10 Questions with.... Tony Mangan (my 100th post!)
Okay, for my 100th post, I wanted to do something a little unique. We in the South Dakota BlogOSphere (or BlogOLand, if you will as per Todd Epp) are more often than not talking about what each other post, and we take snippets from what appears in the news media to support our positions.
What I also notice is that we are intensely focused on what the media has to say about us. Randall Beck slams us in the Argus, we're on it. Recently, part time blogger and Rapid City Journal Reporter Kevin Woster talked about the tone of blogging, and several of us, SDP & SDW most notably, were on that too.
Some of us, like Todd at SD Watch come from a journalistic and political background. Some like me come from a pure political and bureaucratic background. Others are students, academics, etc. But, for those of us involved, we're a little too close to the lightbulb on this weblog thing to sometimes stand back and look objectively at what we do.
I've said before that I don't want to be too critical as much as examine the techniques of campaiging in SD. But I also find myself sometimes getting on a rant.
So, I want to know more on what the local mainstream political reporters think about all of this. As such, for my 100th post I thought it would be a good gut check to ask one of the political reporters who have been around the block about their views on journalism, ethics and blogging - or at least as much as I could get in through ten questions...
Tony Mangan, News Director for KCCR Radio, has been around the political scene in Pierre as long as I can remember. In his bio information I asked him to provide me, Tony noted:
I personally see this weblog thing continuing to develop into it's own facet of media - so we might do well to think a little more in journalistic terms (IMHO, only.) So without further ado,
#1 - Having seen it from both sides, did you find yourself having more access to information from inside state government, or as a member of the Media?
I think as a member of the media, you probably have more access to all parts of state government. When you are working in one division or department, you have access to that particular agency and if you work in the Governor's Office, you have more access than most people in state government do to all sorts of information. Whether the media gets access to state government information is contingent on that current administration. It has the opportunity to increase or restrict the flow of access. Outside of being in the Governor's office, you probably have more access as a member of the media.
#2 - Do you view blogging as a momentary fad, or is it going to keep evolving. (If the latter, what do you see it evolving into?)
I think blogging is here to stay -- it has become similar to a telephone tree where people can gather and talk about their particular interests. Blogging will continue to evolve because we are just only scratching the surface. Two, three years ago, very few people knew about blogging. Everybody has an opinion and blogging is a way to express that opinion. But it is something that must also be used responsibly.
#3 - Outside of the current Governor, what politician do you see as exerting the most influence over South Dakota political life?
I don't think there is one politican in the state right now that has the most influence. The Governor and all three members of the state's Congressional delegation have their own spheres of influence. The Governor is probably the most visible because he is in the state every day. But the state's congressional delegation is working hard in Washington, DC. Also, the legacies of people such as George Mickelson, Tom Daschle, George McGovern and Bill Janklow still loom large.
#4 - Who do you see as the upcoming political stars in both the Republican and Democratic Parties?
I always hate to name names because you will forget someone. And if history has shown us anything, our next office holders are people many don't even consider as "contenders" until they actually are ones. Remember, there was a time when nobody knew who Tom Daschle, George Mickelson, Stephanie Herseth or Mike Rounds were. Suffice to say, there are many good people out there right now that will run or have already run for elected office. And there are many that we have not heard about yet.
#5 - As a reporter, what would you define as your worst moment. You know, when you questioned why you were doing what you were doing?
Covering a small community like Pierre can be difficult at times -- especially when someone you know is involved in a criminal case or a controversial issue. It is not easy to sit in court and watch people you know (or their children) be sentenced to jail or prison. What is worse is when someone you know is involved in a serious vehicle accident that you have to cover. The only thing you can do is be fair and report the story in an objective way. Even then, people will not be happy.
#6 - Is that your daughter who is the managing editor for the SDSU Collegian? What advice would you have for a budding young reporter like her?
The advice I would have for her -- and she was the managing editor this past year -- is what I would have for any reporter. Be honest and keep your integrity. If you lose your integrity, you lose the ability to be a good reporter. You can ask the tough questions and chase the big story without humilating people. Be prepared and understand that every story you do interests somebody. There is no "minor" story. I have always believed that being a member of the media is a big responsiblity. In this country, we have the right to a free press and that is something we can never take for granted.
#7 - For us bloggers with no journalistic experience, who sit writing in the dead of night in our pajamas - Do you see bloggers much more willing to break what you would consider ethical lines? If so, where are we going astray?
