Will Shuck, a former daily newspaper reporter, is now press secretary to a member of the California Assembly. He writes in Capitol Weekly, via Romenesko:

It’s not like anyone wakes up one day and thinks, “You know, to heck with all that honesty and integrity. I’m going to go peddle malarkey for a living.”

By the time a reporter makes the leap “to the dark side,” and walks the halls of the Capitol in the service of one party or another, he or she has probably taken a pretty good look at what’s ahead and picked the best team. Anyway, that’s my experience. It had nothing to do with my perception that newspapering has about as much growth potential as steam locomotive repair…

You also discover some startling truths, like a chief of staff isn’t necessarily lying when she says she’s trying to get the member to return a reporter’s call. It always seemed so bogus that a Senator was “booked back to back” and couldn’t make a five-minute call to the hometown paper. But, well, it happens. It is true, however, that the biggest paper gets the fastest call back…

It’s not unnatural or unwholesome to take those skills honed through reporting and put them to use in another setting. That’s why so many reporters do it. And in the Capitol, skills like keen observation, healthy skepticism, quick analysis, and the ability to make your point, seem to fit nicely.

Well said. Kind of makes Media Orchard want to resume that little book project…