Excerpts From Kurtz's "Anchoring Obama's Trip"
"Barack Obama's upcoming swing through Europe and the Middle East is now guaranteed to be a major media event, certified by the presence of the three network anchors."
"Obama has been quite adept at working the media. He is on the cover of this week's Newsweek, again, after star turns on Us Weekly, "Access Hollywood" (with kids) and, not so happily, the New Yorker. And the contrast with the coverage of John McCain's campaign has been striking."
"The Obama trip was already likely to dominate the news. (We're starting to see headlines like this one in the L.A. Times: "Europe Awaits Obama with Open Arms.") With Brian, Charlie and Katie along, it's a slam dunk."
"Sources in both television and politics confirmed that the Williams, Gibson and Couric interviews will be parceled out on successive nights in different countries. That means the Obama camp will have drawn the anchors halfway around the world by offering access. (Correspondents could have done the interviews instead, but a certain competitiveness sets in once one or two anchors agree to go.) "
