Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
TV Networks Beefing Up Staff for 2020 Presidential Election
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
June 7, 2019

Share

NEW YORK — The competitive chiefs of ABC, CBS and NBC News found something to agree on Thursday: Each is hiring more staff to cover the 2020 presidential election than they have for any other election.
That’s partly due to growing digital operations at the three broadcast news organizations, as well as the sense that news organizations whiffed on the story in 2016.

“Throughout that campaign, there was a deep-seated assumption that no matter what happened, Hillary Clinton would win. I think that was a great disservice to the public.” ABC News President James Goldston
“Throughout that campaign, there was a deep-seated assumption that no matter what happened, Hillary Clinton would win,” said ABC News President James Goldston, speaking at a “Future of News” conference sponsored by The Financial Times. “I think that was a great disservice to the public.”
The sheer number of Democrats looking to challenge President Donald Trump is requiring ABC to bring on more “embeds” — generally young reporters hired to shadow a candidate on the campaign trail — than ever before.
But the hiring goes deeper than that. NBC News recently brought on former newspaper reporters in Texas, Michigan and Nevada and told them to stay where they are; the network wants people with a deep knowledge of their communities to translate that for a national audience, said NBC News President Noah Oppenheim. The only way to cover issues like border security or the impact of trade and climate change on farmers is to have people where the action is, he said.
“Our goal is to go out and tell the stories from the ground up,” he said.

When News Executives Gather, Trump Is Never Far From Mind

It’s the same over at CBS, where news division President Susan Zirinsky said news organizations didn’t really understand what was happening in the country three years ago.
“I feel that this election, our job is to reveal America to itself,” she said.

“It would be great if we could get more discipline in journalism. But guess what, I don’t run all of journalism.” — Josh Tyrangiel, executive editor of Vice News
Goldston said 2016 saw too much coverage of the “horserace” aspect of the campaign — who was up or down in polls and had the best chance of winning. But that’s been a criticism of campaign coverage from time immemorial, and rarely is there any great change of emphasis, especially with an abundance of national and state polls.
Whenever news executives gather, Trump is never far from mind. Marty Baron, executive editor of the Washington Post, noted that the president’s rhetoric against the press has caused his organization to beef up security for personnel. He acknowledged that Trump has been good for business at many news organizations, and that the Post is already considering what his potential absence from the scene will mean.
Josh Tyrangiel, executive editor of Vice News, said that a few weeks ago he said “stop” when Vice was about to report some routine news about what Trump said or tweeted. He said the president was a “savant” in understanding how media works, and that it’s important not to drown in all the material he provides.
“It would be great if we could get more discipline in journalism,” he said. “But guess what, I don’t run all of journalism.”
The television news division presidents warned against the idea that many presidential tweets are background noise that can be ignored. The tweets often predict where the president is headed in policy, Zirinsky said.
“Tweet away,” she said. “We’ll be reporting on it.”

DON'T MISS

Why Project Labor Agreements Are Good for Our Schools and Students: Opinion

DON'T MISS

Trump Proposes Tax Deduction for Auto Loan Interest on US-Made Cars

DON'T MISS

Western US Sees Sharp Increase in Extreme Weather Impact

DON'T MISS

Amazon Said to Make a Bid to Buy TikTok in the US

DON'T MISS

The ‘Six’ Wives of King Henry VIII Sing Their Hearts Out in Fresno

DON'T MISS

7-Year-Old Girl Was Killed by a Falling Boulder at a Lake Tahoe Ski Resort

DON'T MISS

Musk Could Be Headed for a Washington Exit After Turbulent Times at Trump’s DOGE

DON'T MISS

Outrage Grows Over Maryland Man’s Mistaken Deportation to El Salvador Prison

DON'T MISS

Kings County Chase Ends in Meth Arrest, but Deputies Are Looking for Driver

DON'T MISS

Xavier Becerra Enters 2026 California Governor’s Race

UP NEXT

Xavier Becerra Enters 2026 California Governor’s Race

UP NEXT

Val Kilmer, ‘Top Gun’ and Batman Star With an Intense Approach, Dies at 65

UP NEXT

What to Watch in Tuesday’s Big Elections in Wisconsin and Florida

UP NEXT

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes to Headline Chukchansi’s Summer Series with ‘Family Reunion Tour’