I do think many bloggers will write anything they want -- and classify it as their opinion. But make sure the facts are right. There is much criticism of the main stream media at times for not chasing down stories that bloggers have first. I think the general media has to proceed more cautiously -- we are expected to live up to standards of being fair and getting all sides. Just be careful -- make sure you have the facts first. Whatever you put online is there forever. I think you can do a political blog without getting into personal criticism.
#8 - Who is your favorite South Dakota political writer/reporter?
I think there are many reporters in the state who cover politcs, local and state, and do a pretty good job. Some of them work for small newspapers or radio stations who attend their local governmental meetings every week. They are down in the trenches doing the hard work. The four I am most familiar with -- Joe Kafka and Chet Brokaw of the Associated Press, Terry Woster and Bob Mercer -- all do a great job in covering not only politics, but the nuts and bolts of state government.
#9 - Do you see the factionalization of the SD GOP into conservative and moderate coalitions a serious division, or are these just groups just letting off a little steam?
Nah...it is fine. The political process is always better when more people get involved.
#10 - Any thoughts on what the next big thing will be in campaigning techniques?
Blogging will continue to be a big deal -- even bigger in the next election cycle. But in SD, you still win with the basics -- yard signs, postcards and walking down Main Street. South Dakotans want to see and talk with their candidates -- and it doesn't matter what office. If you don't have that connection to voters, you don't win in South Dakota.
I think Tony really hits the nail on the head that Blogging is going to be bigger this next year. And whether we like it or not, those of us who are doing it now may find ourselves on the front lines of all of this.
I also appreciated Tony's thoughts on ethics. Sometimes, I think what we put forth is posted as gospel truth when it might be opinion. It's one of the dangers inherent in the conversational tone that many of us take in weblogs. Hopefully, this will be some good food for thought.
Tony, again, thank you very much for taking the time out of your evening. Now I've got 2 Dakota War college t-shirts to make one of these nights, one for our previous guest columnist, and one for Tony in appreciation for his consideration.
What I also notice is that we are intensely focused on what the media has to say about us. Randall Beck slams us in the Argus, we're on it. Recently, part time blogger and Rapid City Journal Reporter Kevin Woster talked about the tone of blogging, and several of us, SDP & SDW most notably, were on that too.
Some of us, like Todd at SD Watch come from a journalistic and political background. Some like me come from a pure political and bureaucratic background. Others are students, academics, etc. But, for those of us involved, we're a little too close to the lightbulb on this weblog thing to sometimes stand back and look objectively at what we do.
I've said before that I don't want to be too critical as much as examine the techniques of campaiging in SD. But I also find myself sometimes getting on a rant.
So, I want to know more on what the local mainstream political reporters think about all of this. As such, for my 100th post I thought it would be a good gut check to ask one of the political reporters who have been around the block about their views on journalism, ethics and blogging - or at least as much as I could get in through ten questions...
Tony Mangan, News Director for KCCR Radio, has been around the political scene in Pierre as long as I can remember. In his bio information I asked him to provide me, Tony noted:
I have been in the journalism/media fields for almost 20 years. I worked in state government as the Public Information Officer for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and was asistant press secretary for Governor Walt D. Miller. Here in Pierre, I worked for four years at the Capital Journal and last seven at KCCR.I've found that Tony is resourceful and has pretty good access to the political figures in the State Capitol. He's been in the administration, and out in the private sector. Knowing that he'd read my weblog, I wanted to hear his spin on what we do in our world as it compares to normal journalistic practices.
I personally see this weblog thing continuing to develop into it's own facet of media - so we might do well to think a little more in journalistic terms (IMHO, only.) So without further ado,
10 Questions with KCCR News Director Tony Mangan:
#1 - Having seen it from both sides, did you find yourself having more access to information from inside state government, or as a member of the Media?
I think as a member of the media, you probably have more access to all parts of state government. When you are working in one division or department, you have access to that particular agency and if you work in the Governor's Office, you have more access than most people in state government do to all sorts of information. Whether the media gets access to state government information is contingent on that current administration. It has the opportunity to increase or restrict the flow of access. Outside of being in the Governor's office, you probably have more access as a member of the media.
#2 - Do you view blogging as a momentary fad, or is it going to keep evolving. (If the latter, what do you see it evolving into?)
I think blogging is here to stay -- it has become similar to a telephone tree where people can gather and talk about their particular interests. Blogging will continue to evolve because we are just only scratching the surface. Two, three years ago, very few people knew about blogging. Everybody has an opinion and blogging is a way to express that opinion. But it is something that must also be used responsibly.
