The Continuing Story of Quid Pro Quo

This dude flabbergasts me.

Last week, I blogged about emailing a source, requesting an interview and getting a strange reply. At least, I thought it was strange. When I visited him in his office yesterday to hash the situation out, though, I realized we fundamentally disagree.

To recap: I asked him for an interview, and he asked me to do something in return. Quid pro quo, he wrote in his email. I told him I couldn’t do that, and he never replied. So, I went to his office.

He was cordial, shaking my hand and telling me to sit down. But the moment my butt hit the cushion, he launched into his spiel.

I teach an ethics class, he said, so I don’t understand why you can’t do this small thing for me in exchange for my time. Why can’t we be “collegial” about this? You spend some time helping me out, and I’ll help you out.

I listened, then launched into a spiel of my own, basically repeating what I wrote in that last blog post.

He blinked his eyes and shook his head. He made a face, as if baby talk were spewing out of my 22-year-old mouth.

I just don’t understand this predicament, he said.

Well, I wanted to tell him, neither do I. No one I’ve interviewed has ever fundamentally disagreed with this main tenet of journalism that he was so hung up on. I tried restating my position, but he still didn’t get it. Obviously, that could have been a failure on my part, not explaining well enough.

We didn’t raise our voices, and we shook hands and wished each other a happy Thanksgiving before I left. I didn’t get the interview. I stood up for what I believe in, though, and I left with something greater.

When journalism professors would talk about “demystifying the newsroom,” I never really gave it much thought. How can people not understand this stuff? I thought. Well, yesterday I came face-to-face with it.

People who don’t understand what we do are out there, and, really, it’s on me (and other reporters) to explain to them the process, to take the newsroom out of the mist. Maybe I should have a prepared statement or something the next time this comes up.