This edited transcript was drawn from an e-mail interview conducted July 28, 2003.
Poynter: What prompted your move to a blog in April? Dan Weintraub: I had been writing an online newsletter for a year or so, with items left over from column research, updates on topics I'd had in columns, etc. Our online people wanted to make it more interactive, and we were considering posting it online with an open forum for readers. We kicked it around and the blog idea just evolved. (In the end we decided to take letters and post some comments but not do an open forum because of the need to moderate or police it, and I don't have time for that.)
Poynter: How did your editor react to the idea?
Dan Weintraub: My line editor loved the idea. He is very much a fan of the Internet and of blogging.
Poynter: What's your process for filing, editing, etc.? It appears that you file directly to the blog. Does an editor read behind you? Do you await editing on some entries before posting? Dan Weintraub: I do file directly, and simultaneously send a copy of each item to my editor, who backreads it. If I have a question about propriety, I'll consult with my editor just like on anything I write.
Poynter: How has this process worked so far? Lessons learned? Any posts you wish you could take back? If you get something wrong, do you change the copy, post a correction or what?
Dan Weintraub: So far it's been great. I haven't wanted to take any back yet. Today (July 28) I did post that Arnold Schwarzenegger was not going to run for governor, based on one source close to Arnold. His political adviser is denying that a decision has been made, but I am still hearing that it's a done deal, now from more sources. I posted the denial on my blog, above the original item. In other instances, I have updated items on the blog as more information came in, or as my opinion changed. But these were not corrections, just new wrinkles. I think that's the way a blog is supposed to work.
Poynter: What's the response been like among readers? Is it mostly the hard-core politicos following the Insider, or are you attracting more general interest readers as well?
Dan Weintraub: Reponse has been fantastic. I am told it's a must read in the Capitol and now, with the Davis recall gaining national attention, people in DC and New York are reading it too. It's a lot of insiders but also a good number of less involved readers. You know I do a print column three times a week, right? In that column I always strive to reach a broad audience. I see myself as a translator, breaking down complex policy issues and writing about the nexus of politics and policy. The blog is much more shorthand, chatty, stuff designed for insiders. But I am guessing even that appeals to a certain segment of the broader audience.
Poynter: How much time does a blogged Insider add to your work week?
Dan Weintraub: Hard to say. It's intertwining so much with my column that I can't really tell whether it's taking me more time or saving me time. Several of my recent columns have evolved from items I started on the blog. If you are a regular reader of both, you are essentially seeing me come up with an idea, advance it, and draft it on the Web before polishing it up for the print version. In that sense, it's a time saver.
Poynter: What's been the impact of the blog on your print column?
Dan Weintraub: See the above. Plus it's been a great source builder. People are calling me and emailing me with stuff unsolicited, at a much greater rate than before. I've always been a good, patient source-builder, using one story (now column) to gain credibility and go on to the next. Now stuff is flying over the transom.
Poynter: What's surprised you about doing the Insider?
Dan Weintraub: The biggest surprise is how it's helped my writing. I had always heard that a writer should write every day, but I was never able to write for no audience, a diary or a journal. But writing an online journal, I've discovered that when it comes time to write my column everything flows even easier than before.
Poynter: Anything else I should have asked and didn't?
Dan Weintraub: One strange spin-off is that the blog has increased demand for me as a commentator on television and radio. I think I have had the respect of my readers, sources, and colleagues after 16 years writing about the California Capitol. And I've had requests to do electronic stuff often enough. But the recall, combined with the blog, has created a flood of offers. Those appearances in turn help promote the blog and The Bee, which is great. The irony is that I have been toiling in the print trenches all these years for a little bit of fame and fairly modest fortune. Now I'm a multi-media character getting calls from all over the country. Strange.
