I was in a newsroom the night President Obama was elected. It was my first fall working with students. I had to gently suggest a way they could cover, and perhaps localize, such an historic moment as a presidential election. Journalism is an art and a craft and, sometimes, a learned thing. And, looking back, there was a lesson in that for me, too.
I was on our sofa when the president delivered his formal farewell. It was long, which is usual for him, longer than it had to be. But it was the president doing what he has become known for. It’ll be judged against others tonight and tomorrow and over time, and like all things presidential, that will tell the tale. But, tonight, it was an event, which is what they were after.
I do enjoy a good high-minded political speech. The good ones say something about what we want to be, but maybe don't yet know how to be.
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) January 11, 2017
That was a big room, but you'd think, for a presidential campaign/farewell speech they would have sought out and dampened those echoes.
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) January 11, 2017
And at the conclusion of the speech the top trending topic is … pic.twitter.com/v6BCt46KxN
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) January 11, 2017