Friday, August 17, 2007
Sharing is caring
The reporters' bylines that you'll see on the front pages of America's newspapers -- and on television and the radio for that matter -- were likely the same twirps in the third grade who covered their papers at their desks. You know. That girl with the red hair who just knew that the two students to her left and right were trying to steal her answers to the quiz on U.S. Capitals. So she did some twist of the shoulder that allowed her forearm to cover the paper, cupping her hand just well-enough so that the paper was completely covered and, thus, confirming that she could be the only one who would get it correct: Salem is in fact the capital of Oregon.To the extent that reporting and interviewing requires some semblance of well-thought out questioning, creative positioning of details and information, and well, secrecy -- my friends and I are doing a really crappy job.
It might rain pigs tomorrow. I could wake up with a full head of hair. Mark Zuckerberg could sell facebook.com. Nothing in this life is for certain.
Nothing, except for the fact that when I open my GMail tomorrow morning, some fellow reporter is going to instant message me saying something like this:
Dsands!
me: what up?
not much. what you doing?
me: wiping the crust out of my eye. you?
oh man, you're gross. Hey, got any questions for (insert name of washed up athlete, TV reality show personality, local politician -- or just all-around clown, here)? I'm interviewing them in 20 minutes...
--
I usually oblige the best I can, but you can only come up with so many creative questions for Rachel Ray that haven't been asked already.
Yet, it is possibly one of the great joys of my life to have been asked by our own Vandy if I had any questions for actor Chad Coleman, who plays "Cutty" on HBO's The Wire. You can't keep things like that to yourself. And thank the kind Father I have friends who don't.
continue...
Read or Post a Comment
<< Home