How Congressmen Manage the News

...In the survey of Washington reporters noted previously, sixty-seven per cent believe that "most" or "many" Hill reporters "rely heavily 6n handouts [press releases] for their stories...

...usually most of the printing cost for the newsletters is paid for out of the stationery allowance...

...His district aide has been monitoring the radio newscasts since ten o'clock and has already reported to the Congressman that the homeowners' tax deduction press release is doing quite well...

...The majority of Congressmen participate in some kind of "Your Man in Washington" television or radio show...

...It begins: "Dear Colleague: Next Friday, June 13, I plan to introduce legislation in the House that would allow a homeowner to deduct the cost of any improvements to his home from his Federal income tax...

...the next morning the three newspapers, four television stations, and ten radio stations in Congressman Buck's district have received his press release (none of that media has its own reporter in Washington...

...Congressman Homer Buck is to be commended for introducing a bill in Congress that will give beleaguered homeowners a much needed tax break...

...next Thursday...

...In this case, the legislative assistant likes the look of Congressman Doe's homeowner deduction bill...

...One hundred copies of the release are then run off on an expensive mimeograph machine—provided by the Government as part of the Congressman's office allowance—on the member's press-release letterhead, also purchased with government funds (stationery allowance...

...She will carry the bag to the House mailroom, where it will be whisked directly to National Airport and immediately flown to the Congressman's district...

...On most of the letters he writes a large "No" at the top, but one of them looks intriguing...

...Not so, says Julius Duscha, former Washington Post reporter and now director of the Washington Journalism Center: "It is terrible the way the media don't cover the House Appropriations Committee...

...A critical decision point has been reached...

...The tax burden on homeowners has grown so enormous that some people are having to sell their homes because they are unable to shoulder the increasingly heavy burden of Federal, state, and local taxes...

...The statistics on the security of incumbents are compelling evidence of their awesome ability to perpetuate themselves in office...

...The post office guarantees this mail will be delivered the very next morning...

...This trend toward greater security of incumbents is as unsurprising as it is disturbing, for combined with all the other advantages of incumbency, a member of Congress who is his own reporter is usually impregnable on election day...

...When the aide gets this instruction, he notifies one of Congressman Doe's aides that Congressman Buck would like to be placed on the cosponsor list...

...While the quality of Congressional reporting is not the subject of this article, it must be noted that the mere addition of more local reporters covering their hometown Congressmen would not be a panacea to overcome inadequate press coverage of Congress...

...He has paid for the expensive telecopier machines from a generous office equipment allowance...

...In this case, however, Buck thinks the picture is too phony-looking...

...It begins: "Representative - today introduced legislation in the House of Representatives that would allow all homeowners to deduct the cost of any improvements to their home from their Federal income taxes...

...When the television and radio tapes are returned to the Congressman's office that afternoon, they are immediately sent first-class, under his frank, to the television and radio stations with an introduction written by the Congressman's aide: "Last week, Congressman Homer Buck introduced legislation in the House of Representatives that would allow homeowners to deduct the cost of home improvements from their Federal income tax...

...Mahon is one of the half-dozen most influential men in the House...

...He knows there are tens of thousands of homeowners in his boss's district who would be grateful for his support for such a tax break...

...Correspondents are usually spread too thin," notes Bob Gatty, executive assistant to Representative Edwin Forsythe, New Jersey...

...Consequently, he who molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes and pronounces decisions...

...He usually invites two or three other members of Congress to talk on his "show" about an issue of concern to Congressman Buck...

...He decides to play it safe and have heavy blue curtains pulled over the picture...

...What Congressman Buck has sent them, free of charge, is a professional, slick "actuality," which gives their viewers the distinct impression that the station is big-time, that it has spared no expense to bring them the news from the four corners of the earth...

...the telephone time comes out of an extremely large telephone allowance provided by the Government...

...As soon as the Congressman gets a copy of the editorial in Washington, he instructs his legislative assistant to insert the editorial in the Congressional Record with an appropriate introduction...

...The preceding scenario is not unique or even unusual...

...And their own Congressman's statement about an important bill that he has "sponsored" is certainly newsworthy...

