Behind the scenes look at covering President Biden’s trip to JBER

Working for a community paper, sometimes the most important person in government that a reporter might cover would be the state Governor, or maybe a state or US senator, so it isn’t a typical day when the news office receives word that the President is coming, not just to your state, but will be visiting right down the road from your office.

It doesn’t matter the political affiliation of the President, your spouse, your boss, or even you, when the President is coming, you will be covering it because you respect the office, even if you do not personally align or agree with him or her.

Once the surprise wore off following the announcement that the Commander-in-Chief will be stopping in our town, some interesting work begins. It isn’t as if just anyone can provide media coverage. Oh, wait, where do we begin to figure that out? It took a few minutes to figure out, a few emails and phone calls later, the White House sends an email.

Thinking about the earlier statement of whether or not you align or agree with whomever is in office, an email from the White House isn’t spam.

There’s a phrase used a lot in the military-‘hurry up and wait.’ It was very apropos when Monday rolled around. Getting up early because you just don’t know what traffic is going to look like. Not stopping for the morning wake-up beverage because, well, you don’t know what traffic is going to look like. Arriving an hour before anyone else because, again, you still don’t know what traffic is going to look like.

After waiting and getting through the initial process of access, you may or may not follow the directions of the gate guard to get to the parking lot, to wait for a bus.

Once on board, there is more waiting in the stuffy vehicle, until finally, someone in a uniform says it’s time to go. Then there’s more waiting as someone from Secret Service clears you and your gear. In my case, my single camera. For my boss, it’s a bigger bag with what will turn out to be the biggest camera lens I’ve ever seen.

After being led to a riser, and getting past the idea that you will be rows away from the President (and wondering why you couldn’t get this close to see (insert band here), the real waiting begins. The press pool begins to fill with reporters from Anchorage, a local television crew, then the major networks show up with their 3-person team. Wonder what that’s like to have 3 people for one event. We have three people to try and cover the entire Borough, which is roughly the size of West Virginia.

Oh, and you really can’t leave the area where you are parked and waiting. Well, my boss got to leave, but couldn’t come back in.

Then the oohs and aahs as Air Force One lands leads to more waiting. Waiting for the President to disembark and make his way to the little stage. Watching Secret Service, or whatever security is in place clear the way for Mr. Biden to deplane. Listening to a few prayers and speeches reminding everyone why we were there. No, not just for the President, but to remember 9/11.

And you listen as the President finally comes on stage. Admittedly, I don’t remember all of the words from his speech. I recorded it on my phone. But I was more struck by his presence on stage as he spoke. Not the consonance of a feeble old gentleman. The President spoke with forcefulness and the professionalism we have all come to expect from the leader of the free world.

Being there, watching others in the media, and listening to the President speak, so close yet so far, was, in a way, awesome. Awesome in a way that the power this person has, that he can make a phone call and strike back to our enemies, or watch operations from countries we’re not supposed to know about, is really the only way to describe it.

Then we watched him go straight to the troops, shake their hands, offer a smile while posing for so many selfies, and see him, and everyone, forget their politics because it’s the President.

I didn’t get to shake his hand or pose for a picture with him, but being that close to him is going to be something for the highlight reel.