THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 12, 1994 TAG: 9406130076
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Warren Fiske
DATELINE: 940612 LENGTH: Medium
So I'll admit to a moment of anxiety last Sunday night when I sat down to dinner with a few colleagues at a Danville hotel and who should walk in but Ollie himself.
{REST} ``Oh God, do I have to eat dinner with these people?'' North said loudly to his handlers.
There was a smile on his face. And a moment later we were pushing tables together and North sat down in the middle. A few of my colleagues scrambled for the seats next to him.
Over the next hour, North tossed back two beers, a plate of fish and spoke animatedly of his campaign and European history. Sure, he took a few shots at the press, but they were good-natured. He spoke of attending a Greek Festival in Richmond and predicted it would result in headlines saying ``North Covertly Assisted Armenians.'' He seemed to be enjoying himself.
Yet the next morning, North was again denouncing us as the enemies of prayer and responsible government in rousing speeches before Republican crowds. Then, after the oratory, aides were corralling us in back rooms for interviews with North and offering us rides in his Winnebago for lengthier conversations with him.
North's private attitude toward the press seems to have changed dramatically now that he's won the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate. Before, he was unavailable to us. Now, he seems to be reaching out.
It is a sign that North is dead serious about trying to expand his conservative base of support by reaching out to independent voters. Moderates who have not taken sides between North and the press may be affected by what they read in newspapers. North, then, is smart to try to influence our stories.
I do not suggest that North or his aides trust us. There's a deep-seated belief within the campaign that the media are genuinely out to destroy North. His staff members have often asked what other candidate in this Senate race has undergone the personal scrutiny North has endured. Answer Chuck Robb, and they are not impressed.
There is a curious symbiotic relationship between North and the press. The media like people like North because they generate compelling stories. North claimed all spring that my colleagues were determined to bring about his defeat at the GOP nomination. But if good copy is the battle cry of the press, who better than North could assure it?
And North has relied on the media to win fame and fortune. If the networks hadn't given all-day coverage to North's dramatic testimony before Congress for an entire week in 1987, do you really think he'd be running for the U.S. Senate today?
All spring, North brilliantly used the media as a prop to galvanize conservative support. Anything we reported actually seemed to help North - the more negative, the better.
An anti-press campaign doesn't work as well in a general election. Although the public may not be crazy about reporters, it has other concerns on its mind. How many votes were swayed in 1992 by ``Annoy the Media, Elect George Bush'' bumper stickers?
North is aware of this. He is starting to learn our names and pitch his case. And just in case he doesn't like the results of his experiment, he is trying to raise $20 million for television commercials this fall.
{KEYWORDS} U.S. SENATE RACE CANDIDATE ELECTION
by CNB