For Midwest bureau correspondents like Fox News Channel’s Mike Tobin, there’s never a dull moment when it comes to covering political figures in the Land of Lincoln.
“These Illinois politicians “are the gift that keeps on giving,” Tobin told TVNewser this week while covering Dennis Hastert‘s arraignment in Chicago. Luckily, Tobin was not one of the journalists cited for violating court rules. NBC’s Gabe Guttierez and ABC’s Brian Ross will face a judge next month for their aggressive Hastert coverage.
Based out of the Windy City, Tobin is marking five years stateside for FNC, after a decade overseas. He says he valued his time abroad, during which he covered everything from Israeli-Lebanese border conflicts to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Next year, Tobin will mark his 15th anniversary at the cabler, which has built up and maintained ratings dominance over those years.
“God bless it,” he says about the FNC’s staying power. “Roger Ailes, he knows what he’s doing. Obviously whatever he’s doing, it’s working.
“I find that our greatest critics don’t watch us,” Tobin says.
Those who do tune in to Fox News may know that off the air, Tobin is actively involved in a nonprofit called Ride 2 Recovery, described on its website as a “groundbreaking Veterans program [that] saves lives by restoring hope and purpose.” The organization adapts and modifies bicycles for veterans with physical challenges.
Tobin has tweeted out pictures from numerous Ride 2 Recovery events in which he’s participated, and he’ll likely have a new set of photos in August when he joins the group’s “Leadville 100” high-altitude mountain bike ride in Colorado.
Tobin says it’s all tremendously rewarding.
“I’m getting more out of it, than I’m putting in.”