In 1968 a 26 year old reporter by the name of Joe McGinniss wrote a book that took us inside the Nixon campaign and in so doing, redefined how we viewed politics and the media. As Theodore White did in 1960, McGinniss redefined the genre of long-form political journalism. Since then, he has continued to push the bounders of journalism, from the case of Jeffery MacDonald to the veracity of Janet Malcolm.Today, he's taken on a subject that frankly most journalists have been afraid of, trying to find the real Sara Palin. It's amazing really, that after years in public life, no other reporter has gotten anywhere near as close to the Wasilla that McGinniss explores. He did so by practicing one of the oldest rules of journalism; go there! In going to Alaska to seek out the real Palin, he would find a life that is trashy, cheap and ignorant and in many ways genuinely American. In Alaska he would find The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin
.My conversation with Joe McGinniss:
