What Would Al Hunt Say About This Interview? (How Do You Do It?)

Posted by: Tom Keene on January 10, 2012

One strategy for reading comprehension is the technique called SQ3R. This stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and Review. In order to get an understanding of the text, you should survey the chapters. This consists of quickly looking at the title, headings and any subheadings. Look at any end of chapter questions as well. While surveying, you ask questions about the topics you have scanned, such as, “What did my teacher say about this chapter?”

Reading Comprehension, Wikipedia

Uh, maybe.

For years, and humbly I write, with increasing frequency, I am asked, “How do I do it?” I, or more directly “we, the team”, do what we do by using the resources of Bloomberg News.

Case in point: The New Hampshire Primary.

With staff and technical troops entrenched, I, the politically clueless, do not “survey.” Rather, I do something that was only described to me in the past, say, two years.

I read hard.

I had never heard this phrase but it nails the emotion that drives Bloomberg Surveillance and Surveillance Midday.

Peter Cook, Chief Washington Correspondent, leans over the desk and reads hard. So too, does Lisa Lerer. And, Al Hunt. It is the common feature of excellence. It is the secret that too few do each and every day.

Trust me, I’ve been tested. I don’t read fast. Dale Carnegie would have thrown me out on the street. I, like Peter, Lisa, Al, and my terrific guests just plain read hard.

Enough. Lean forward, and over the desk. Read hard with mild panic…What would Al Hunt say about this interview? Discuss.