November 14, 2005 — Adam Nagourney, national political correspondentfor the New York Times and a current Fellow at the Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics, led a discussion he called “The American Political Landscape: One Journalist’s Perspective.”
In his remarks, Nagourney focused on the current pressures that journalists face, many of which can be attributed to the rise of blogs and the 24/7 news environment. In terms of campaign coverage, Nagourney described how the pressure to predict winners often results in “premature journalism,” with reporters making predictions before voters have begun to pay attention.
At the same time , the increasing cost of keeping journalists on the campaign trail, combined with financial cutbacks in newsrooms, threatens the quality of reportage produced on presidential candidates.
