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Assembled here are a wide variety of portraits or profiles: ways to show the character and personality of the candidates themselves. These stories can often explore events in the candidates past to show how they formed their views on particular issues, or give examples of previous important decisions that can give us some idea of how they might make decisions in office. Sometimes they are just a glimpse into the ups and downs of life as a politician.
For convenience on the web, weve split this category into two groups, with short form including candidate stories that can be done in generally less than ten minutes, and long form consisting of excerpts from more extensive documentary programs. You may find, though, that elements of these categories are interchangable. For example, WNETs Campaign Confidential clip is considered long because it was taken from an hour-long show, but it could be adapted to a much briefer format.
SHORT FORM [go to long form]
 Dinner with Candidate in a Debate
WLVT  Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
watch clip|clip run time » 5:28
In a series called "Tempo Takes the Candidates Home," WLVT brought congressional candidates into an ordinary Northampton home to let the family do the interviewing and ask the questions.
Excerpt from "The Thirty Second Candidate"
Wisconsin Public Television Madison, Wis.
watch clip|clip run time » 6:38
This clip from a one-hour documentary takes an in-depth look at the marketing strategies of congressional candidate Craig Duehring.
Candidate Profiles
WGBH Boston, Mass.
watch clip|clip run time » 12:54
WGBH's Emily Rooney profiles Shannon O'Brien and Mit Romney, both candidates for Massachusetts governor.
Profile of Howard Dean
New Hampshire Public Television Durham, New Hampshire
watch clip|clip run time » 10:37
Richard Ager of New Hampshire Public Television profiles out-spoken Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean.
Losers to Gray Davis
KTVU Oakland San Francisco, Calif.
watch clip|clip run time » 4:46
KTVU political editor Randy Shandobil interviews candidates who've lost to Gray Davis to gain a unique perspective on the then-incumbent Governor.
Profile of Pre-Candidate
KING Seattle, WA
watch clip|clip run time » 6:49
Robert Mak of KING profiles Phil Talmadge before he is an official candidate for Governor of Washington.
Dinner with Candidate Moore
KCPT & KCTV  Kansas City, Missouri
watch clip|clip run time » 12:39
In a more extended version of the "bring the candidate to dinner" series, KCPT brought congressional candidates into the home of an ordinary family for dinner.
Postville, Iowa
KARE  Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota
clip run time » 5:31
Reporter Phil Johnston discovered an interesting political story not even in his stations viewing area and shows how effective a piece can be when you go beyond just the dry facts and figures. In a local race, a longtime resident challenges an appointee, one of the many Orthodox Jews who recently moved to the small town of Postville. The emotions and choices made by both contenders and their supporters show how politics can indeed affect us deeply.
Time to Choose: Tinman and Scarecrow
Frontline
clip run time » 6:10
Built around the idea that one needed a heart and the other needed a brain, this story looks at the public perceptions of Al Gore and George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential race. Its part of a three-hour program called Time to Choose produced by Frontline, that was a combination of town hall meetings and a variety of produced pieces like this. The Wizard of Oz reference is a clever one, providing a catchy introduction to the personalities of these two men and how they spoke to the American people.
Bush Pop Quiz
: Boston, Massachusetts
air date » 3.Nov.99
clip run time » 2:18
This infamous pop quiz by reporter Andy Hiller on then-governor George W. Bush was widely covered during Campaign 2000. We include it as part of the BPJ video library to prompt questions of whats appropriate when interviewing candidates. Would these questions be appropriate in a debate? Are they relevant or conclusive in judging the capability of a person to succeed in an elected position? Should anything be off-limits, particularly for national-level races?
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Harold Hochstetter
John Carlson |
Having the Candidates for Dinner
KING Seattle, Washington
air date » July.00
Harold Hochstetter run time » 5:21
John Carlson run time » 5:51
Reporter Robert Mak wanted his profiles of the Washington State gubernatorial candidates to be somewhat less formal than a face-to-face interview between journalist and politician. His solution was to scout out an average Seattle-area family who would host each of the three contenders for dinner. With one photographer (less intimidating) and no campaign aides present Mak allowed the family to guide the conversation. On a later day he returned to each candidate for follow-up questions and clarifications an essential part of making this idea work as a news story.
Where Where You At 22?
MTV News and Specials
air date » 26.Jan.00
clip run time » 7:31
MTV has practically defined a generation that can be problematic when it comes to politics. To make the connection between the candidates and some of the countrys youngest voting block, MTV producer Gini Sikes created Where Were You at 22?, presenting the stories of Al Gore, George Bush, Bill Bradley, John McCain, Steven Forbes, and Pat Buchanan as young men, revealing the life-altering choices they made and reminding us that the decisions we all face about life, career and the people we love really do matter.
Steve Forbes Stays on Message
CBS News
air date » 1.Feb.96
clip run time » 1:12
In this excerpt from a piece by Phil Jones, clever editing reinforces the point that Steve Forbes sticks to his script when it comes to tax plans.
Bush Stump Speech
 Boston, Massachusetts
air date » 13.Jan.00
clip run time » 3:12
WCVB is one of many stations who have determined to carry a certain volume of political coverage on their nightly news shows. A simple way to maintain what Kathleen Hall Jamieson calls candidate-centered discourse without elaborate production requirements is to use direct statements out of the stump speech, as done here with George W. Bush.
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John McCain
George W. Bush |
Profiles from the Campaign Trail
 Oakland, California
John McCain clip run time » 3:22
George W. Bush clip run time » 2:40
KTVUs political editor Randy Shandobil contributes two on-the-road profiles from that stations 10 oclock news program. These snapshots of presidential candidates John McCain and George W. Bush reveal elements of their personalities in a style thats probing but not attacking.
Behind the Smile
Oakland, California
clip run time » 5:40
This piece is a longer length insight into how politicians themselves feel about going forth with their game face on. This story could be reproduced in any city using your own local retired (or veteran) public servants.
Mayoral Profile
WHYY Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
air date » 1999
clip run time » 7:51
A side-by-side presentation of Philadelphias two very different runners in the 1998 mayoral campaign one a Republican businessman, the other a long-time political activist. Following the excerpt from the candidate profiles is a snippet from a debate coproduced with WTXF. Informed, eager citizens make up the audience pool, two moderators (one from each station) are ready to guide the proceedings... sounds safe, yes? This clip shows how candidates can wreck a perfectly good debate...
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