press'" Tim Russert. He said he likes and respects Russert, but he went, in Dean's opinion, too far in pursuit of an answer to a "gotcha" type question (involving Dean's ability to quote a number on foreign deployment of US troops). Dean said he had to carefully weigh risks and benefits before putting himself in a similar situation again.

Leon Harris of Washington ABC outlet WJLA moderated the event.