UP NEXT

Elon Musk Backtracks on a Legally Questionable Plan to Pay Voters

UP NEXT

Gronk-a-Mania Set to Run Wild Over WrestleMania Weekend

UP NEXT

Head of Amazon’s TV and Film Steps Down

UP NEXT

Prosecutor Seeks 18-Month Suspended Sentence for Depardieu if Convicted of Sexual Assault

UP NEXT

Musk Announces $1 Million for Wisconsin Voter in Supreme Court Race

UP NEXT

Democrat Notches an Upset in Pennsylvania State Senate Race

Amazon Said to Make a Bid to Buy TikTok in the US

38 minutes ago

The ‘Six’ Wives of King Henry VIII Sing Their Hearts Out in Fresno

1 hour ago

7-Year-Old Girl Was Killed by a Falling Boulder at a Lake Tahoe Ski Resort

1 hour ago

Musk Could Be Headed for a Washington Exit After Turbulent Times at Trump’s DOGE

1 hour ago

Outrage Grows Over Maryland Man’s Mistaken Deportation to El Salvador Prison

2 hours ago

Kings County Chase Ends in Meth Arrest, but Deputies Are Looking for Driver

2 hours ago

Xavier Becerra Enters 2026 California Governor’s Race

2 hours ago

Reps. Costa, Gray Propose Bill to Address Critical Doctor Shortage in Rural Areas

2 hours ago

Here’s How the New NFL Rules on Kickoffs and Overtime Will Work

3 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Yakista Ceeblaj Lor

3 hours ago

Why Project Labor Agreements Are Good for Our Schools and Students: Opinion

In early March, trustees of the State Center Community College District passed a resolution to adopt a district-wide Project Labor Agreement...

12 minutes ago

West Fresno satellite campus of Fresno City College
12 minutes ago

Why Project Labor Agreements Are Good for Our Schools and Students: Opinion

31 minutes ago

Trump Proposes Tax Deduction for Auto Loan Interest on US-Made Cars

A new Gallup poll shows that extreme weather events have sharply increased in the Western U.S., with 43% of residents affected, largely due to wildfires and extreme heat, while concerns about climate change continue to rise. (Shutterstock AI)
38 minutes ago

Western US Sees Sharp Increase in Extreme Weather Impact

An Amazon distribution facility in Garner, N.C., on Feb. 8, 2025. Amazon has reportedly put in a last-minute bid to acquire all of TikTok, the popular video app, as it approaches an April deadline to be separated from its Chinese owner or face a ban in the United States, according to three people familiar with the bid. (Kate Medley/The New York Times)
38 minutes ago

Amazon Said to Make a Bid to Buy TikTok in the US

1 hour ago

The ‘Six’ Wives of King Henry VIII Sing Their Hearts Out in Fresno

Photo of Incline Village, Nevada, taken on Feb. 2, 2029. A 7-year-old girl, Adelyn Grimes of Reno, was killed by a falling boulder while climbing a hillside at Diamond Peak ski resort in Incline Village, Nevada, over the weekend. (Shutterstock)
1 hour ago

7-Year-Old Girl Was Killed by a Falling Boulder at a Lake Tahoe Ski Resort

Elon Musk speaks at a town hall Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP/Jeffrey Phelps)
1 hour ago

Musk Could Be Headed for a Washington Exit After Turbulent Times at Trump’s DOGE

In this photo provided by El Salvador's presidential press office, prison guards transfer deportees from the U.S., alleged to be Venezuelan gang members, to the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (El Salvador presidential press office via AP)
2 hours ago

Outrage Grows Over Maryland Man’s Mistaken Deportation to El Salvador Prison

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend