CNN at the Conventions, It's Like an Army

Reporter Jonathan Mann covers the Democratic and Republican National Conventions for CNN. Our special envoy visited the headquarters of the famous American news source, who deployed great numbers to cover the two events.

To find Jonathan Mann among the 15,000 journalists present at the Republican National Convention, one must first arrive at one of the better known places at the convention: the CNN Grill, first installed opposite the Pepsi Center in Denver and then opposite the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

It’s in the headquarters of the channel “halfway between the recreational center and the newsroom”, where Jonathan Mann prepares his broadcasts after his 3:45 AM alarm. “During the conventions, I do a job I don’t normally to, I take to the air twice per hour,” he explains in impeccable French.

Head anchor of the channel in Paris for the past three years, Jonathan Mann can’t keep himself from comparing the two countries. “American Politics are the same as everywhere else, except that everything is bigger, stronger, crazier, and more passionate than in France,” he explains energetically. “It’s truly an industry as big as the US.”

Faced with this disproportion, the networks have learned to adapt. In Atlanta, the channel has increased its coverage tenfold during the conventions in order to outdo its competitors Fox News, ABC and MSNBC.

No fewer than 200 CNN employees were deployed to Denver and to St. Paul. “It’s like an army or an orchestra. CNN wants to be the proprietor of this period of change,” explains the journalist of Canadian origin, in the middle of CNN’s ad hoc newspaper office.

“I don’t know the budget for our coverage, but it’s enormous. And in addition to everything you see here, there is everything you don’t see. The technical costs are, for example, very high, in order to ensure live satellite coverage. I’ve had a wonderful time being with CNN for 20 years and it never ceases to impress me,” he admits.

During this campaign, Jonathan Mann hasn’t stopped being surprised. “You know, one says it 2,000 times, but one could say it 2,000 times more, even if people are fed up with hearing it: it’s truly an historic election.”

And to explain: “When one thinks of their creation, the Democrats were in favor of slavery, and now, they’ve given the candidacy to a black candidate!” he exclaims. “I am very proud to have two men with such valor in the competition,” he asserts.

But in spite of his years of experience as a political analyst, the journalist doesn’t want to risk a prediction. “Two months ago, I would’ve said Obama without hesitation. All of the conditions were right for the Democrats to win: two wars, a poor economy, and a very unpopular president–except that two months later, they still haven’t gained,” he explains. “There really is no way of guessing what will occur.”