Answer Man, Reporting From the White House

Several outfits go to the roof of 1620 I St. NW, where (unless there is lightning) a company called Mobile Video can accommodate six correspondents simultaneously.

"It's all there," said Andrew Steele, BBC Washington bureau chief. "They provide the camera, the sound man, everything for us. All we do is send the correspondent over there and they go live basically from that position."

The bigger question is: Why? Why bother with a shot like that? It's not as if the White House ever looks different. Said Andrew: "You have to convey some sort of iconic image of where you are. It gives you a sense of place, tells the viewer we are where this story is, not simply sitting in a studio in London. Television is, after all, pictures. You've got to get the best picture to explain the story."

Craig Allen, a University of Arizona journalism professor, is fed up with the clichéd White House stand-up. "The stand-up gives the impression that reporters are there ceaselessly digging out news when in reality they're there to get the next news release, pretty much," he said. "They have no access to the president."

What's more, Craig thinks the North Lawn stand-ups can damage the reputation of U.S. journalists abroad.

"You can imagine when [foreign viewers] tune into CNN and see the CNN correspondent standing in front of the White House, what the effect of that is," he said. "It makes it look like the reporter is a shill for the U.S. government and is basically touting the party line. . . . It looks like the networks are part of the government and are espousing what the government wants as news."

Perhaps, but don't expect to see that shot go away anytime soon.

Make Answer Man earn his money. Send a question toanswerman@washpost.comor John Kelly, The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.