Today, Norm Goldman Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is honored to have as our guest, Karen Feld. Karen is a print and broadcast journalist and Fellow for Politicalmavens.com, penned The Buzz column in The Washington Examiner. She’s also the voice and soul of Capital Connections®. Her celebrity column has been syndicated in print and on-air nationwide. For a half dozen years Karen was the Washington Editor of The Shuttle Sheet, Delta’s in-flight magazine and in-flight air show. She’s a regular panelist on DC Cable’s Reporters’ Roundtable, WRC-TV’s Reporters’ Notebook, and was a weekly TV guest on Drudge and the Joan Rivers Show. She has been a theater critic for the Northern Virginia Times Community papers. Her award-winning work covers all media: TV, radio, print, Internet, and public speaking.

A native Washingtonian and an astute observer of the social, celebrity and political scene, Karen has shared her insights, political acumen, and amusing anecdotes with TV and radio audiences on The Joan Rivers Show, The Sally Show, Inside Edition, EXTRA, FlipSide with Susan Molinari, Red White & Views with Cal Thomas, Hannity & Colmes, The Maury Povich Show, George and Alana, Headliners & Legends with Matt Lauer, Oliver North Show, Rambling With Gambling, Jim Bohannon Show, PBS’s This is America with Dennis Wholey, Sunday Live!, Capitol Line with Blanquita Cullum, ABC Evening News, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, CNBC, C-SPAN, WRC-TV, CBC, the Voice of America, and more.

Karen’s experiences and interests are diverse – from politics (She’s even worked as a Senate investigator) to entertainment. She brings to her audiences an insider’s perspective on how Washington works, laced with entertaining stories about celebrities and news makers. She has been a regular content provider for PRODIGY and Playboy.com, and a Congressional Quarterly chat guest on AOL. Her speaking engagements have taken her to Europe, Australia, the Amazon and across America. Feld also has been selected as “Journalist of the Day” at the NEWSEUM.

Karen contributes to publications including Parade, USA Weekend, Vogue, People, Time, Campaigns and Elections, The Hill, Roll Call, Family Circle, airline in-flights, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Washington Examiner, The Baltimore Sun, Los Angeles Times, Newsday, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, Dallas Morning News, San Jose Mercury News, Orlando Sentinel, St. Petersburg Times, The Boston Globe, Nashville Tennessean, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Columbus Dispatch, London Sunday Mail, and Canada’s Toronto Sun and National Post.

The National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) and Capital Press Women (CPW) have recognized Karen for excellence in both print and broadcast journalism every year since 1984. NFPW presented Feld with their National Sweepstakes Award in 2000 and CPW also presented Feld with the coveted Communicator As Entrepreneur Award. She also has been honored by the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), and in 2003, the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) awarded Karen First Prize for Destination Travel Magazine Feature, and in 2004, an award for Editorial Writing, and in 2005 and 2008, awards for feature writing from the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). She serves as Vice President of the DC-Pro Chapter of SPJ, on the Board of the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation of Washington, and is a member of The White House Correspondents’ Association, U.S. Senate Press Gallery, ASJA, and NFPW.

Karen received her BA from American University, College of Arts & Sciences.

Good day Karen and thanks for participating in our interview

Norm:


How did you get started as a print and broadcast journalist and what keeps you going? What’s the most difficult thing for you about being a writer and broadcast journalist?
 
Karen:

My first gig was with Roll Call, the Congressional newspaper. At the time it was a weekly with a small staff so I virtually did everything on the editorial side from gathering news by roaming the halls of Congress, writing stories and a political personality column, selecting and cropping photos, assisting with page layout, going to the printer while the type was being set and line editing, proofing and even delivering the papers and collecting coins from the machines. I worked directly with Sid Yudain, the founding editor and publisher learning on the job. As for broadcasting, radio and TV guest shots came as a result of stories I published.
 
My energy and intellectual curiosity about people and issues keeps me going.
 
The most difficult thing is to tell the story as briefly as possible in an informative and entertaining fashion.
 
Norm:

You have quite a bio and as I can see, you wear and have worn many hats. Which one has proven to be the most challenging?  As a follow up, which one do you prefer and why? 
 
Karen:

The challenge to survive in this 24 hour news cycle is not only to be first but to be right. I prefer TV, radio and lecturing over print. It’s not only the immediacy but also the interaction with my audience.
 
Norm:

In your bio it is mentioned that you bring to your audiences an insider’s perspective on how Washington works. Could you explain how you do this and how do you secure the inside information?
 
Karen:

I have spent an enormous amount of time on a daily basis throughout the years cultivating sources. It’s all about building trusted relationships. When I began covering Capitol Hill, I literally went office to office introducing myself to Members of Congress and their aides. I am invited to and attend many receptions and events on a nightly basis. These include diplomatic receptions at various embassies, book parties, art and theater openings and cast parties, press dinners, political fund raisers and White House State Dinners. Much of the business of Washington is done after hours. This is where I can talk to the bold face names who make the headlines and get the real story before the spin doctors do their magic.
 
Norm:

What has been the best part about being a journalist? 
 
Karen:

The fascinating people I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and interview. No two days are ever the same.
 
Norm:

What do you think of the new Internet market for writers?
 
Karen:

The Internet is terrific for research, to communicate with experts and others and to satisfy curiosity about anything.  It provides a potentially wide audience for citizen journalists and beginning writers trying to build credits, but it’s not so terrific for a professional writer. There’s so much free content out there that the demand for paid content is limited. News and entertainment organizations are still trying to figure the best ways to monetize their sites; only then, will writers be paid their worth.
 
Norm:

If you had to choose, which writer or journalist would you consider a mentor?
 
Karen:

I never really had a mentor in the business of freelance journalism which entails many varied tasks. When I started in this business there weren’t many successful women who were willing to nurture those following in their footsteps. I feel I learned something about the craft from every editor who believed enough in my talents to assign and buy my work.
 
Norm:

Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
 
Karen:

I get a lot of feedback. Readers used to write via snail mail but now they email. Most of it is very positive but sometimes they have a bone to pick or simply want to ask a question or share their opinions. The stories that generated the most reader response included one I did many years ago for Parade on traumatic brain injury as a silent epidemic, and one I wrote for Delta Sky entitled, “My Pets are My Kids.”
 
Norm:

Do you feel that writers, regardless of genre owe something to readers, if not, why not; if so, why and what would that be?
 
Karen:

There is so much competition for all of our time that I feel writers have an obligation to inform and entertain their readers. If I take the time to read something, I’d like to take something away from it on an intellectual or emotional level. Readers have that right. 
 
Norm:

How can readers find out more about you and your endeavors?
 
Karen:

They can check out my website: www.karenfeld.com
 
Norm:

As this interview draws to a close what one question would you have liked me to ask you? Please share your answer.
 
Karen:

So much of Washington is smoke and mirrors, how do you know who and what is real? Who is the real Karen Feld?
 
I was born in Washington, DC, whereas so many people are lured here by the illusion of power which can be fleeting. Many frequently begin to believe their own press clips, and their sense of self is closely identified with their job title. I feel that I have cultivated contacts on both sides of the aisle and nurtured a private life apart from the public political and social whirl that I’ve not only covered, but participated in as well. Many people in this town are on a fast 24 hour treadmill and don’t know when to jump off.  My column was very demanding and virtually 24/7 for many years. But, I have developed other creative outlets in addition to writing. I’m a gourmet cook and enjoy entertaining friends and sources informally in my home. I also do figurative sculpture in terra cotta and show and sell my work. My two toy poodles, Campari and Biscotti, are my true passion and model for my canine sculptures. 
 
Norm:

Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors