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As the formal impeachment process gets underway, here are a few suggestions for journalists on all media platforms so that we obtain the best coverage that is possible in this atmosphere/1
Impeachment is the big story of the moment—treat it like that: Impeaching the President is a huge process. Give the investigation focused attention, cover the evidence in sustained fashion, and let the American people see and learn what is being presented/2
Don't let POTUS set the goalposts: The statements/claims of Trump officials should not go unchallenged. The administration will offer bits and pieces of evidence which are misleading. Question, follow-up, offer contradictory evidence and arguments to hold their feet to the fire/3
Avoid repeating false stories even in stories about falsehood: POTUS throws out baseless accusations with the full knowledge that reporters will chew over the tweets or statements for days. Chyrons, tweets, + online headlines all repeat the discredited information/4
Devote resources to the substance: Two questions should be preeminent. What did the president do and were his actions high crimes and misdemeanors?/5
Don’t get tied up on the process: To be sure, the process matters . Yet the media often goes overboard, becoming too focused on procedural questions rather than the issue being investigated/6
Broaden the analysis: Good coverage requires more than politicos and number crunchers. We need historians (I hear the jokes), political scientists, constitutional scholars, and more kinds of experts to guide the conversation and provide context about what the House discovers/7
Don’t let partisan bias influence the analysis: Allow the facts to guide the coverage. Be willing to go to places that contradict your own perspective so that the media gets the story right/8
Don’t become part of the story: As more people tune into the news, there is a temptation for journalists to become part of the story. POTUS amplifies this by targeting journalists and making them his foil. Stay out of the spotlight—just the facts, just the analysis/9
Investigative journalism matters: Congress can't figure this out on their own. Investigative journalism will be essential to producing a full picture. Resources will be needed/10
Journalism is a noble profession. Most of the people I meet in this business are working hard and trying to do their best to cover the stories of our time. Let’s get this one right/end
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