In this article: Birthdays Last week's Who's News Bonus links: Democratic convention celebs -- Actor Christopher Reeve -- "Hardball's" Chris Matthews -- Karenna Gore Schiff Previously: GOP Movers and shakers GOP Convention report -- Interview: George W. Bush -- Interview: Al Gore

ABC's Michel Martin, 41, is a veteran convention reporter who will be roaming the floor at the Democratic gathering in Los Angeles and sharing what she hears with anchor Peter Jennings. We asked her for some pre-convention insight.

Do you think conventions serve a real purpose anymore?
It's more of a television show about politics than an actual event for decision-making or a location for decision-making. But that doesn't mean it isn't important. People have a lot of demands on their time and people are not as interested in politics as perhaps they have been in the past. I think that's a sign of the fact that we are peaceful and prosperous. People tend to get very engaged in politics when there's a whole heck of a lot at stake -- when there's a crisis.

Why should Americans be paying attention to this presidential race?
Because whoever wins is going to be the leader of the free world. People say "I'm not into politics" but politics is going to happen to them. The fact is, their lives are going to be affected by it. In some countries, voting for president and the wrong candidate gets you killed and we've seen that. And I think Americans deep down know how fortunate that they are to not be in that situation. In some ways their apathy is a tribute to the stability that so many other people can only dream about.

What question are you personally most interested in hearing an answer to from the candidates?
I don't think that's my role -- to be interested in a particular issue. There's always a hierarchy of issues. Issues fall away, but character and temperament and quality of decision-making remain. People say, "Why don't you stick to the issues?" Well, my answer is "Sure issues matter, but issues change." That's why I think we have to attend to questions of character, temperament and quality of decision-making.
What I'm really interested in is, in this day and age when there are so many other choices on the table, who chooses the political life and why. I'm interested in what draws people [into politics] today, when people are so disgusted, when so many citizens are so turned off to politics. I'm very interested in the people who choose engagement. That's why I'm always excited to go to a convention.

What should the American people be asking of the press in their coverage of the conventions?
I understand that people always look critically for issues of bias, and I am always hopeful that people will look at us with an attitude of good will. My colleagues and I go out there with an attitude of service to the public and I hope that the work that we do is seen in that light. I don't know if it's our job as journalists to make the political process appealing and fun. But to the degree that we can make it accessible, that we are adding to the quality of our civic life, I think that's important.

Do you think it will be a close race come fall?
Yes. I think these are two candidates who are evenly matched. They're both hungry. They're both well-funded, they're both highly experienced, they both have that fire in the belly. And I think that matters more than sometimes people realize. That's one reason why the primaries were exciting.

-- By Evelyn Poitevent