Thanksgiving is still a day away, but already we’re in the midst of a holiday mainstay: dramatic news coverage of people traveling. Unsatisfied by last year’s effort, news networks are re-doubling their efforts and are at again with footage of people lined up at airport counters and slow-moving traffic on the interstate. With more live reports and better camera angles, this year could be big journalism’s finest hour. Stay tuned.
I do have one suggestion on how they can bring us even closer to the action. A few months ago when that hurricane hit the Carolina coast, I saw a fascinating report from a correspondent who was literal strapped to the back of a moving truck. Rather than standing at the side of the highway, I think some embeded reporter should do the same thing and give us a live update from the back of a pickup plodding 25 m.p.h. down I-95. That would help bring the story home.