...Taxpayers foot the bill for the elaborate publicity machine that glorifies their Representatives Press Release Politics: How Congressmen Manage the News PETER GRUENSTEIN There are about a half dozen "Dear Colleague" letters in the mail of the Congressman's assistant on this particular day...

...A couple of days later, he is back in the studio filming his monthly, half-hour "Your Man in Washington" show for the largest television station in his district...

...All of the tricks attributed to the fictitious Buck and Doe are well known to almost every member, and are used at one time or another by most—especially those who are not adequately covered by the press or even covered at all by Washington reporters from their hometown newspapers...

...Virtually all members send out one or more newsletters to their constituents each year...

...But while more reporters covering local Congressmen would not be the total answer to inadequate Congressional reporting, it would be a necessary beginning...

...Two of the three daily newspapers, which go to press about eleven a.m., decide to use the "story...

...Congressman Buck's aide likes the phony press release, fills in the blanks with Buck's name, sends it into his boss, who approves it...

...Representative George Mahon of Texas, for example, is the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, which decides how tens of billions of Federal dollars will be allocated every year...

...Let's milk this thing for all it's worth," he instructs his legislative assistant...

...The coverage of individual members is even worse than it looks at first glance...

...The aide, of course, makes sure that both the editor and the reporter get copies of the editorial as it appeared in the Record...

...The letter goes on to detail how overburdened home-owning taxpayers are, what a boon this legislation would be to them, and how appreciative they would be...

...The Congressman complimenting Buck knows full well that Buck had nothing to do with the writing of the bill and, moreover, may not even have read it...

...Later the same afternoon these will all be sent to Congressman Buck's office...

...These copies are for the media—radio, television, weekly and daily newspapers as well as for selected supporters in the Congressman's Congressional district...

...One of the papers runs it verbatim on the second page with the headline: "Buck Wants Tax Break For Homeowners...

...Both radio and television stations much prefer to fill their news time with such actualities, rather than have the announcer simply read the news...

...A few days later, Congressman Buck's aide receives the sample press release...

...The other paper runs it on the twelfth page with several paragraphs cut...

...Those media without their own Washington reporters find it difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish between a Congressman's press release puffery and legitimate news...

...The Founding Fathers were acutely aware that the success of democracy was largely dependent on the citizens' ability to get relevant, accurate information about their elected representatives...

...News releases have a high percentage of usage...

...By nine a.m...

...The three afternoon newspapers in Congressman Buck's district reach the newsstands by 2 p.m...

...Powerful members of Congress are often largely ignored by reporters...

...They are an acceptable, and often effective, method of garnering support from other members for one's legislation...

...That is the position most members of Congress find themselves in today—elected to be legislators but appointing themselves as reporters, with the next election in mind...

...Congressman Buck had previously purchased the four tapes (selling at about $15 each) out of his $5,250 annual stationery fund provided by the Government...

...The show, which, in some instances, is aired before "Meet the Press" on Sundays, is a joy for the Congressman to do since he knows he is getting thirty minutes of free air time to say anything he wants...

...The other members are only too happy to help out, since they know that Buck will return the favor...

...The next day that newspaper will run a story under the headline: "homeowners' deduction bill has good change: buck...

...Of course, the Congressman's guests always compliment him effusively for his work in whatever area they are discussing...

...After makeup, the Congressman and his aide are ushered into an impressive studio...

...Neither do 748, or ninety-six per cent, of the 779 local commercial television stations, and 6,331 of the 6,377 radio stations, more than ninety-nine per cent...

...Lincoln's statement is undoubtedly correct...

...He knows that it is more effective to have a newspaper say nice things about him than to say these things himself...

...Adequate press coverage of Congress has often been overlooked as an important factor in making Congressmen responsive to their constituents...

...Abraham Lincoln was equally concerned with those who have the power to shape public opinion: "Public sentiment is everything...

...In 1970, only twelve House incumbents were defeated in the general election...

...These are small stations which cannot afford their own Washington coverage...

...The surest single indicator of power and prestige on the Hill is an office with a view of the Capitol...

...Thus, without predicting any immediate action in Congress (and thus not sticking his neck out), the Congressman has said something the reporter considers newsworthy...

