White House press secretary Joe Lockhart received an honorary award for "Outstanding Media Relations at the Highest Level" as the keynote at last week's 32nd annual Thoth
awards, sponsored by the National Capital chapter of PRSA in D.C. In classic form, the presidential spokesman treated the event like a briefing (albeit more collegial) and opened
the floor to questions. Some choice highlights:
Sage career advice: "The best answer in a pinch is 'I don't know.' The worst thing you can do is answer a question you think you might know, but you aren't sure."
Biggest myth about current job: "I'm the White House press secretary, so I know what's going on."
Bad conventional wisdom: "There's a sense that there's an innate fairness and justice in reporting in the United States. This isn't true, which makes it even more
important to act as an advocate for your cause. Reporters live in a world of random mistakes, too."
Least favorite news briefing: The Human Genome Project. "I read 1,000 pages on it and I still don't know what they're talking about."
When to worry: "We tend to think certain issues are important inside the beltway...but we know it's [hit a chord] with Americans when Jay Leno makes fun of it. The
latest Pugh study shows that 50% of Americans get some of their political news from late night TV."
No word yet on where Lockhart will go once Clinton vacates the oval office. He skirted that question like a consummate pro.