MEET THE PRESSER

I've just returned from the coldest, windiest press conference ever. Coming up the hill about twenty minutes ago, I noticed the satellite vans were back. When I reached the summit, I saw why: a live press conference under way, starring an EPA spokesman in a drab-green windbreaker and stiff EPA-branded one-size-fits-all baseball cap.

About five or six TV cameras lined up facing him in the manner of a firing squad; perhaps ten members of press stood on either side, barking questions and scribbling notes in their notebooks. And that was about it — no civilians present.

So of course I walked right up and wedged myself into the pack, behind a reporter for the local CBS affiliate. I recognized him, but just now I can't find him on the WUSA 9 News Team page. Evidently, I don't watch enough local news (C-SPAN aside, natch). He looks a bit like Giancarlo Esposito, if that helps.

About the cold and the wind: earlier in the day a blizzard was enveloping the city. Not a few hours later, the clouds have parted to reveal a sky as blue as July. But the temperature remains December-frigid with a southerly blasting 30 miles an hour. It was difficult to hear, so I cupped one hand over my ear:

It turns out the EPA had found another piece of mercury inside the school since the third known spill, and EPA spokesman-guy was holding a curious heavy-metal specimen throughout, adding that he'd give us a close-up in a bit. This new mercury sample was contentious.The reporters looked aghast, shocked, disgusted — and the cameras weren't even a factor — these were the print journalists.
Esposito-guy got combative, demanding to know when that particular mercury was found. EPA guy didn't seem to know at first, drawing more sighs, eventually conceding it was from Monday'. Esposito was vindicated.

We didn't learn much else: in particular, we learned that they don't know when the school will re-open. (Starting today, the students are attending classes held at the University of DC until further notice.)

Afterward we all got to crowd around for a close look at the vial. As EPA-guy took it out of the plastic ziploc bag, seeing his clumsy knit gloves, I had a vision of him dropping it and everybody scrambling backwards ass over tea kettle, cameras and notebooks and all, fearfully. The speck of mercury was so tiny that EPA-guy had to hold a white piece of paper behind the container to make it visible from a few feet back. I wandered around trying to get a closer view, and also into many a camera shot. I'll probably be on local TV in a little while, over and over and over again.

UPDATE — I was wrong! He is on the WUSA page — it's 6PM anchor Bruce Johnson. But does Bruce Johnson (A) look like that much like Bruce Johnson (B)? I report, you decide.

(A)                                          (B)
And I just saw him on the 5PM newscast. If it replays, I'm off-camera between Johnson and the visible TV camera. Even edited into the segment, he does seem to be needlessly arguing with EPA guy. Best of all, though, they cut away to the live studio anchors while he's still asking a question! He must be on thin ice with the producers.

SECOND UPDATE — And I forgot to mention, there was another mercury spill at another schoool in the District yesterday. Seriously.

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posted by WWB at 4:42 PM |