Reporters pound the pavement, lead way asking tough questions

Friday marks the fifteenth anniversary of The Hill, a new leader led by a tireless team of reporters, editors and photographers that has provided an important window into the day-to-day business of the United States Congress.

When I first arrived in Congress in 2001, The Hill, right after the Richmond Times Dispatch (an institution in its own right) was one of the first papers I read every morning. It helped me gain a clearer picture of everything going in both the Senate and the House.

T

oday, during an increasingly uncertain period for the entire newspaper industry, we are reminded by the example of the hardworking people of The Hill of the importance of pound-the-pavement journalism. Gutsy reporters like Molly Hooper, Mike Soraghan and Jared Allen are often the first to ask tough questions, and Mike O’Brien has done an excellent job of bringing The Hill into the new-media world. Tough questions by journalists like these are integral to the practice of good democracy. These are just a few of the great people who bring the ins and outs inside the Dome to life each and every day.

There’s no doubt that the Internet has been extremely helpful in terms of making a seemingly endless amount of information available to billions of people in the forms of blogs, forums and other outlets, but the journalism practiced by publications like The Hill serve an important and vital role both on Capitol Hill, and in communities across America.

On behalf of House Republicans, I would like to thank all the employees of The Hill for your hard work and dedication to the news business.

Cantor is the House minority whip.