00:00 - Luckily we have another group of policy leaders each a champion of local news

00:04 - who have agreed to serve on this upcoming session of form on

00:07 - bridging the gap

00:08 - how citizens and legislators can save local news together

00:12 - with the legislators and facilitators please take your places on the stage

00:16 - conversations going to be an opportunity for you the audience

00:19 - to put into pp practice some of the advocacy tips

00:22 - you just heard from the previous session

00:24 - this public forum is meant to give you an opportunity

00:27 - to engage directly with local elected officials

00:30 - to find out what concerned media consumers

00:32 - can do to advocate for policies that will strengthen the local news landscape

00:37 - in your community

00:38 - now I regret that I

00:40 - won't be able to stay for this session I have to get back to the day job I'm actually

00:44 - turning a news story on this event

00:47 - for channel twenty seven tonight and anchoring the news

00:50 - but I'm going to leave you in good hands with Natalie.

00:52 - Ben si venga my new favorite thing to say I love that name Betsy vanga.

00:58 - She's going to take it from here it's been a pleasure serving as your mc

01:01 - I hope you find this

01:02 - this summit rewarding

01:04 - I thank you for your attendance

01:05 - and if there's any

01:07 - future questions for me my information is

01:09 - out there feel free to contact me always like

01:11 - talking to younger journalists thanks so much Natalie though you're.

01:15 - Hey.

01:20 - Alright good afternoon again everyone happy to continue the conversation about ways

01:26 - that legislative solutions can benefit community journalism now

01:30 - in this session

01:31 - state legislators who champion public policy in support of local news

01:36 - often find themselves find

01:38 - fighting an uphill battle

01:40 - but they need both engaged constituents

01:42 - and well informed journalists

01:44 - to make that case compelling.

01:47 - This forum brings together members of the Pennsylvania general assembly

01:51 - to share which constituents stories

01:53 - data

01:54 - and advocacy move needle in Harrisburg

01:57 - and what concerned citizens can do to help lawmakers

02:00 - understand the stakes of a weakening local news ecosystem

02:04 - so our goal for you today is to leave this session with some clarity around concrete

02:09 - strategies that may turn community concern

02:12 - into legislative action so

02:15 - let's go ahead and

02:15 - meet our legislators awesome thanks Sarah so we have representative

02:20 - Joe Cersei with us.

02:22 - Representative Justin Fleming

02:24 - and representative Kate

02:26 - clump thank you so much all of you for being here

02:29 - I have a question to kick things off.

02:32 - I mean that's why we're here right.

02:34 - Why would you want to be be

02:36 - on this panel Justin will start with you.

02:40 - So for me it's it's really easy and a lot of the themes that

02:44 - representative rab share

02:46 - I share too I do not have the familial legacy in journalism like he does

02:50 - when there's a joke

02:51 - that we have especially among the black caucus it's like

02:54 - every important civil rights thing ever in the history of america

02:59 - Chris rabb has a canal action two in some form or fashion so

03:02 - I'm always I'm always

03:04 - thrilled to hear that

03:06 - but it's

03:06 - it's amazing but I I actually went to school to be a journalist

03:10 - when I was at millersville university I majored

03:13 - in communications with a broadcasting emphasis.

03:16 - My my hero in journalism was Peter Jennings I

03:19 - love Peter Jennings my dad watched a whole lot of

03:22 - news both local news and world news and a b c was the station of choice so

03:27 - I've been watching Dennis since before he started or

03:30 - since he started at the

03:31 - a b c twenty seven

03:33 - and and so for me and and I worked in.

03:39 - At three different agency press offices for the rendell administration so I have

03:43 - in the course of my professional career

03:46 - I have been at my first job was at channel twenty one

03:48 - the local CBS affiliate I was a production assistant

03:51 - then I became a news producer I was only there

03:53 - for a short time then got hired with the state

03:56 - but I have an immense respect for and everything

03:58 - you do I have an appreciation for journalism

04:02 - and even as a local elected official and the state representative

04:05 - representative rabb said it you your job is to hold us to account

04:09 - and you know I can't speak for all of my colleagues but like.

