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Challenge for Local Reporters: Covering Gov. Walker as a National Story

Darren McCollester
/
Getty Images
Scott Walker speaks at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Summit April 18, 2015 in Nashua, New Hampshire.

As the debate over Governor Walker’s proposed budget continues in the Wisconsin legislature, the statewide story is getting an unprecedented amount of national coverage.

Meanwhile, Scott Walker’s probable presidential bid has led many local media outlets to turn reporters normally on a Wisconsin-specific beat into national political reporters.

The challenges of covering Scott Walker as a local and a national story is the focus of a story in the Columbia Journalism Review, Covering Scott Walker as a local and national story. Detroit-based freelance writer Anna Clark found that the new attention focused on the Wisconsin politician can be a positive thing for the state.

"I think that's bringing a whole other level of competitiveness to the coverage of Walker - which I think is a healthy thing, a good thing. It means that there's a lot more news for both Wisconsinites and citizens nationally to get an understanding of who he is and what kind of leader he is," Clark says.