I'm sure you've heard of "speed dating," today I learned the art of "speed interviewing."

When the presidential candidates swing through town we are occasionally granted a few minutes to ask them questions one on one. While the interviews rarely break much new ground, they are a chance to focus on some local issues. But only if you are fast! I mean how many topics can you cover in three minutes?

I thought you might get a kick out of just how long it takes to get 180 seconds on tape. We were told to check in by 8 this morning. That gives the secret service time to sweep our gear and us for security reasons.

 Once in place we waited in an outdoor courtyard for several hours on this brisk morning (no I didn't wear a coat, someone we know said it was going to be 65 degrees today!) for Senator Clinton to arrive. Now, I know this part will shock you, but the campaign was running late!

She arrived at 10:30 instead of 9:30 and participated in a roundtable discussion about the need for health care. (No, there wasn't really a round table. There never is.)

 A little after 11 we were ushered into a small room where we set up our camera and waited some more. I didn't mind since it was heated and it felt good when the feeling slowly returned to my toes. 

Then after several false alarms Senator Clinton arrived in"our room." There was another room next door with a different crew set up for an interview. Because she was running late, our original 5 minute interview slot was chopped to 3! So it averaged out to about an hour of waiting for each minute of interviewing. 

What can you cover in three minutes? You'd be surprised; this is after all an accomplished politician. We hit on Oregon issues, the Governor's endorsement, and a debate with Barack Obama, if she is thinking about quitting the race, and what it has meant to be the first woman with a real shot at the nomination. To be perfectly honest, I squeezed in that last question after my time was up, extending the interview to four minutes. My daughter Ali wanted me to ask her that and face it; I am a mother first and didn't want to disappoint her. Luckily, it would seem that Senator Clinton is a mother first too since no one cut me off and she gave a very emotional response.

For all of you who want to know more personal things about her, there is just not much I can gather in 4 minutes people! But here are a few first impressions. She is beautiful. I don't know what she is doing but I wish she could bottle it for the rest of us. She is seriously smart. I don't know why I can't seem to remember a thing these days and she can rattle off facts and figures and anything else you ask with ease. She laughs easily and has an incredible amount of focus and energy. Meeting her was a moment I will remember and tell my daughters about.

Win or lose it is an historic race. Any woman that follows will be standing on her shoulders.

You can check out the interview tonight on KGW Newschannel 8 and online anytime at kgw.com. Obviously it will only take you a few minutes.

And as always, thanks for watching.

Tracy Barry

6 Comments

m.miller said:

Thank you Tracy for your respectful coverage of Sen. Clinton. It has been amazing to me how disrespectful the media as a whole has treated this presidential candidate who has contributed over 35 years of her life to public service. Whether an individual intends to vote for Hillary Clinton or not she deserves the utmost respect for her many efforts on behalf of our country.

May 9, 2008 6:01 PM

Sarah said:

This primary has upset me. Regardless of your three-minute time limit, less coverage was given to Hilary Clinton than was given to Obama. As always, NBC managed to slight Hilary Clinton. I am upset by this campaign because not just NBC, but the majority of the news media is orchestrating this race by giving favorable reports on Obama and very negative reports on Hilary Clinton, which is not responsible journalism. It is a candidates right to stay in the race until every state has spoken. I praise Hilary Clinton for ignoring the hate mongering journalists and standing her ground. Journalist everywhere should be ashamed to bastardize their privilege of freedom of the press. It is not a journalist's right to taint the news nor elect a candidate.

Sincerely,
Sarah

May 9, 2008 7:08 PM

Shelly said:

Thanks for the great interview.
Hillary is a class act & she deserves to be heard.

May 9, 2008 9:11 PM

Ash said:

Thanks Tracy for your wonderful coverage !

True , Hillary has not received the treatment Barack Obama has received by the mainstream media. After being pushed out of the headline she still manages to pull herself together , reminds me of so many women who have to do that all the time ... Her tenacity speaks a lot and I really hope that if ever there is a woman president , Hillary should be it !!

I am voting for her from Eugene.

May 11, 2008 10:27 PM

TK said:

I totally agree that Hillary has just been burned by the media at large (90% positive stories for Obama and 50% positive stories for Clinton by CBS alone.) Even NPR has done their share of voting in proxy of the American people.

It is interesting how Howard Dean was hammered for that one moment of wild abandon, and we ended up with Kerry as the default nominee. Will history repeat itself?

I will say that I have run into Jack Penning and Tracy Barry and they definitely deserve credit for making a big effort to give fair coverage. We don't know what their bosses will do with the final edit, but I know for a fact that they have taken stands to do the right thing.

May 11, 2008 11:26 PM

ken said:

Sarah,
If you think you should be offended by the dismissal of your candidate its a good thing you are not a Ron Paul supporter. He was trivialized at every turn by local and national news outlets to the point it seemed ..a conspiracy.

May 12, 2008 8:08 AM

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