According to Jonathan Chait there is actually a type of journalism in which you don’t have to leave your desk and go out amongst the human race — my least favorite thing to do. He and Franklin Foer call it “ass-welt reporting.” It consists of “sitting behind a desk, mining the papers for interesting factual nuggets, reading political commentary from every perspective, poring through books and reports, and using the Nexis database to compile enormous stacks of newspaper stories.” He says, “It means you’ve sat in your chair for so long reading books and documents that you’ve worn a welt the shape of your backside into your chair.”
And you get paid, too. Sweet.
Actually, his article is a very interesting take on what I would say is true of all conventions and trade shows. If you aren’t a good networker or a star they are exhausting and dead boring. I’ve been to my share and I can tell you they’re not for the shy and retiring.
Of course, you can always just get shitfaced.
Via the Political Animal