My job wasn’t simply to report on and write stories. To do that right, I had to master the logistics of the White House press team and the press corps. This episode lays out how a regional reporter maneuvered behind the big cable stars in the front rows to earn a seat and recognition in the most competitive territory in journalism. In the beginning, I spent as much time trying to figure out the mechanics of getting answers as to the answers themselves. My mission is to share with you the anguish, the drama, the logic and the occasional magic of covering the 45th president – from the back of the pack.