Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Last Update: Wed 2:50 PM EST

United States Project

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Medicare, Paul Ryan, and beyond: a primer

Here’s context to clarify the big entitlements debates

Mitt Romney’s choice of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his vice presidential nominee elevates Medicare and Medicaid (along with Social... More

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Don’t just look at the money—follow it!

Can Michigan media tell us why a bailout opponent is collecting big bucks from Wall Street?

MICHIGAN — One of the old standbys of political journalism—“follow the money”—sometimes gives way to something simpler: “look at the... More

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A sharp Herald item on Ryan’s surprising Cuba record

Keyed to local community, paper digs up veep pick’s past opposition to embargo

FLORIDA — Tucked somewhere into the recesses of the hidden place where only those with knowledge of the secret handshake... More

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Assignment desk: The authoritative take
on Colorado’s controversial secretary of state

A closer look at Scott Gessler could bring readers past the voter-fraud boilerplate

COLORADO — The framing of a late July story from NBC News was striking: Scott Gessler, the no-name secretary of... More

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Estimating crowds: size matters

Reporters wrestle with the numbers as Romney and Ryan draw larger audiences

NORTH CAROLINA — The day after Mitt Romney announced Paul Ryan as his vice presidential pick, the two traveled here... More

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The man who explains politics in—and to—PA

When reporters need “here’s-what-it-all-means” context, they call Terry Madonna

PENNSYLVANIA — When it comes to understanding the foundations of Keystone State politics—and how citizens process rhetoric and choose candidates—one... More

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Covering Paul Ryan’s big day in Virginia

The Times-Dispatch casts a wide net to deliver a strong package for its readers

VIRGINIA — You expect nuance and quantity from The Washington Post and The New York Times when it comes to... More

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The best political listening tour

“Ordinary person” quotes in political stories can be banal. But when reporters invest the time, they can hear so much more

It is the paradox of political journalism: The most important aspect of a presidential campaign—how flesh-and-blood voters make up their... More

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Defining ‘open and accessible’ in Charlotte

Why reporters should write about the obstacles to covering the Democratic convention

In a special package looking ahead to the Democratic convention next month, Politico published an Aug. 2 opinion piece by... More

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In Ohio, misleading messages about military voting

The state’s major papers challenge claims about the motives behind an Obama lawsuit

OHIO — The heat of the rhetoric tossed around by the presidential campaigns here seems to be perfectly in tune... More

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On Vegas reporters on Reid on Romney

How Reid’s evidence-free claims about Romney’s taxes were covered in the Senate Majority Leader’s home state

NEVADA — Last week, The Huffington Post’s Sam Stein and Ryan Grim reported that Harry Reid told them that a... More

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Another factchecking fiasco

Journalistic failure in coverage of Harry Reid and his mysterious source

A week ago, The Huffington Post's Sam Stein and Ryan Grim published an article repeating Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's... More

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For Obama in Ohio, a mix of substance and pageantry

In Akron, coverage leans too far toward softer stuff, but other outlets do better

OHIO — These days there’s no danger of an Ohio news editor barking at a political reporter for hanging around... More

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Why did Mitt Romney really go to Israel?

Despite what you read, it probably had little to do with wooing undecided Jewish voters

With Mitt Romney in Israel last weekend, it seemed like the irresistible sidebar. So news organizations like The Washington Post... More

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The Gore-ing of Mitt Romney

Poisonous cycle of gotcha coverage and access restrictions recalls an earlier campaign

The profane confrontation between one of Mitt Romney’s press aides and reporters at the end of the presumptive GOP nominee’s... More

Missing Michael Hastings

One of the great reporters of his generation died Tuesday at 33. The stories he wrote, and the ones he didn’t live to write

Michael Hastings: my friend and his enemies

Hastings was fearless and shook things up - especially with his McChrystal expose. The haters in the media couldn’t forgive him

Snowden versus the dragons

Journalism is about finding flaws and magnifying them, and surely someone who would spill massive loads of state secrets must contain a few broken parts, right?

Call it the Politico rhetorical crutch

The inside-the-beltway publication’s go-to phrase

Rachel Maddow’s tribute to Michael Hastings

“Michael was angry … he was angry about things that weren’t right in the world. He was angry with war and with loss, and that drove his reporting.”

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