KATHERINE EBAN

Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair magazine

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www.katherineeban.com

@KatherineEban

katherineeban@gmail.com

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GIJC 2023 - Pandemics Past and Future Panel

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Investigating Your Government’s Performance and Policies

in a Once-in-a-Century

Public Health Catastrophe

People Are Policy

Problem #1

Press Corps

Potential Sources

Look for Sources Downstream

Calamities Create Helpers  

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• Dust off old Rolodexes. 

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• Look for Maître d’s to make introductions.

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• Study organizational charts – find former employees.

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• Find narrators and tour guides: every “Dante” needs a “Virgil.”

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Learn the Landscape

What does “normal” look like?

Questions to ask:

• What is normal vs. abnormal?   
• How do the politics depart from the science?

• Observe the topography.
• Find the watering holes where sources might congregate.
•  Learn the rules & regs of the agencies responding.
• Study the roles different agencies play.
• Figure out how employees communicate. Is this a LinkedIn crowd?  Or a Signal crowd?  

Is This “Normal”?

Meet America’s Shadow COVID Czar

• Mixed success as a real-estate developer.
• Small-time newspaper publisher
• Difficulty getting security clearances.  
• Networking mastermind   

NOT Normal: A Compelling Clue

The Timeline Tells a Story

Truth: 

We just secretly bought 3.5 million tests 

Claim: 

“We have lots of tests.”  

March 6th, 2020 

March 27th, 2020 

Investigating Team Jared

WH Shadow Task Force

Testing Plan that Went “Poof”

Why Did It Go Poof?

Team Jared

WH Shadow Task Force

 ”I’m still not convinced that this story should be told, and I don’t understand the purpose.  I’m also not convinced that you are the person who is ready to tell this story.  Not that it should be someone else, but you haven’t demonstrated your knowledge…to me.” 

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Convert Skeptical Sources

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• Identify the obstacles, in order to remove them.
• Reach out to potential sources every few days, until they become actual sources
• Recognize loyalty tests
• Don’t assume what side someone’s on
• Hear the difference between rejection and invitation

A. Starting Point

B. Three months later….

A thumb drive with dozens of documents on it.

• First impressions matter
• The gift of time
• Go the distance
• Demonstrate your commitment to the story.
• Offer information, don’t just ask for it.

• Help cement relationships with sources. 
• Serve as a chisel. 
• Become doorways to a hidden world. 
• Serve as tent stakes.   
• Increase the likelihood of a return call.  

Get Documents

Documents can:

Imagine the difference between the messages you can leave for someone. ​

“Calendar entries I obtained indicate you were at the Situation Room on August 9. Would you have a minute to speak with me about that?” 

“I am trying to find out what happened at the Situation Room on August 9.” ​

“Not Going to Lead”

“That’s Their Problem”

“Billboarding” a Story

October 2020, Times Square, The Lincoln Project

Reporting Takeaways

Mar-a-Lago, November 2020

• People are policy. Take note of new departures and arrivals.
• Learn what “normal” is, so you can detect “abnormal.” 
• Hunt for sources downstream. 
• Build a concentric circle of potential sources.
• Convert skeptical sources.
• Work the timeline. 
• Documents beget documents. Start small.   
• Consider the Blue State factor: look for the real reason behind policy shifts.  

An Investigative To-Do List​

Seth Meyers: “Their Plan – Have One.”

August 2020