Writer's Block

Be kind to journos

I devoted my blog Wednesday to griping about my pet peeves. Now for the good news! Most people are great. But there's a few things people do that really make my day. To those who do these things, thank you!

>Calling me back. The people who consistently return my calls before the end of the day make my life a lot easier.

>Being reachable. If you're an Important Person who talks with reporters on a semi-regular basis -- i.e., director of a major nonprofit, head of a large government department, candidate for office, etc. -- we should have your cell phone number or a way to reach you after hours. When the shibai hits the fan on a Sunday afternoon, you really do want us to be able to call you.

>Staying cool. An attorney who was upset about the way I had been reporting on his client called me up and basically screamed and belittled me for 10 minutes while refusing to actually comment for my story or answer any of my unanswered questions. He hung up. A few minutes later, his partner called me. The partner was equally angry about my stories, but apologized for the earlier call, and then calmly and professionally -- but emphatically -- outlined all the ways he felt I done his client wrong. He was never fully satisfied with my coverage, but I did end up making several changes to the way I wrote about his client based on the points he made -- changes I never would have made after the first conversation. Of course, guess which attorney was the one I always called from then on.

>Communicating. While I'm never happy to be wrong, I do want to hear about it when I am. People who call me to complain, rather than silently holding a grudge, help me correct my mistake and avoid making it again in the future.

>Just saying "no comment." I know you're upset you just (lost an election / got arrested for drunk driving / watched your house burn down).  I'm not trying to be rude. But I really do have to ask you if you want to make a comment. Wouldn't you be pretty mad if we wrote a whole article about you and never gave you a chance to say something? If you don't want to comment, you can just say, "no comment." Then I can go away.

>Positive feedback. Unexpected but totally appreciated. When I do get the occasional e-mail or phone call from someone telling me they thought I did a good job on a story, I'm walking on clouds for the rest of the day.

Fellow reporters: do I speak for all of us? If you have other ways people can be kind to journos, post below.