How Alan Blinder Got the Catania-Barry Blowup Story
Examiner politics reporter Alan Blinder scored a nice story last week with the news that Councilmember David Catania told CM Marion Barry he’s “full of shit” and “fuck you, Marion” at the Council’s retreat.
The scuffle was linked on the Drudge Report, and resulted in Kwame Brown’s No Cuss Club. It’s a nice story for reporters because it proves that sitting around at boring meetings sometimes does pay off.
But why was Blinder at the retreat? Did Catania not realize there was a reporter in the room?
While Blinder’s Examiner colleague Liz Farmer was covering the retreat, he came to the meeting hoping to talk to councilmembers for another story during a break. While Farmer stepped out to make a phone call, Barry asked Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi a question about United Medical Center—and set Catania off.
“It may have helped that I’m new in town,” Blinder writes in an email to DC Porcupine. He thinks Catania also might not have recognized him because he usually covers Vince Gray.
“It was a surreal, surprising moment and took the cake as the craziest incident I’ve witnessed while observing and reporting on politicians in Alabama, D.C., Georgia and Louisiana,” Blinder writes.
Who told you Blinder was one to watch?
