The president’s words and actions shape the country’s history. They have the power to make or break international agreements and controversies. The American public needs to know what’s happening with its leader and should not have to depend on White House aides for information.
The founders of the WHCA knew that. By the time they gathered in the White House press room on February 25, 1914 to establish the organization, it had been only 21 years since Grover Cleveland brazenly lied to reporters and the world about his health. The founders knew that even if their daily work sucked, they had to do it because the president’s words and activities mattered.
They also knew that shouted questions don’t just make noise. They elicit answers that inform our fellow citizens. And if they’re done properly, they can be the basis for an investigation of the president and his administration.
Whether shouted or not, the questions must be asked. The answerers must be well trained, and the underlying story well researched. They must be able to distinguish the facts from the rumor and the conjecture. And they must be able to present them clearly to their audience, whatever their format: in-house, on-the-road, travel, supplemental, or foreign pool.
Foreign pool adds a special ingredient, a global perspective, to the mix of domestic and international news. It is inherently more complex than the others, with a linguistic and cultural expertise that can complement the domestic pool.
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