04:13 - I I do appreciate having that relationship with journalists I see a few

04:18 - famille your faces in the room

04:20 - and

04:21 - you know I i.

04:22 - I enjoy getting to know.

04:25 - People

04:25 - as people you know what's where'd you come from what's your family lifelike

04:30 - and things like that so I enjoy building those

04:32 - relationships whether you're a journalist or not and I I.

04:35 - I

04:35 - I think you know because I that's what I wanted to do do as a profession

04:40 - that has stuck with me and so it's been easy for me to support journalism and.

04:44 - You know

04:45 - we'll talk about this more but I was a local

04:47 - elected official and when I first started

04:49 - our meetings were covered

04:51 - by a by a freelance journalist

04:53 - and at some point

04:54 - that went away and it was disappointing to me

04:57 - because they are

04:59 - you know you as journalists are supposed to shed a

05:00 - light on what we're doing especially in government

05:03 - we need to be stewards of good stewards of taxpayer dollars

05:06 - and you know when we're not doing that and when

05:07 - no one's there to uncover it that's a problem so.

05:11 - Yeah but for me it's really easy.

05:15 - So for me I wanted to make sure that there was a republican voice up here.

05:19 - Right.

05:21 - Which is important

05:23 - but for me personally and.

05:25 - I

05:26 - Come from a background my dad always got the patriot news so kept jan in business for

05:31 - a couple of years over there

05:33 - every single Sunday reading the Sunday edition

05:36 - and

05:36 - the hannover evening sun was my local paper

05:39 - that we received every single day until a couple of years ago

05:42 - and now we are only a Sunday edition and then two weekdays

05:48 - so I've seen the contraction in my own local community

05:52 - I've seen that impact with

05:54 - our local meetings

05:56 - with borough council

05:57 - township school boards

05:59 - not getting covered

06:00 - on even

06:01 - our own events

06:03 - that maybe a decade ago there would be a reporter at to

06:06 - cover a news you know TV news they're just not there anymore

06:10 - so.

06:11 - That then falls on us

06:14 - as state representatives were

06:16 - whirring

06:16 - away becoming more of a primary source

06:19 - for a lot of our constituents at a lot of

06:21 - ways because they'll reach out to us and say

06:24 - but what happened at that borough meeting

06:26 - what happened at that township meeting what what are you hearing what's going on

06:30 - and all of a sudden I'm becoming their news reporter

06:32 - through you know

06:34 - my Facebook posts and my

06:35 - email blast so you know for me

06:39 - I really see that value in you guys just because you know we can only do so much

06:44 - in getting that information out

06:46 - and I do feel our local communities suffer

06:50 - when we don't have strong local news because you're

06:52 - not getting that information as well why are they

06:55 - why are they cutting down trees at the you know the the little

06:59 - you know

07:00 - park behind my house

07:01 - wow well.

07:03 - Here's why yes there was one news story on it but there hasn't been follow up

07:08 - because you know we're

07:09 - a one man band at the hannover evening sun I've

07:11 - got a great relationship with the one reporter

07:14 - he started as a photographer

07:16 - so he's now a photographer and a reporter

07:18 - adding more to his his daily schedule but

07:21 - having that personal relationship with him

07:24 - so that I can call him or see him at an event

07:27 - is really important and when dentists left and he said that comment about

07:31 - having that personal relationship

07:33 - that is so important because when a crisis hits

07:36 - your local community and you need to call one of us or need to call the mayor

07:40 - or need to call the school board or the superintendent

07:43 - it's not just your first call

07:45 - you have that existing relationship

07:47 - and there's already that level of trust

07:49 - there

07:50 - which I think is really important and and seeing that trust is

07:54 - that comes back to

07:55 - and if you read my bio I worked for president bush

07:57 - and the white house just by happenstance I started as an economic staffer and then

08:02 - switched over to the communications office

08:04 - so I dealt with the national press whether that was radio TV.

