* I’d never seen a Media Filing Room, which I assume is a place where
hard-nosed correspondents plug in a laptop or commandeer the fax machine and
dash off their late-breaking stories in a flurry of competitive chaos. At the
NIC, this enormous room would have been a quiet spot for a nice snooze.
* There was only slightly more activity in the Media Cantina. I tried to
eavesdrop on reporters’ conversations so I could scoop their stories, but they
were all debating which is better: Grey Poupon or Guilden’s mustard.
* I learned that just because you’re following your one-and-only sibling around
all weekend like a bird dog, that doesn’t mean she’ll give you an exclusive. I
watched my sister jump in front of every TV camera during the convention, saw
her on the front page of the Statesman every day last week saying much
more insightful things than she told me, and even heard that she called up the
Sammy and Bob Show on KVET to describe her experiences.
* A media badge makes a nice ice scraper for your windshield. -S.B.
This article appears in February 2 • 1996 and February 2 • 1996 (Cover).