Under Pressure, Tapper Proves In-Depth Presidential Coverage Lives

ABC News' Jake Tapper Wins Merriman Smith Award for Excellence in Presidential Coverage Under Deadline Pressure for Second Year in a Row

The headline says it all. In the age of new media, when news is constantly changing and it's often difficult to discern what is and what could be news, Jake Tapper "knew the news when the rest of the media sphere was just learning it...able to provide details that few others could match," the White House said in its press release.

Image: Tapper receiving 2010 Merriman Award

Tapper received this award in 2010 for breaking a story about the Director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair, when he was asked by the President to resign. In 2011 he revealed the tax problems hounding Senator Tom Daschle, which derailed his pursuit of a post as the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

This article and its content stood out because it demonstrates the respectful relationship that exists between the media and the White House. It proves that accurate and sometimes damaging reporting is valued in that it upholds the values of governmental transparency that the American public looks to the media to uphold. The relationship between the administration is not a consistently adversarial relationship as many are often likely to think. The prize carries a $2500 award; there are very few people, if any, who would offer a cash prize to their sworn enemy.

It also demonstrates the "world-class" reporting of tomorrow will lie in the hands of those most able to harness the modes of information dispersion, such as blogs and social media, as Tapper utilized many of them:

"Just trying to keep up with the torrent of scoops, tweets, blog posts, radio debriefs and live broadcast coverage Jake generates around the clock from the White House could be a full-time job for even the most dedicated news junkie," the ABC News President said of Tapper's work.

This is particularly revealing in that the award is specifically given in recognition of the reporter's excellence in providing Presidential Coverage under a deadline, an often trying task when you are attempting to obtain information that is not necessarily made available by the administration itself. It proves that Tapper, in order to obtain information necessary to substantiate his stories, had to acquire proof through alternative channels, apart from the leads traditionally pre-packaged by the press department for consumption and presentation to the public. It appears a particularly daunting task which is hardly imaginable in an environment of constantly developing and changing news, which makes Tappers achievement all the more venerable. It's truly a standard that other members of the media should seek to emulate.

In the mean time, it appears that the relationship between the media and the administration is more amiable than it's given credit for.