08:08 - New York times wall street journal.

08:10 - In helping get out the president's message

08:13 - and it's amazing to see how

08:14 - times have changed since the mid two thousands to now so

08:17 - I do see there's huge value in that

08:20 - social media Facebook is not the place to get all of our

08:23 - news and I just appreciate it everything that you guys do

08:25 - to help inform our communities.

08:28 - So.

08:31 - So for me I'd have asked me because I'm old and delivered a newspaper as a kid.

08:37 - So I remember the days at the paper voice to come with the newspaper and that was the

08:41 - way you found out some of the local news I grew up

08:43 - in new York now that you can tell from my accent.

08:46 - So my news stations were completely different

08:48 - but it was a b c channel seven at the time

08:51 - and.

08:52 - You know

08:53 - looking at where we are today from where my generation

08:55 - was and how we receive our news it was news day

08:59 - the daily news

09:00 - the new York times those are the papers that you went to and you had three local news

09:04 - stations that you watch the news on at night

09:07 - and

09:08 - it was for seven and I can't remember the other one now.

09:12 - While eleven was wp I actually got some of the Jersey news which I only cared about.

09:17 - But

09:18 - except

09:19 - except for arabic

09:20 - as long as a Yankees Ron they were happy but.

09:23 - But it's it's such a change and then when I moved to Pennsylvania

09:27 - after via Miami where I got the sun-sentinel and the Miami herald

09:31 - and

09:32 - we had the local paper called the Mercury

09:35 - and the Mercury had the pottstown Mercury we had all the local press about everything

09:38 - that's going on in the community and

09:39 - that's how I got into politics answered a little ad and the Mercury.

09:43 - Looking for somebody to run for school board.

09:46 - I would have never known

09:48 - it was important and

09:49 - only in pottstown if some of you are aware of a

09:51 - guy named Kevin Brandt one of everyone knows eben.

09:54 - One of the last true local hometown reporters left

09:58 - that sixty minutes did a whole segment on him

10:01 - three years ago about how important local news is and how it's died off

10:05 - and avenues kept us alive

10:07 - if only

10:07 - for the local news so anything that's ever going down

10:10 - you call them right away and we still reach out and like Dennis said

10:13 - we have a lot of reporters phone numbers who we talked to

10:16 - but I think it's important for all of you to know us as who we are.

10:19 - Because we might have a title

10:22 - but the title isn't who we are.

10:24 - I'm a father of a twenty seven year olds.

10:26 - I have a dog with two cats god forgive me why I got two cats have no idea.

10:31 - I

10:31 - Married thirty two years

10:33 - my degrees in vocal performance I worked for the kimmel center.

10:36 - I'm not a sports person

10:38 - I like it I don't understand it if you want to laugh and talk to me about it

10:41 - my son knows every sport under the sun.

10:44 - So when you talk to us

10:46 - you know where we're coming from and I like

10:48 - it Kate said and like

10:50 - to call it just notice it.

10:52 - We want to know who you are too we're all people too.

10:55 - So when you come at us to attack us on something.

10:58 - Doesn't work well

11:00 - that's when we all go away oh wait a minute

11:02 - come to us and ask us the question and I'm going to says

11:04 - to everyone in this room and I may regret saying this

11:07 - but shadow us you're welcome to shadow me any day you want

11:11 - whether it's here in hell Harrisburg or at home in the district office or on a

11:15 - Saturday to see what really we do on the weekends and our communities

11:18 - come with us

11:20 - see what really happens

11:22 - and we don't all have to agree because none of us in marriage agree with our spouses on

11:26 - everything.

11:29 - But

11:30 - we get to know each other

11:31 - and

11:32 - we can tell the story

11:34 - we're all storytellers

11:35 - now my background is theater.

