We’re trying an experiment here at Vtdigger.org. For a while now, we’ve talked about offering more opportunities for readers to help us gather news. We dubbed this concept interactive newsgathering, and though some of this happens behind the scenes in traditional ways — we receive questions, unsolicited documents and story tips from readers every day — we’ve been wanting to take this idea of involving readers directly in the reporting process much further.
So, for the first time, Vtdigger.org is opening up the Internet channels for your questions. Specifically, your questions for the governor. I’ll be attending the Gov. Jim Douglas’ weekly press conference in his ceremonial office at the Statehouse like I usually do, with camcorder rolling. The difference is, this time, instead of formulating my own questions, I’ll be asking yours.
Send us your questions for the governor via e-mail, Facebook and twitter.
That’s right. I’m asking you to send me your questions for the governor. I’ll be taking them via e-mail (vtdigger@gmail.com), Facebook (send direct messages to Anne Galloway) and twitter (@vtdigger) right up until the press conference starts at 1 p.m. today, Feb. 18. I’ll ask the best two to three questions from readers, and on Friday, I’ll run them with the answers and video footage — on Vtdigger.org.
To set the mood for all you vicarious reporters out there in Internet land, I’ve written a little description of how the presser works. So, here goes …
Just before 1 p.m. on Thursdays, reporters gather around a large table in the governor’s ceremonial office and cameramen for the local TV stations and yours truly crowd around the periphery with our tripods as onlookers file in – lawmakers, lobbyists and administration officials.
Then the governor walks in with his entourage. The chatter stops, cell phones are silenced, cameras are switched on and the governor stands in front of the podium studded with microphones.
Generally, he gives a brief speech about one of his administration’s initiatives. Sometimes he brings in one of his officials to present information about a program, but more often than not, he goes solo.
Shortly afterward, the question-and-answer session begins in earnest. Reporters start with questions about the governor’s presentation and then pepper him with queries related to the crisis du jour – the tritium leak at Vermont Yankee — or stories they’ve been covering for months – such as the state’s ongoing revenue shortfalls.
For about 45 minutes to an hour, journalists have carte blanche – they can ask Douglas anything they want. Each reporter usually gets a shot at two, three, sometimes four questions. And generally speaking, the eight to 12 reporters who attend take advantage of the opportunity because the weekly press conference is a one-shot deal: David Coriell, the governor’s press secretary, discourages journalists from badgering Douglas with questions outside the allotted timeframe.
So, dear reader, do you have a burning question on an issue you care about for the governor tomorrow? Yours truly will be there representing you. Send me a message via e-mail, facebook or twitter as soon as you can today and I’ll do my level best to get answers.
