A novel report -- out of the main tent

Joke of the week: How many journalists does it take to screw in a light bulb? Answer: One -- plus 14,999 to unscrew it, spin it, toss it around and then insert it over and over again until the filament goes cold.

The task of covering a national convention is anything but a household chore, but one has to wonder whether the industry's top tradespeople have to be on the maintenance crew.

When the big-ticket names haven't been anchoring themselves, they've usually been busy being interviewed by colleagues, working out of tents that are only slightly easier to find than Osama Bin Laden's main lair, arranging interviews with sought-after politicos who aren't on campus, or gossiping with old friends about rumors even the National Enquirer wouldn't print. That doesn't leave much time for actual reporting.

To accurately capture the vibe and impact of the convention would mean spreading your talent across the country or at least across the Twin Cities, where top talent could straddle a bar stool in a Frogtown bar or camp out at the base of the Mall of America's roller coaster, and get unfiltered, unmanipulated feedback.

But the media don't work that way.

All journalists worth their power suits want to be in the main tent at the lip of the action, even if they're gathering the same knowledge they could glean from an afternoon of C-Span.

"I would have walked on glass to be here," said NPR's Michel Martin, who was a hot-ticket guest on the week's talk-show circuit. "We all have to show that we're important enough to be here. Your buddies need to know that you're still a player."

NBC News anchor Brian Williams said he makes a special effort to get outside the broadcast booth and center walls.

"I have my ways of getting out," said Williams, chatting from a concrete-cave office 30 yards from the convention floor. "I don't think you would have recognized me in my baseball cap and jeans last night at Mickey's."

Williams, who has logged nearly 38,500 miles over the past eight weeks to broadcast from location, said it's critical for him to be where the major stories are unfolding.

"I'll be doing it until the last dog dies," he said. "I would hate to be watching all this from a feed in New York."

CNN President Jon Klein said top talent can actually benefit from their stardom. He acknowledges that Anderson Cooper gets mobbed every 2 feet but that the "360" anchor is an expert at controlling the situation and putting the spotlight on the fans, who can provide him valuable insight.

Excellent points from both newsmen, but it should be noted that Williams' late-night stop at Mickey's diner was just two blocks from the convention center and while Klein was being interviewed on the patio at the invite-only CNN Grill, Cooper was inside having dinner with New York Times writer David Carr.

When the next political convention comes to town, let's shuttle these folks to greener news pastures.

I know a great Frogtown bar.