11:38 - So we tell a story on stage every time we arrive on a stage

11:41 - and there's a lyric

11:43 - and Chris referred to as someone referred to before

11:45 - but I think a ragtime

11:47 - where the lead and ragtime it was just coal house

11:50 - says

11:51 - and.

11:52 - Your sword could be the sermon or the power of the pen

11:56 - and that line is still true today from the nineteen twenties

12:00 - when ragtime was supposedly set in

12:01 - two twenty twenty six

12:03 - around the twenties again

12:05 - the power of the pen.

12:07 - Is mightier than the power of the sword and we've heard that said over and over again

12:11 - and we need to keep promoting local press and the press it's here that knows me

12:15 - you've been invited to sit with me and my office come with me

12:18 - and and you should be able to ask us and I mean there's

12:21 - any question you want to ask us.

12:23 - Whether we answer now is one thing but we should as

12:25 - elected officials be able to answer I don't dye my hair

12:28 - don't ask me why for a haircut today by the way

12:31 - but I was asked that once you dye your hair no I don't.

12:35 - But ask right you don't tell yours I know that.

12:41 - But

12:41 - be able to be with us ask us and get to know us because there are things we'll vote

12:46 - on that you may get really mad at

12:47 - and we may disagree and when we all know each

12:49 - other we understand why we all vote the way we do

12:52 - and I'll tell you this

12:53 - I'm thrilled to sit next to my colleague

12:55 - and she said being a republican we've got to sit together at a luncheon

12:58 - here in this building right

12:59 - ten thousand people in that room that night it was one hundred degrees

13:02 - yeah and we really got to know each other.

13:04 - Don't get mad at anyone the way they evoke different

13:06 - than I do because I know them where they come from

13:08 - the same thing with all of you

13:09 - ask

13:10 - those questions because you know

13:11 - where we come from

13:12 - as far as long winded up as backhoe.

13:15 - Yeah we appreciate that thanks so much for your candor

13:18 - we'd like to open the floor now to all of you what are some questions that you have

13:21 - for our representatives does anybody want to share.

13:40 - So that bill ran through my committee and the chair

13:42 - of communications technology and I was thrilled to

13:45 - have my colleague who sits still left me on the floor

13:47 - and we laugh most of the time during session anyway but.

13:49 - I

13:50 - Run that bill through

13:52 - look

13:52 - we heard a lot of information from our colleagues on the

13:55 - other side of the aisle and I think they had some valuable

13:58 - comments definitely that we can look to move this bill

14:01 - and we are trying to still move this bill through because we do think it's important

14:05 - I do believe that we need to help

14:07 - journalists be journalists

14:09 - and the question came up is what what does

14:11 - government get involved in this at the Irving

14:13 - Chris said it

14:14 - you want to look at the budget and see how many for profit businesses

14:18 - and we all know it that the government gives money to your hair would stand on end.

14:22 - So helping journalists be able to

14:24 - promote that business I think is extremely important to us

14:27 - and from my committee's

14:28 - perspective and my eady who handles most of the things that we do

14:32 - we are trying to push it

14:33 - to get it on the floor of the house

14:35 - I would hope we can

14:36 - we're going to continue to try

14:38 - but we're not just ran it for him and then

14:40 - said it'll die in committee so it has not died.

14:47 - Speaks of leadership.

14:49 - That's where it all comes from leadership decides

14:52 - the calendar on both sides

14:54 - because they do speak to each other on a lot of things

14:56 - so both democrat and republican leadership that it's important that this bill runs.

15:01 - And you know what can help amplify that

15:03 - that's right the keystone local news coalition.

15:07 - Then.

15:08 - It's going to be your one stop place to come and learn about not only all the things

15:13 - that our previous panelists were talking about but to get more information like this

15:18 - as well and to continue the conversation I

15:19 - know we're running a little bit short on time.

15:23 - So I don't know if we

15:23 - can actually add to that

15:25 - the funding piece and engine or somebody who's been around.

