The people who spend their days leaning on sources, stressing the importance of outing the truth, clam up when it’s their name that’s going to be in print. You’d think they’d have faith in the process of sifting through interviews and documents to craft objective, nuanced narratives. In fact, the opposite is true. Reporters know their thoughtful, 20-minute interview will be boiled down to one tasty morsel: " ‘They’re… bad,’ said John Q. Scribbler, speaking of his two top bosses." So if you’re writing about NEWSWEEK, give me a call. I’ll tell you everything I know… on background.
