DoubleH wrote:
Although I agree it also seems to me that people in politics move VERY slowly, so to expect them to give you a response on anything on short notice(or did you set up these interviews a month ago or something) is poor planning.
That's not how the press works. You don't have months to plan a story, at least in most cases --- the exceptions being a presidential interview or a long-planned event. I was just assigned coverage three days ago, and I've already made at least a few dozen phone calls to various advocacy groups, local/state politicians, the Department of Justice and a handful of poli-sci experts, e.g. PhDs and prominent professors/researchers. Some have time to comment and/or make statements, others don't.
DoubleH wrote:
These people don't say anything of value w/o getting there people to tell them what the effects will be(unless they are retarded
Not necessarily. Only the most wishy-washy, pandering politicians --- both of Florida's senators come to mind --- request previews/summaries on the piece at hand. Most public figures/advocacy group heads don't mind providing a solid set of quotes in exchange for some simple background information. What works virtually every time is something along the lines of, "I'm a journalist running a story on disenfranchisement of the urban poor, particularly those of Hispanic origin, due to voter ID laws and voter purges like the one initiated by Governor Rick Scott. Would you be able to make a statement on behalf of your organization?" And boom. Statement made.