15:29 - As long or longer than I have can correct me if I'm wrong.

15:32 - I worked for their intel administration and that's you know we we were having

15:37 - no budget issues in two thousand and eight and that was like.

15:40 - I think in the I can't remember if it was the oh

15:42 - seven or eight budget or the o eight or nine budget

15:45 - and

15:46 - you know the

15:47 - public

15:48 - or public radio stations and public

15:50 - television stations used to get a subsidy

15:52 - from the from the commonwealth

15:54 - every single year

15:55 - and that was when it came to an end

15:58 - during the rendell administration so

16:00 - you know for everyone

16:02 - for w I t f w v a w h y y and

16:05 - you know all the public radio stations and public television stations thank you.

16:10 - For staying in business and making it work

16:12 - for the the past seventeen years ever

16:14 - ever since that subsidy went away but I know

16:17 - there was a lot of consternation but I do have to say like I admire

16:20 - you know your your willingness to stick to wait and and to continue

16:25 - to find other funding streams of funding sources cause I

16:27 - I happen to be a big fan of of public radio and

16:31 - you know not only when I was

16:32 - working for the state stay in and hearing about what they'd report on but like

16:36 - for my kids you know my kids grew up watching.

16:40 - Sesame street and Daniel tiger and.

16:43 - I don't even know what's on now because my kids are older

16:45 - okay good

16:47 - but

16:47 - I think that's and I think that's valuable.

16:51 - You have a question

16:52 - yes.

16:53 - Hi thank you for being here I have a question specifically about this rhetoric

16:58 - against journalism that now is dominating on the federal level

17:02 - we see the insults that journalists you know on television are facing

17:06 - in our communities in Pennsylvania

17:09 - local journalists also

17:11 - face not maybe

17:12 - attacks but

17:13 - just sort of like

17:14 - mistrust and not willingness to talk

17:17 - and there is this whole cultural perception new

17:20 - that

17:20 - creeping in that journalists are irresponsible that they're the enemy of the people

17:25 - like how do you

17:27 - combat against that rhetoric and is there anything on the state level

17:31 - that you think you all can do to come by by that rhetoric

17:34 - and actually embed

17:36 - can help us

17:37 - regain the trust in media

17:39 - thank you.

17:41 - Though so I would

17:44 - liken

17:46 - us that pier where you know

17:47 - middle right where the state government

17:49 - and

17:50 - when you look at polling

17:52 - at you know do you like your congressman do you

17:54 - like your state representative do you like here

17:57 - local elected official the further on down you get

18:00 - the increase you get in the percentage of likability and

18:04 - approve ability of your elected officials because you're closer to them

18:07 - and so I

18:08 - think.

18:09 - At the local level

18:10 - there is a greater level of trust because of those relationships

18:15 - and it all comes back we live in a world now where everything is online everything is

18:19 - on Facebook your Facebook friends with people but are you really friends with people

18:23 - right

18:24 - you might follow me on Twitter

18:26 - but do you know me

18:28 - right

18:29 - so.

18:29 - That's what I that's where I think we need to

18:31 - get back it needs to get back to that personal

18:33 - connection

18:34 - with reporters

18:36 - and it's going to be tough because each and

18:37 - every one of you you're only one person right

18:39 - Harrison Jones at the Hanover eaten science can only be in one place at one time right

18:44 - reporting in my local community but

18:46 - when you're there

18:48 - make that connection introduce yourself

18:51 - after the meeting before the meeting

18:53 - make those personal connections because that's how we change this

18:57 - that's how we change the narrative

18:58 - is your relationships because if I know

19:01 - I know Harris then

19:02 - he went to hannover senior high school he won the

19:04 - you know the photography prize

19:06 - and that's why he's a photographer

19:08 - and when I know him like that

19:10 - when we have a Rob on an issue maybe.

19:13 - It's going to be a lot softer

19:15 - and I'm not going to look at him and say well he's.

