Inaugural Day: Campouts, Crowds, and One Close Photo Angle

By: Joe Strupp Initial reports from Washington, D.C., bureaus have most inauguration plans running smoothly, or close to it, according to editors, who say the record crowds, reporters and Web options are working.

"It seems smooth so far," said Robert McCartney, assistant managing editor, metro news, at The Washington Post, who said at least 70 reporters are covering just the non-Obama news. "The crowds, the scene, the traffic."

The only local snafu so far has been a woman hurt at a Metro train station, which sparked the closure of a couple of stations: "It is all hands on deck."

McClatchy Bureau Chief John Walcott offered a similar assessment, noting he had 15 reporters at the Capitol alone.

"We positioned people with the expectation that they would not be able to move around," said Walcott. "[Jonathan] Landay is at George Washington University Hospital, where I hope he won't be needed."

Linda Epstein, McClatchy senior photo editor, noted some small problems. "There is no special spot for media to get through," she said about the security restrictions. "It took one of our photographers three hours to get from here to Freedom Plaza, at Pennsylvania and 14th street [blocks away]."

But McClatchy may end up getting the closest shot of Obama's swearing in, with a camera positioned "at the foot of the podium."

"It will get a shot that has never been gotten," said Epstein. "It is a wide-angle lens and I don't think anyone has ever been that close."

George Bridges, managing editor, McClatchy Tribune photo service, said the placement took months of lobbying of the Senate Press Photo Gallery and Obama's own people. "Up until two days ago, they were still lobbying for it," he said, noting the photos will be pool images available to all pool news outlets.

Epstein said the photo will be sent to all McClatchy papers, as well as through the McClatchy-Tribune News Service. "As soon as we get it, within the first 10 minutes, the remote will come directly here."

Elsewhere, many reporters started work after spending the night in their bureaus on air mattresses and sleeping bags. Among them, Cissy Baker, Washington bureau chief for the new combined Tribune bureau.

"It was great," said Baker, who said at least 22 staffers spent the night in the bureau. She estimates some 45 Tribune newspaper staffers are out in the field today. "We sent everyone out at 4 a.m. and it was already packed." She admitted waking up in the middle of the night at least once and checking e-mail. "I just had to move my head up."

Also camping out was Hearst Bureau Chief Charles Lewis, whose wife spent the night with him as well, along with several other staffers. "She wanted to go to the inaugural and you can't move around downtown that easily," he explained, adding, "if there are any problems [with press access] it is people who are late-comers, my people got out early."

Lewis, who has seven staffers in his office, added that legendary columnist Helen Thomas will be working the event as well, but from her desk. "She is writing a spot analysis of Obama's speech."

Walcott said numerous people spent the night in his bureau, noting, "when the first people came in at about 5 a.m., there were bodies all over the place. We served breakfast and will do lunch and dinner."