...By 2:15 p.m., one of the Congressman's district aides goes out to the newsstand, buys a copy of each of the three papers, and returns to the Congressman's local office, located (rent free) in the post office of the largest city in his district...

...The station supplies the half-hour video tape, but Buck pays for the use of the recording studio...

...More news has been made...

...per...

...This commentary is primarily concerned with the quantity of reporters covering Congress and, more specifically, Congressmen...

...Moreover, they do not know whether a proposal is a serious piece of legislation which has a reasonable chance of being passed by Congress or whether it is primarily a public relations gimmick to make the member look good back home...

...This time they talk about the homeowners' deduction allowance: "Homer, I think that homeowners' tax deduction bill of yours is a superb idea and is precisely the kind of legislation that we in Congress should be passing...

...A small microphone, which will be invisible to the camera, is placed around his neck...

...Nor is there usually any follow-up, six months or a year later, as to its status...

...And so on...

...Most of them used the spot, they report...

...Congressman Doe's aide says no, they have not, but they plan on sending a "sample" press release to all cosponsors of the legislation as soon as it is introduced...

...His aide, posing as a television newsman (not one television station in his district, remember, has a Washington correspondent) pulls up a chair facing his boss with his back to the camera so that only the back of his head can be seen by the camera...

...The letter concludes: "If you would like to cosponsor this important legislation, please call my office by five p.m...

...The tapes, having been shipped in the special green bag, arrive at the television and radio stations the next morning...

...In fact, many Congressional reporters now survive quite nicely by doing little more than rewriting press releases...

...With public sentiment, nothing can fail...

...Without it, nothing can succceed...

...One of the local reporters asks him what the prospects for the bill are...

...By 1900, only thirty per cent of Congressmen arrived in Washington for their first term...

...Congressman Buck is seated behind a desk directly in front of a phony-looking picture of the Capitol, which is designed to give the viewer the impression that he is looking through the Congressman's window at the Capitol...

...The next morning, Congressman Buck gets a full report over the telephone from his district aides who, of course, were carefully monitoring the television and radio news announcers the previous evening...

...This is extremely important legislation which will reduce the taxes of many overburdened homeowners, Representative - said today...

...In 1970, the figure was down to about twelve per cent...

...The total cost to him for these highly professional services: approximately $50, only a fraction of what the Congressman would have to pay for similar services at a private studio...

...At a press conference he talks of his homeowners' tax deduction bill...

...The trend toward greater longevity in Congress is unmistakable...

...So, on the top of this Dear Colleague, he writes a big "Yes...

...Never mentioned during all this "news" coverage is the cost to all taxpayers of the bill, the inequities it might create, the House committee it was referred to, any assessment by the committee staff as to its chances for passage, or Buck's own role in the legislation...

...According to Congressional Quarterly, more than half the Representatives sent to the House in the 1870s were freshmen, and the mean length of service was just over two terms...

...Simply put, the number of reporters covering Washington for local papers—often referred to as "localizers"—is grossly inadequate...

...Well, of course, Congress is always slow to act on any proposal, but I think this is a very popular bill among my colleagues and has an excellent chance of eventually passing...

...Ten radio dupes will also be made of the voice part for the stations in the Congressman's district...

...Many Congressmen send out newsletters to their constituents...

...The district aide quickly scans the papers, finds the articles on Buck's proposed homeowners' deduction, cuts them out, and sends them over a telecopier—a copying machine which, with the assistance of telephones, transmits material over a long distance—to the Washington office, where several minutes later Congressman Buck has copies of "his" article...

...The reporters who cover Congress are aware that members of Congress are not covered well...

...Of the 1,749 daily newspapers in the United States, 1,271—seventy-three per cent—do not have their own Washington correspondents (excepting a national wire and news service...

...At ten o'clock that day the aide and his boss walk down to the studio, the aide carrying four five-minute video tapes, one for each television station within the Congressional district...

...All of those covering Forsythe have several other members to cover . . . They ignore committee work, which usually is the most significant...

...In a survey of more than 100 reporters, two-thirds disagree with the statement that "the press does a good job of covering individual members of Congress...