19:18 - A handwriting scientists fake news

19:20 - Harrison Ford.

19:21 - Harrison Jr as

19:22 - fake news because

19:23 - he's not

19:24 - because I know here are said

19:26 - so that's where

19:27 - it started coming on all of us right

19:30 - to have that relationship.

19:33 - I would I would add a little bit to that to

19:35 - listen.

19:37 - If I come at you and call you a name a bully is a bully.

19:41 - Come right back at the bully.

19:43 - I have yet to see a reporter go back at a bully

19:46 - and go what what did you just say to me.

19:48 - I want to hear someone turn around and go oh

19:52 - you're never going to call me that again I don't care

19:53 - who you are my father used to say he was uneducated

19:56 - first generation america then everybody puts their pants on one leg at a time.

20:00 - I don't care how rich they are I don't care how educated they are

20:03 - we're all equal

20:04 - at the end of the day that live comes down on every one of us.

20:08 - We're all equal

20:09 - push back with somebody calls you a name there is no place for name calling

20:14 - professionalism

20:15 - professionalism I'll tell you a quick story we knocked.

20:18 - I said to me

20:18 - he called me a thief he didn't know me from a hole in

20:20 - the wall first time I ever ran cause I was a democrat

20:23 - and he started going up and I went like this in his face

20:25 - you're going to stop right there

20:27 - and he looked at me and he was bigger than me I said

20:29 - you will not call me a thief

20:31 - you don't even know who the hell I am.

20:33 - I said you could hate the democrats you can never

20:35 - vote for a democrat and you don't need a vote for me

20:37 - but you will know ever do that to me and he stopped

20:41 - and we rate them one to five five being the worst and

20:43 - my campaign manager went he's a five I said he's three

20:46 - years now he's not

20:47 - so we walk away

20:48 - ten minutes later years behind me said I want to apologize for what I said to you.

20:52 - He said I should never call today so I won't vote for

20:54 - you cause you are a democrat but on every call you I

20:56 - should have never said that

20:57 - and it was fine

20:58 - I got it

20:59 - but you're not going to say that to me I don't give a damn who you are

21:02 - whether you're the president of the united

21:04 - states the governor or the guy around the corner

21:07 - I'm going to come right back at you and I expect

21:09 - to see the media

21:11 - when they're called out with name calling

21:13 - you disagree with what you're reporting but name calling is not acceptable as at all

21:19 - I want to see you push back and say you're going

21:21 - to stop right there you're not call me that name

21:23 - you will disagree with what I said

21:24 - we're never going to call me that name again

21:26 - and I think you'll see a turn in the way people recognize this and push back on it

21:31 - because it's not acceptable

21:32 - Zack several any one of us to say anything like that

21:35 - to anybody.

21:36 - I hear that.

21:38 - I just want to add to that quickly

21:40 - that kind of piggyback off of Neil the thing.

21:43 - I don't know how realistic that is especially

21:46 - let's say for

21:48 - a woman a person of color a student journalist somebody

21:50 - in a vulnerable community who's maybe reporting on.

21:54 - Something that's a little.

21:56 - More of a difficult subject and I I hear you

22:00 - but I think where Mueller was trying to go lismore in any way you can.

22:04 - Obviously sent CNN

22:06 - and I'm wondering where we're staying at the state

22:08 - level right not in the interpersonal space but

22:11 - when we're looking at this from a policy perspective right and I think.

22:15 - What's I mean mean it's been happening since

22:18 - you know.

22:20 - The first time I heard

22:21 - trump specifically say something like that like

22:23 - you're fake news back in two thousand and fifteen.

22:27 - Was horrifying.

22:29 - It was horrifying I mean and

22:30 - you don't

22:31 - we don't

22:32 - I don't have to agree

22:33 - with what's written in

22:35 - pen live or

22:37 - you know the a p or

22:39 - the new York times or the wall street journal

22:41 - I may vehemently disagree with the story

22:43 - but you're doing a job

22:44 - and I think that's the more

22:47 - that's the more dangerous and insidious thing is when that rhetoric takes hold

22:51 - and then a whole bunch of people begin to believe.

