The Huffington Post’as Michael Calderone sets his sights on the upcoming Presidential debates, and asks the important question: why exactly is there still a “spin room”? And Why should journalists care? After noting that a ridiculous 3,000 journalists will be at the event, Calderone digs in:
The spin room has long served as a good justification for expensing flights to debate sites, where reporters actually watch the candidates spar on large screens outside the debate hall, surrounded by thousands of their peers. Getting post-debate reaction from advisers and strategists was one reason to physically be there.
But as the 2012 election plays out on Twitter, reporters, pundits, campaign staffers and party officials will already have hashed out every key moment of the 90-minute debate before heading to the spin room. Not to mention the fact that top advisers and high-profile surrogates — including Vice President Joe Biden — will be ubiquitous on cable news and a growing number of livestream broadcasts immediately after, thus making the spin room more ritual than necessity.
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You can read the entire item here. What do you think, is the spin room a relic of journalism past? Or is there still value there?