The Missing Letter

The infamous name that party takes another crack at the New York metro region. There's two stories to work with. Bob Menendez and his former chief of staff are still under investigation for shady dealings, but you don't learn his political affiliation until the 10th paragraph. There are 13 paragraphs in total. [Hint - he's a Democrat.] The NYT story does better - it finds the party affiliation in the fifth paragraph.

This story about the ongoing mess in Albany, New York, shows how it's done. Within four paragraphs, you know the political affiliations of all the key players and background of Troopergate - the misuse of state troopers by someone in Gov. Spitzer's (D) office to find dirt on Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno (R) - and the ongoing issues surrounding those in the Governor's office who were implicated.

Why is it so difficult to add political affiliations to these stories - they are facts worth reporting and these stories are often picked up by national papers or wire reports and have an audience well beyond those who know the affiliations.