A lot of new people will be taking office in the next few months, from the President on down. And there's always talk of a "honeymoon period" that the media gives these rookies... a few months to get their feet wet and make mistakes.
Uh, wrong.
Politicians know this, and will often use this time to sneak things past the media, then plead ignorance if they get caught. Problem is, they often go unnoticed by reporters who are willing to wait a while before holding politicians feet to the fire.
I remember one local race in which there was one huge issue. One candidate was for it, the other vehemently against. The guy who was against it won, and the minute he took office he changed his tune. Many media people gave him a pass since he was the "new guy" when in reality he should have gotten hammered.
When covering rookie politicians, you have to hit the ground running from day one. Treat their first day as if they've been in office forever. There is no honeymoon period when you're a reporter being a watchdog for the public. Keep a close eye on the new people. They don't think you're watching, but trust me, you'll get some really good stories if you do.
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