FishbowlDC Interview

Meet Tara Palmeri, one half of the new "Yeas and Nays" column at the Washington Examiner. Tara hails from the great state of New Jersey where most of her friends have last names that end in a vowel and can name the exact landmark in each scene of the Sopranos.

This Jersey girl has been in DC since attending American University. And though she misses the bagels and Taylor ham of her homeland, she decided to stay in the District and start her career in journalism at CNN where she produced the daily political podcast, assisted production for "The Situation Room" and "State of the Union" and field produced. Now that she's taken the reigns of "Yeas and Nays" with Nikki Schwab, FishbowlDC caught up with Palmeri for a little Q and A.

If you weren't working in journalism, what would you be doing?
I would be performing since I have a background in theater. It helps me be a better journalist because as "The Bard" says, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players" - especially in Washington.

What/who is your dream interview? I would love to interview Mike Myers as every character he has created - and then write the book.

What working journalist do you most admire? Larry King because he's interviewed everyone. He doesn't make the show about him. He just asks the questions that people want to have answered and he keeps asking them until he gets answers. He chooses the news-makers of the day and finds a way to combine journalism and entertainment. Plus he's been in the business forever and could give me a few tips.

What does your morning reading list include? I grab an Examiner and a Post for my metro ride to work. From my iPhone I scan the other major papers, then I hit the Politico and the gossip blogs at the office.

What changes should we expect at "Yeas and Nays" under your rule? A lot more Jersey punch.

Other than Obama and Biden, who did GQ miss on their "50 Most Powerful" list? A bigger representation from the fourth estate could have been helpful.

Are you more of a yea or a nay? Depends on what I'm covering. I'm very opinionated so if I like it - "a yea" - but if I think it's too hoaxy, definitely "a nay."

What is the strangest or funniest pitch you've received since starting at the Examiner? The other day I got a pitch about faux fur and how it's "fabulous for fall." The e-mail contained a photo of the fur and the HSN price. I thought at first, this person is confused about what we cover, but then they actually called Nikki's [Schwab] line to see if I got the e-mail about the fur. Hmmm...

Trading Spaces alum Mario De Armos called her "the most stylish journalist in Washington" and he just might be right. She's the Editor-in-Chief of DC magazine. She's stylin and we're profilin' Karen Sommer Shalett...

What staple outfit should every reporter own? I once got great advice while interviewing an energy expert at Jim Baker's think tank in Houston. Her parents had founded the famed department store Louis Boston and she had been a journalist prior to becoming a wonk. She told me to always dress for the individual you are interviewing. Match their level of formality no matter how high or low to gain confidence and trust. I've covered fashion, alongside every other aspect of lifestyle reporting, for a decade this January. It is amazing the pschyographics you can learn by looking at how a source presents him or herself and you can be sure that source is trying to size you up in the same way. Though I would beg news anchors to begin dressing for this millennium. I don't know that making the mainstream audience identify with you is as important as making them believe you are sophisticated and smart. We found that with our President. People decided they actually did want someone smarter than them making the decisions and explaining them. Although, I guess that doesn't explain Glenn Beck.

What one product could you not live without? Not to get mawkish, but my husband Scott and I lost our house and everything in it during Hurricane Katrina. I was covering New Orleans for the Times-Picayune. It is a really trippy place to be - reporting on stuff and losing all of yours, and then covering an entire population who lost theirs, too. I learned immediately that other than my family, there is nothing I can't live without. Now, what would I prefer to have not lost? Oh, those Chanel cap-toed heels with the Mylar silver ribbons laced up the legs. It's been four years and clearly I still pine for them.

What has been your biggest career challenge? We moved back to my hometown DC after Katrina. I was pregnant and we already had a two year old. I landed at the Washington Post as a shopping columnist. DC magazine quickly called and scooped me up, five months pregnant. That was the second time in my career that I had been hired full-time while pregnant - which to me, says a lot about our industry. However, as I was giving birth (I mean literally, as I was pushing), my features editor quit and I wound up bringing my newborn to the desk with me 10 days after he was born. In truth, I restructured the magazine after that and I think we are who we are today because of the staff that was hired in the aftermath. However, it was only after the baby was nearly two that I felt our family had truly moved beyond the trauma of the Hurricane, the move and the changes in career.

What working journalist do you most admire? Robin Givhan. I mean, she won the Pulitzer for explaining why I left politics to cover fashion, design and culture. Of all the journalists covering the way we live, Robin brings a sharp-shooting target to every issue and hits it dead on each time. When I was living in Houston and attending Fashion Week, my mom (who lives in Silver Spring) would call me and read aloud what Robin wrote in the Post every day of the shows. I was geek enough to tell Robin about it. She was lovely enough not to call me a stalker.

Find out what store Karen would choose if she could only shop at one for the rest of her life, the proudest moment in her career and what's happening at DC magazine and more after the jump.

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