Kahn Man

Rick Kahn was in seclusion. Scorned by Republicans and Democrats alike, he wasn’t opening his door or returning calls. T. Trent Gegax picked up the phone and called anyway.

Gegax is a Newsweek reporter from the Twin Cities. The University of Minnesota graduate grew up in Burnsville, but has since lived in Boston, Atlanta, and Washington, writing about politics and pop culture. He was back in his old stomping grounds on November 5 to cover the much-scrutinized Minnesota senate race. Sensing that the Wellstone memorial would turn out to be pivotal that Tuesday, he wanted feedback from the man at the epicenter of the controversy. Did Kahn have anything to say for himself in the aftermath of his speech?

Surprisingly, Wellstone’s close friend and campaign treasurer answered his phone. After a conversation that lasted less than 10 minutes, Gegax published the results that night in an online article. The scoop was quickly relayed across the country through national outlets such as the Associated Press and Fox News, along with envious local media including KSTP-TV and the Star Tribune.

When we talked to the reporter (he returned our call within a day), Gegax claimed no secret strategy for nailing down the elusive interview. Although his father, Tires Plus founder Tom Gegax, was a well-known Wellstone supporter, Trent said his family’s connections to the campaign were never mentioned. “I just cold-called,” he said. “I was very respectful. I tried to say, ‘I understand you’re in a very difficult situation and I hate the fact that I have to call you, but I just want to get your feelings.’” Kahn was reluctant at first. “And then he said, ‘All I’ll say is, this was a public expression of private grief.’ And then he, of course, kept talking, as people often do.”

This was not the first time Gegax has gotten a big scoop. Remember the bombing at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics? He was the first print journalist on the scene for that story, having felt the blast in a nearby press room. A scoop like that can make a reporter’s career. Since then, the former Minnesota Daily writer has covered lots of breaking news, including plane crashes, hurricanes, and school shootings.

“In my job, I unfortunately have to convince people going through serious tragedy to talk,” he said. “I go out of my way to tell them, ‘I’m sorry, but I’m going to write this piece and I want you to be able to have the first crack at your side of the story.’” The writer was coy about how he got a phone number Kahn would answer. “Sourcing is closely held,” he said.

On the same day Gegax got his exclusive Kahn interview, HBO premiered Journeys With George, a vérité documentary that follows the 2000 Bush presidential campaign from inside the press corps. The film catches Bush in unguarded moments, including his persistent teasing of filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi about her flirtations with a reporter dubbed “Newsweek Man.” The object of Pelosi’s affection was Gegax. “Bush was always kind of nudging us,” Gegax said. “It’s the way he endears himself to other people, especially the press. He gets into their personal lives. He flirts with men and women alike. Sometimes I think it’s genuine. Sometimes I think it’s just a mechanism to get good play.”

For the record, Gegax said nothing serious happened between him and Pelosi (daughter of Nancy, the nation’s new House minority leader). In fact, Newsweek Man is engaged to marry a longtime girlfriend in March. He said he’s amused by the notoriety resulting from Journeys With George, but he hopes to stake his reputation on work like his Kahn interview. “I would prefer to be known as somebody who gets scoops,” he said. “Rather than for coming off as a cad.”