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The article discusses the frustration at how the image of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger as candidate of the 2003 California governor recall election was more powerful that the words. The recall was a mixture of historical event, high drama and showbusiness. In the early days of the campaign period, Schwarzenegger was often not available to answers questions from the press. he also took time for interviews on conservative talk radio shows where the hosts had already endorsed his candidacy, while the traditional political press was kept at arm's length. Most of the images of Schwarzenegger were flattering ones arranged by his staff. Arnold on the steps of the California State Capitol, broom in hand, promising to make a clean sweep of state government. His training as a bodybuilder and actor served him well during the campaign. Polls showed that voters had made up their minds early in the campaign to vote for the recall and elect Schwarzenegger. Often there were so many cameras present at his event that the television crews were tripping over one another repeatedly. When journalists try to write thoughtful words about the issues raised in the campaign, it often felt like those words were drowned out by the hoopla.

The article focuses on the impact of the Internet and the self-absorbed way the political press perceive their role and work during the 2003 California governor recall elections. This is an era in which the reporter has become more important than readers or voters. There is nothing new about candidates or officeholders calling on reporters who are likely to ask softball questions. What was unusual was to see a candidate who so completely understood the nature of modern political reporting and was so uniquely positioned to take advantage of a new era in campaign information. Much had changed about how the political press corps perceives and pursues its job due to the increased importance of television and radio talk show and the rising impact of the Internet as a means of conveying information and as a vehicle for the public to observe and comment on political reporting. It has become a matter of daily routine to check a variety of Web sites to see where the newspaper's reporting landed on the list of top stories. Routinely, in a break between deadlines, political reporters and columnists would sit down on the studio stool and make a quick television appearance on one of the many cable shows that must keep feeding the appetite of a 24-hour news hole.