22:55 - That the media.

22:57 - Whether it's the Hanover sun

22:59 - or whether it's

23:00 - you

23:00 - the new York times and the wall street journal and the Washington post

23:04 - it's just phony

23:05 - and not worth the paper it's printed on.

23:08 - That's the more insidious thing and so I think what we need to do

23:12 - and

23:12 - and I think there has been a panel or two on this is.

23:16 - I think we need to start young with media literacy

23:18 - with our kids so to the point that Kate made like

23:20 - we can't just rely on Facebook as our news source

23:23 - and especially and I know.

23:26 - Joe's dealing with this on his committee

23:28 - I mean the proliferation of AI god knows what's real look legitimately god knows

23:33 - what's real and what's fake anymore

23:35 - with AI

23:36 - and so

23:37 - I think we need to do a better job and it starts with parents at home right

23:41 - but also maybe schools and other community organizations to

23:46 - to start with that media literacy because we need to understand it's not

23:49 - you may not agree with what's being written or what's

23:52 - what's on the TV

23:53 - but just because you don't agree with it

23:55 - doesn't mean it's fake or it's not legitimate

23:58 - and I think it goes to media ownership to you know when you're looking at

24:02 - major media outlets being owned by corporations that have their own

24:07 - you know professional and political aspirations how safe does a reporter feel to

24:11 - stand up for themselves and speak out

24:13 - because

24:14 - they

24:15 - their job can be taken away and replaced with someone who will

24:18 - not speak out but

24:19 - yeah but I'm glad that you all

24:21 - value the importance of professionalism in the relationship with the media.

24:26 - I think we have time for maybe one or two more questions.

24:31 - Hey girl.

24:35 - And.

24:36 - I've got two questions

24:38 - up versus four

24:39 - representative clunk I have found that

24:42 - working in the state capital

24:43 - it take can be republican lawmakers who are a little more.

24:48 - Hesitant

24:49 - to interact.

24:51 - How do we as journalists lists

24:54 - bridge that gap

24:55 - I mean I've

24:56 - heard journalists also talk about like

24:58 - township Euros and making those connections

25:00 - and how do we bridge that gap and then for you all is there some cultural stuff in

25:05 - the political world that you all could be

25:07 - reaching out to us

25:08 - and then secondly is there a betting pool for when the state budget will

25:11 - pass.

25:13 - I like both.

25:16 - You wouldn't be a good reporter if you didn't ask a good budget question.

25:23 - So for

25:24 - the republican tide I think

25:26 - you know having

25:28 - go back to that good relationship

25:30 - you know

25:31 - if.

25:32 - It the first time

25:33 - you know.

25:34 - I

25:34 - I'm meeting you as maybe after a committee meeting and

25:37 - maybe it was hot

25:39 - might not be the best time

25:40 - right

25:41 - so judged that and maybe take a pause

25:44 - and say okay how can I talk to that member how can I get to them

25:48 - right setup at a time then maybe go to

25:50 - to coffee or just come in and say look

25:52 - this is going to be completely off the record.

25:55 - I truly just want to make a connection with you because I know you're an.

26:00 - X y z committee and I know I'm going to need to talk to you

26:04 - and building those relationships I think

26:08 - are really important and then

26:10 - when.

26:11 - We do give you a quote.

26:14 - Use that quote.

26:16 - Don't

26:17 - tweak it don't

26:18 - twist it

26:19 - and I say that because I've personally had that happen

26:22 - not with you

26:23 - that reporters in the past and and when that happens

26:27 - there is that slight trust

26:29 - is lost

26:30 - and that can that's not just a republican thing or a democrat thing that's just a

26:34 - you know

26:35 - a human being talking to a reporter thing and it happens sometimes

26:38 - so you know make sure that your developing those good relation chips

26:43 - when we give you a quote

26:44 - you know use it

26:46 - the way that we give it to you we're

26:47 - for

26:48 - first for working with our staff to develop a quote

26:51 - you know specifically to make sure we're capturing

26:53 - everything that we want to convey so use it that way

26:56 - and then

26:57 - you know when you see us in the capital just like Dennis said

27:00 - you know

27:00 - ask about our kids

27:02 - ask about you know

27:03 - for me let's you know

27:05 - how how are the pink lightning going and you know tenue softball Kate

27:09 - how

27:09 - was grace's batting average

27:11 - that that type of thing is is

27:13 - you know really connections that that's what it's all about

27:17 - and then when we have that connection you know

27:19 - then when you come to me for a question about

27:21 - the children and youth committee expires the bill.

27:24 - I'm going to be much more apt at you know

27:26 - answer your question so that that's how you do it.

27:29 - When I was a I was a lobbyist before I joined the general assembly

27:33 - I know it's a bad word but I lobbied for social worker psychologist in kids

27:37 - so I did really really good stuff.

27:39 - He lobbied me.

27:42 - I'd like to think so

27:43 - but I mean

27:44 - it's just finding like all of the and all the stuff we do is publicly available like.

27:49 - Some some co-sponsor memo that they might

27:51 - have put out about something that's intriguing

27:54 - a you know

27:55 - maybe that you're in care hey I saw your co-sponsor memo on x y or z.

27:59 - That's an interesting concept what did you

28:01 - like boom that's your in and we're just like

28:04 - you we like to be complimented we like our work to be you know

28:08 - to to.

28:09 - Be he acknowledged

28:11 - and and

28:13 - and so I think that's like

28:15 - it's just it's relationship building I mean that's what

28:18 - that's what I would do as a lobbyist and you you know you

28:21 - and.

28:22 - Some some members make it really easy you go into their

28:24 - office there are family photos you know exactly what

28:27 - you know you know exactly what's what and

28:29 - oh how are your like

28:30 - I'll I'll live free I think.

28:32 - I think.

28:34 - Representative and

28:36 - oh gosh.

28:37 - I'm so embarrassed he's he's

28:39 - sturdy

28:39 - rep reps Jersey first time I went into his office

28:42 - he's there at the Indiana parade I think he's got like five or six kids with him

28:46 - I'm like oh man that's a big family you are all in the parade and

28:49 - boom we were off and running from there so.

28:51 - I

28:52 - Really just

28:53 - building those connections and

28:55 - as far as the budget I will say it I am I am an optimist

28:59 - I think we get it done

29:00 - you know

29:01 - first second week of July.

29:03 - I think it's I think it's going to be relatively on time

29:07 - and because

29:09 - there are some practical realities about who's on the ballot.

29:12 - Including all of us by the way

29:14 - and so

29:16 - I don't think I don't think we want to.

29:18 - I don't think we want to delay

29:20 - any further than we have to to actually get a good product.

29:23 - We've already passed the budget I don't know if you saw that

29:25 - day.

29:26 - All of us are good

29:28 - it's up to the senate now so call them and ask them that question.

29:32 - Perhaps the optimism is a

29:33 - a good note to end on.

29:36 - Let's go ahead and give a round of applause

29:38 - legislative drafting thanks so much for joining us and again get involved with the

29:45 - keystone local news coalition follow us on social media

29:49 - or scan the qr code on the postcard in your swag bags

29:52 - to keep up to date on ways to continue conversations like these

29:56 - and with that I'm not going to pass it over to your

29:59 - new mc

30:00 - nally Pennsylvania

30:02 - or carry you on with the rest of the day thank you thank you.

30:05 - Alright we're going to be taking a quick fifteen

30:08 - minute break but before we do just a heads up

30:10 - after our break you will have the opportunity to pick a track in terms of what

30:14 - solutions you want to learn more about.