Profile of a White House Press Correspondent: Jennifer Loven
October, 2009
Jennifer Loven is the head of the White House Press Correspondence, and a reporter for the Associated Press. I met with her to sit in on a White House Press Briefing and find out a little bit more about her experience in politics.
Can you explain your job more specifically?
JL: My job is a lot different on the inside than it seems on the outside. I write for AP. There are about eight of us who cover the White House. I’m the chief correspondent. I do some TV, some writing. Mainly, I decide who’s going to focus on what stories, and what stories we should focus on. The stories are different every day. You really have to be as up to speed on most of the topics as an expert would be.
Do you travel?
JL: There is a small group that travels on Air Force One and one of the AP reporters is always there. The travel is like a perk or a reward after you’ve worked for a while. Now, I do mostly overseas travel. I was a White House Reporter for seven years. Now I get to pick and choose the trips.
What’s that like?
JL: Well, a typical day is 18-20 hours of work. Sometimes you may not even leave the hotel. I’ve been to Beijing, and I didn’t see Tiananmen Square or any other major sites. You don’t go sightseeing.
What’s the most exciting place you’ve traveled to?
JL: I went to Zanzibar with Laura Bush and Mongolia with former President Bush. Those were very exciting places, because I never would have gone there on my own.
Are there ever customs you have to abide with? Have you ever been to a country where you were treated differently as a woman?
JL: I’ve been to Saudi Arabia twice, which is definitely a difficult place for an American woman to function. You wouldn’t wear a short dress at a place like that. Not being able to drive as a woman in Saudi Arabia wasn’t really an issue because we were driven most places. But, I wasn’t allowed to use the gym at the hotel. In Turkey, President Obama visited a very famous Mosque, and a small group went with him. All the women had to wear headscarves. In Egypt, when Obama gave his speech in Cairo earlier this year, something as simple as finding a women’s restroom was very difficult. But, you know, you try to be respectful.
You must have had the chance to meet several Presidents? What have some of your impressions been? Who was different than what you expected?
JL: It was interesting observing President Bush’s skills as a politician. A
question I get a lot is if President Bush is as stupid as he seems. He’s not as dumb as everyone says. He may not be as eloquent as some of our other Presidents, but he definitely isn’t stupid. Of course, he has a lot of other flaws. There’s a certain narrative that sticks with each President, and sometimes it isn’t always true. It’ll be interesting to observe Obama, because he still has the chance to change that narrative.
What about international figures?
JL: I don’t get to see that many different people speak, since I’m assigned to the White House, but every year when the U.N. General Assembly meets, I hear a lot of prominent figures speak. I heard Chavez speak, when he gave his whole “Smells like sulfur speech.” I was there for that fascinating moment, and he was really criticizing Bush. When people think of Chavez, they think of that speech, and I got to see it.
What ultimately led you to be interested in politics and journalism? How did you end up at your job?
JL: It was a little bit by accident. I had worked with a non-profit organization and that’s where I started to toy with the idea of being a reporter. I knew after that I wanted to do good in the world. It seemed like I could explain things in a way that would do good. After that I worked as a journalist in Detroit covering stories mostly on auto-news and crime. After that I covered the state-house and the governor. That was a great job. After that I worked in DC covering Illinois. I always assumed I would report on poverty and race issues. I never really have. I think I just got bitten by the politics bug. I ended up as a White House reporter by accident. I was shocked when they assigned me there.
What is your favorite part of your job?
JL: I think my favorite part of the job is also my least favorite part, and that’s the number of issues to cover. There’s a lot to learn. My job is physically and mentally hard, but there are wonderful parts. I work with many different people and they’re always smart and fascinating. The travel is also interesting, because even though it doesn’t involve actual tourism, you see things behind the scenes.
Did you feel a different skill set was required for being a White House reporter?
JL: You have to be really resourceful. When you go on a trip, there’s a million things that can go wrong. At the end of the day you find yourself completely exhausted. It takes a certain temperament. I don’t know if it’s a skill, but it’s something you have to learn.
Is it ever hard to remain impartial as a reporter?
JL: It isn’t difficult. You learn to have respect for ideas and that there’s always another side to every story. Outside of work is always when it’s hardest to stay impartial, because people want to know my real opinions. At cocktail parties, and family gatherings people want to know what I really think. I can’t let it slide, because if I do it won’t be easy to stay impartial in my job.
I think the press did a lot of soul-searching after the Iraq War. We all wondered, did we believe to readily? Was that our fault? It makes you angry. Are we to be blamed? It’s hard to know if they [The Bush Administration] were just mistaken or weren’t honestly answering our questions. I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure.
The most personally involved I’ve ever gotten was after Katrina. I was very personally angry. I think it influenced my coverage of the event, but in a way I think that was helpful. It’s up to others to say whether or not my reporting was impartial on that issue, because I felt very passionate about that story.
Obviously you feel very passionately about Hurricane Katrina. Have there been any other issues you’ve felt this way about? What are you most interested in?
JL: I’m most interested in Foreign Policy issues because of my travel. Of course, I’m still interested in climate change, and healthcare, and domestic issues. I’ve never felt as passionate as I did about Katrina.
Are there a lot of women in your field?
JL: There are not a ton of women. It’s very male dominated. There are very few, if any, other chief correspondents who are women.
Is this ever a struggle? Have you ever faced any barriers because of your gender?
JL: I don’t know. I just took over as chief correspondent. I was also President of the White House Correspondence Association. This job helped me gain a lot of respect I think. The Obama administration had to consult with me on other things. I do think it was difficult though. If my old boss was chief, there would have been no doubt he was in charge. I had something to prove. I don’t think about it a ton, though. You sort of get in there and do the job.
Why do you think there aren’t more women in your line of work?
JL: It’s a busy job. I have a five year old daughter and it’s a hard job when you have a kid. A.P. has been great though. They gave me maternity leave and then gave me my same job back.
What advice would you give to girls or young people interested in pursuing a path such as yours in media or politics?
JL: I feel that in order to have a good relationship with a source, you almost always have to have a fight with them. I don’t want to sound like a chauvinist, but I think it’s harder for women to fight sometimes. It’s hard for me to fight. You have to know when the right time to fight is. Pick it when it counts, do it in a professional way, and show you’re not a push-over. It’s still difficult, but you have to learn your value.
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