...It may be that no other single factor is equally important...

...Dear Colleagues," as they are known in Congress, are simply mimeographed letters sent by one member to other members soliciting support or cosponsorship of legislation he or she has introduced or plans to introduce...

...I have introduced this bill," he says, "to allow homeowners to deduct the cost of improvements to their homes because I believe it is time the ordinary taxpayers of this country got their own tax breaks...

...Most of the stations are happy to have them...

...At the studio, the aide gives the tapes to a technician and the Congressman is immediately ushered into a small makeup room...

...The cost of postage, of course, is taken care of by the frank...

...But one thing is certain: Too little public attention has been paid to how press coverage—or the lack of it—affects public policy...

...The envelopes to the media have been previously addressed with the help of a computer tape, also at government expense...

...Doe will later drop the bill, with a list of his colleagues who want to be cosponsors, into the House hopPeter Gruenstein is director of Capitol Hill News Service, a nonprofit group whose purpose is to provide quality coverage of Congressmen for local media without their own Washington reporters...

...The next day his boss, Congressman Buck, reads the letter and writes at the top: "OK—let's also do some press on this...

...We asked Congressman Buck today why he introduced this legislation...

...A phony, dead mike is placed on the desk to give the appearance of a real television news interview...

...Sincerely, Congressman John Doe...

...Buck's aide also asks Doe's aide whether they have "done any press" and, if they have, could he send over a copy of the press release...

...The next morning the legislative assistant calls the House Recording Studio to reserve the TV Video-Tape Room for a half-hour the following morning...

...One of the secretaries will then put the 100 press releases into a special green bag provided by the Postal Service for Congressmen only...

...Within a half hour, several of the radio stations are using it on their newscasts...

...in addition, they are often short of news and will welcome almost anything that has the appearance of being news...

...The single most important and disturbing fact about how the press "covers" Congress is this: Most citizens get most of their news about their Congressman from the Congressman himself...

...A few days later, Buck is back in his district for the weekend...

...The seriousness of the dependence on members for news about themselves cannot be overemphasized...

...This is a particularly cost-effective activity since they are able to communicate directly with all the families in their districts (usually about 160,000) at no cost to themselves...

...They find it hard to determine, for example, whether Congressman Buck actually sponsored the homeowners' tax deduction bill or merely attached his name to the legislation...

...There is no better institution on which to begin such an examination than Congress...

...The average member sends out two to three press releases a week, and many send more...

...Many press secretaries to members, whose job it is to write and promote those press releases, agree...

...The House Clerk's office reports that more than 300 of the 435 members regularly use the recording studio facilities at least once a month...

...Several days later one of the newspapers in Buck's district runs a favorable editorial on "his" bill...

...In the 1972 general elections, for example, only thirteen House members (3.4 per cent of 380 running for reelection) lost—and three of those thirteen were running against other incumbents because of redistricting...

...A secretary sends the postage-free envelopes and the unfolded press releases to the "Folding Room" for machine folding, stuffing, and sealing, and they are then returned to Congressman Buck's office...

...But there is nothing real about this "interview...

...If all that is not enough to justify putting the Congressman's taped spot on the evening news, the station managers are acutely aware that their Congressman can be very helpful to them when their license renewal comes up again before the FCC...

...When Congressman Buck sends out his next newsletter, the favorable editorial on his homeowners' tax deduction bill will be reproduced in the newsletter...

...But what of the power of the legislator who "enacts statutes and pronounces decisions" and "molds public sentiment...

...The Congressman is pleased...

...I tell people that among the great untapped sources of information in this town are the huge reports put out by the committee each year...

...One might expect that he would be hounded constantly by hungry reporters looking for major news on how the committee intends to spend some of those billions of dollars...

...Not only does Congressman Buck know the questions he will be asked about the homeowner tax deduction bill, but his aide has typed out the answers, which are put into a teleprompter beside the camera for the Congressman to read...

...only seven per cent believe that "few" reporters are heavily dependent on handouts...

...A technician at the studio makes three video duplicates (dupes) of the interview...

...This successful publicity convinces Buck that he has hit upon a good issue...