#3 - Outside of the current Governor, what politician do you see as exerting the most influence over South Dakota political life?
I don't think there is one politican in the state right now that has the most influence. The Governor and all three members of the state's Congressional delegation have their own spheres of influence. The Governor is probably the most visible because he is in the state every day. But the state's congressional delegation is working hard in Washington, DC. Also, the legacies of people such as George Mickelson, Tom Daschle, George McGovern and Bill Janklow still loom large.
#4 - Who do you see as the upcoming political stars in both the Republican and Democratic Parties?
I always hate to name names because you will forget someone. And if history has shown us anything, our next office holders are people many don't even consider as "contenders" until they actually are ones. Remember, there was a time when nobody knew who Tom Daschle, George Mickelson, Stephanie Herseth or Mike Rounds were. Suffice to say, there are many good people out there right now that will run or have already run for elected office. And there are many that we have not heard about yet.
#5 - As a reporter, what would you define as your worst moment. You know, when you questioned why you were doing what you were doing?
Covering a small community like Pierre can be difficult at times -- especially when someone you know is involved in a criminal case or a controversial issue. It is not easy to sit in court and watch people you know (or their children) be sentenced to jail or prison. What is worse is when someone you know is involved in a serious vehicle accident that you have to cover. The only thing you can do is be fair and report the story in an objective way. Even then, people will not be happy.
#6 - Is that your daughter who is the managing editor for the SDSU Collegian? What advice would you have for a budding young reporter like her?
The advice I would have for her -- and she was the managing editor this past year -- is what I would have for any reporter. Be honest and keep your integrity. If you lose your integrity, you lose the ability to be a good reporter. You can ask the tough questions and chase the big story without humilating people. Be prepared and understand that every story you do interests somebody. There is no "minor" story. I have always believed that being a member of the media is a big responsiblity. In this country, we have the right to a free press and that is something we can never take for granted.
#7 - For us bloggers with no journalistic experience, who sit writing in the dead of night in our pajamas - Do you see bloggers much more willing to break what you would consider ethical lines? If so, where are we going astray?
I do think many bloggers will write anything they want -- and classify it as their opinion. But make sure the facts are right. There is much criticism of the main stream media at times for not chasing down stories that bloggers have first. I think the general media has to proceed more cautiously -- we are expected to live up to standards of being fair and getting all sides. Just be careful -- make sure you have the facts first. Whatever you put online is there forever. I think you can do a political blog without getting into personal criticism.
#8 - Who is your favorite South Dakota political writer/reporter?
I think there are many reporters in the state who cover politcs, local and state, and do a pretty good job. Some of them work for small newspapers or radio stations who attend their local governmental meetings every week. They are down in the trenches doing the hard work. The four I am most familiar with -- Joe Kafka and Chet Brokaw of the Associated Press, Terry Woster and Bob Mercer -- all do a great job in covering not only politics, but the nuts and bolts of state government.
#9 - Do you see the factionalization of the SD GOP into conservative and moderate coalitions a serious division, or are these just groups just letting off a little steam?
Nah...it is fine. The political process is always better when more people get involved.
#10 - Any thoughts on what the next big thing will be in campaigning techniques?
Blogging will continue to be a big deal -- even bigger in the next election cycle. But in SD, you still win with the basics -- yard signs, postcards and walking down Main Street. South Dakotans want to see and talk with their candidates -- and it doesn't matter what office. If you don't have that connection to voters, you don't win in South Dakota.
I think Tony really hits the nail on the head that Blogging is going to be bigger this next year. And whether we like it or not, those of us who are doing it now may find ourselves on the front lines of all of this.
I also appreciated Tony's thoughts on ethics. Sometimes, I think what we put forth is posted as gospel truth when it might be opinion. It's one of the dangers inherent in the conversational tone that many of us take in weblogs. Hopefully, this will be some good food for thought.
Tony, again, thank you very much for taking the time out of your evening. Now I've got 2 Dakota War college t-shirts to make one of these nights, one for our previous guest columnist, and one for Tony in appreciation for his consideration.
Comments
Now back to you. Your 10 questions guest segments are an inspired idea. Your questions and Mr. Mangans answers were both well reasoned an insightful. Mr. Sattgast was no slouch either. Have you ever thught of asking 10 questions of my Grandad? You have an open invitation anytime you're in the Holabird area. Great job! Keep up the good work.