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March 29, 1996
NEWSHOUR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT KWAME HOLMAN TALKS ABOUT COVERING CONGRESS
When news breaks in Congress, NewsHour viewers turn to Kwame Holman for facts and understanding. Kwame joined the NewsHour in 1983. His reporting earned him two national awards for journalistic excellence: a George Polk Award for National Television Reporting in 1984 for his reporting on violence and abortion clinics and, in 1985, an Emmy Award for his reporting on the nation's farm crisis. He has been reporting on the activities of the House and Senate as the NewsHour's congressional correspondent since 1992.
A question from Dina Balsam of Cleveland, Ohio:
Has debate become more lively and dramatic since the Republican freshmen entered congress in 1994?
Kwame Holman responds:
Unquestionably. We reported many House floor debate stories last year that included what members called "unprecedented" breaches of House procedures and decorum. It generally was said by members that, in their collective experience, emotion had never run so high.
It should be pointed out that even last year and more especially this year the House floor has been the stage for dramatic shows of collegiality and comity across ideological lines, as well.
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A question from Ralph Perine of Hershey, Pennsylvania:
What do you do when the person you are interviewing avoids the question? Who was your most challenging interviewee?
Kwame Holman responds:
I ask it again. And again, if necessary. There are different ways to ask the same question and most interview subjects generally expect a certain line of questions and ultimately will answer it.
Perhaps the most challenging for me was a 1983 interview with the president of a Mini Steel Mill in Ohio. It took five tapes (20 minutes each). The problem there though was the questioner not the interviewee.
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A question from Lynn Brielmaier of Houston TX:
Over the last thirty years, it seems everyone in and out of Washington agrees that the way that campaigns are financed needs to be changed. Yet nothing ever does change. Is this simply a case of the entrenched politicians trying to preserve an advantage, or are other unseen agendas also benefiting from the status quo? Are committees actively looking into alternatives, or are they just paying lipservice. Very little seems to be going on.... What is your perspective???
Kwame Holman responds:
One of the principal problems with campaign finance reform as I understand it is that some parts of the current system benefit Democrats more than Republicans while other parts favor Republicans more than Democrats.
Generally speaking Democrats have favored changing those provisions that benefit Republicans and leaving intact those that favor Democrats. Exchange the party names in that sentence and you have what's considered the Republican Position.
Still there seems to be election-year momentum toward making some real changes in the system. Stay tuned.
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A question from Noah Sallis of Omaha, Nebraska:
When you followed freshman Zach wamp back to his Tennessee district, how long did you travel with him? Was it hard to be objective? As an amateur documentary film-maker, I often find myself concentrating on one side of a story and I end up interviewing positive fans instead of seeking out the less obvious critics.
Kwame Holman responds:
We spent only a day with Rep. Wamp but spent another with others in the district and seeing things there.
Objectivity, true objectivity, is, I like to say, unachievable becuase we're human. What we can do is try to be fair, balanced, and accurate. That's what we do. Then it comes naturally that you're not weighted too heavily on one side or the other.
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A question from Joseph McDonald of Burlington, Vt.:
We haven't heard the Republicans talk about the Contract with America very much recently. Democrats say the contract is dead, but Bob Dole and others are still supporting many of the items in the Contract (i.e. balanced budget, term limits, welfare reform, line item veto.)
Why haven't the Republicans been talking specifically about the Contract? Isn't it as popular with the American people as it was during he '92 elections when it helped the Republicans win control of Congress?
Kwame Holman responds:
As you no doubt now know from the news off of Capitol Hill at the end of the Week of March 25, the Contract is very much alive.
The so-called conventional wisdom is that House Republicans merely were taking time to refine their strategies then they went on to try to fulfill the promises of the Contract.
It is true though that fewer Republicans seem to be using the name Contract with America this year.
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A question from Mike Hadley of Charlottesville, VA:
Are there more legal/investigative committees these days? It seems whenever I turn on C-SPAN there is another Whitewater, Waco, Ruby Ridge, Travelgate etc. investigation. Is this a recent phenomenon? How do you, the NewsHour decide whether a committee is newsworthy?
Kwame Holman responds:
As you know, one of the primary roles of the Congress is to perform oversight on the Executive Branch and its departments and agencies. Every Congressional committee has the power to take sworn testimony in pursuing that oversight.
There may be more areas of inquiry recently, as you point out.
We had a very difficult time deciding when news from some of the hearings you mention should be included in the program. Basically we had to listen and make a decision late in the day. I estimate I've heard about 80 hours of Whitewater Hearings in the last year.
Click to see a Forum Menu.
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