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Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont keeps a blog… a so-called blog. It’s hard to follow, has no RSS feed or any syndication of any kind. I found this out by reading about some coverage of the Alito hearings where the Senator’s blog entry from today’s hearings was quoted. It’s actually quite humorous. Why don’t more politicians write for themselves?

PICTURING THE HEARINGS.  As usual with major news events, some of the best journalism from these hearings is coming from the news photographers who are covering them.

News photography at Capitol Hill hearings always presents special challenges to photojournalists, and the challenges are multiplied when hearings last a week, when scores of news photographers are all covering the same news, and when they have to work within the formal setting and structure of a congressional hearing.

To be successful, news photographers have to be a rugged and adaptable blend of the journalist, the artist and the athlete.  The digital photography revolution also requires today’s photojournalists to be adept with computers and cutting-edge technology.

At these hearings, dozens of news photographers are crowded into the “well” of the hearing room — the space between the dais, where senators sit, and the witness table, where Judge Alito sits.  The front of the dais where we sit is shrouded in red fabric, and photographers are right up against it.  On Tuesday, as I took my seat and settled in, I discovered some obstacle under the table and I tried a few times to move it out of the way with my foot – until I discovered in mortification that it was a press photographer, wedged in front of the dais. [emphasis mine]

So to capture the illuminating images that take the American people right into the scene of a news story, news photographers sometimes also have to suffer indignities like being kicked by their news subjects, including sometimes by senators.  God bless ‘em all for all they do and for all they endure.

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Written by Aaron Brazell on January 12, 2006

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