Oh no! Politico reports that a California television station recorded audio of reporters snarkily dissecting Sarah Palin’s recent speech at California State University, Stanislaus.
“Oh my God, I feel like I just got off a roller coaster, going round and round, and up and down,” one journalist is heard saying of Palin’s remarks. “S—- flying out everywhere.”…
“When you’ve got to write a report as a college student and you just try to jam as many quotes in as possible…That’s what I got,” the male reporter said.
A third journalist later says, “She didn’t finish a statement,” to which another chimes in “Did she make a statement? Because I didn’t catch that either.”
(I’m not sure that second quote is talking about Palin’s speech, rather than the task facing that reporter about to file a piece chock full of Palin quotes and little else. But whatever.)
Given the recent events surrounding David Weigel’s departure from the Washington Post, it seems unlikely that, should a position open up, these reporters would make it far in the paper’s potential new interview process:
“But we’re living in an era when maybe we need to add a level” of inquiry, [ Washington Post managing editor Raju Narisetti] said. “It may be in our interests to ask potential reporters: ‘In private… have you expressed any opinions that would make it difficult for you to do your job.’”
Tough standard. So, may I suggest a pool of candidates for the Post?
