Newhouse School of Communications

September 27, 2009

by Christian Dotson-Pierson

Jan Crawford Greenburg, a legal correspondent for ABC News in Washington, D.C. shared her journey from print journalist to network TV news Supreme Court reporter in an intimate session with students, faculty and members of the Syracuse community. The group shared dinner and stories with her before her September 23 speech in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium.

Ms. Greenburg offered insight about forming successful relationships with sources (in the Supreme Court), the changing climate of journalism, and how Justices interact with each other.  Her firsthand accounts about the Court shed some light on the people whose decisions influence the way Americans live.

Health, education, sports and agriculture are beats most journalists have the opportunity to cover.  However, when it comes to the Supreme Court, a line is drawn.  The Supreme Court is not considered a beat, but rather an exclusive club in which only a few are invited.  As Ms. Greenburg recounted her experience, she mentioned that it takes years to develop sources and earn trust.  When asked how she accomplished this goal, she simply replied that every story told must be “told in an honest way.”

Ms. Greenburg says journalists are no longer defined by their specific medium; instead, they must learn to adapt to the growing social networking sites and use of the Internet.  The wall that once existed between print and broadcast is no more, she says. The two separate media can now be viewed as one.  

She recalled her career as a print journalist with the Chicago Tribune and how she was very adamant about sticking to that medium.  She also jokingly said that “broadcast journalists simply stole stories newspapers would develop and add pictures.” Her outlook towards the broadcast medium changed when she transitioned to the PBS show NewsHour.

Eventually, Greenburg developed a love for broadcasting. She says “It can be powerful because it informs people of important issues that impact lives.”  As for her views on news, Ms. Greenburg mentioned that network news is like the front page of a newspaper and the Internet is its supplement where viewers can find more information about stories of interest.

She considers being able to interact with the Justices of the Supreme Court an honor. One story she shared was about the last few months of the late William Rehnquist’s life and term as a Justice.  She offered intimate details about a conversation between Rehnquist and former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in which the two friends (Rehnquist and O’Connor) discussed retirement.  
 
Greenburg is based in Washington, D.C., where she covers the Supreme Court and provides legal analysis for all ABC News broadcasts. Her visit to Newhouse was coordinated by the school's Carnegie Legal Reporting Program. She is the author of Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court (Penguin Press, 2007).

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