By The Associated Press’ Senior White House Correspondent Darlene Superville visited Lynn University’s campus in 2019 to discuss her thoughts on journalism in that year’s political climate. I had the honor of interviewing Superville privately before her public appearance.
The Associated Press (AP) is a not-for-profit news cooperative with teams stationed in over 100 countries to research and report breaking news. Superville began her career with the AP in 1988 as a newswoman in Newark.
“I went to NYU, studied journalism there, and then interned with the AP,” said Superville. “I spent about six years in N.J. and then eventually transferred to Washington.”
Superville reports on historic political events such as presidential campaigns and administrations.
“I did a number of beats in Washington and eventually ended up working on the politics desk for four presidential elections,” said Superville. “After Obama was elected, I decided that maybe I’d like to go to the White House. Our bureau chief at the time always asked the staff what they wanted to do. I said I wanted to go to the White House. He took that under consideration and eventually said, ‘Okay, yes. We want you to go to the White House.’”
From 2009 until 2017, Superville worked collaboratively as a member of the AP’s five-person team assigned to the Obama presidency and served as the AP’s chief reporter covering former First Lady Michelle Obama.
Superville and seven others covered the Trump presidency for the AP. As a reporter with the unique experience of covering the Obama presidency and the Trump presidency, Superville described the differences between the administrations:
“One of the big differences between the Obama administration and the Trump administration is the tweeting. We’re all always looking at Twitter because [Former President Trump] could tweet anything at any time of day. He announces policy on Twitter, personnel appointments or dismissals. Before, those kinds of things happened at a White House briefing. The level of turnover is a lot higher than the previous administration.”
Before taking to the stage for her public appearance, Superville also shared her thoughts and hopes regarding the continued rise in tension and animosity between some political parties and the press.
“There certainly are people who are trying to undermine the news industry. I think some conservative voters are taking their cues from conservative voices,” said Superville. “There are some lawmakers and leaders around the world who have started to adopt the ‘fake news’ mantra. It is spreading, but I’m of the mind that at some point it will turn around, and people who today see some journalists as ‘fake news’ will realize the value of independent journalism.”
At approximately 12 p.m., Superville joined Dr. Watson on stage. Members of the Boca Raton and Lynn University communities sat mesmerized as Superville described flying with Air Force One and traveling around the world to report on the First Family.
Recently, Superville accompanied Ivanka Trump to Morocco in exchange for a twenty minute interview in which Ivanka stated her opinion on the 2019 impeachment inquiry.
“Her basic answer [on impeachment] was that she thinks it’s just another attempt by Democrats to overturn the election. Then we moved on to the impeachment inquiry and the whistleblower,” said Superville. “Under law, [the whistleblower] is supposed to remain anonymous and protected. I asked [Ivanka] if she wanted to know who the whistleblower is. She said she did not think the identity of the whistleblower is as important as knowing the whistleblower’s motivation, knowing why they did what they did.”
Superville and Dr. Watson concluded the interview and invited select members of the audience to join them in a ‘Q & A’ style reception. During the reception, Superville encouraged journalism students to work hard and remember their purpose during this politically tumultuous time:
“It’s hard to hear yourself be called ‘fake’ and ‘an enemy of the people,’ but at the same time you have to keep in mind that you have a job to do. I keep my focus on the reporting and the stories and try to get it right. It’s our responsibility and obligation to continue to try and ask questions.”
Ris Writes 