Your Favorite Part of Reporting?

I don't have one favorite part, but rather favorite parts of the process:

The interaction with other people, and the different perspective each person gives.

The craft of writing, of putting all the information together into one coherent piece of work. I like to think of it like patchwork quilting, putting a square here and tugging a thread there, but making sure it won't fall apart.

In the end, the sense of accomplishment.

 

Like when you got your first kiss.

 

One of the biggest reasons I chose print over broadcast was I had a lot more fun with writing. I always thought of forming an article as putting together a puzzle. And I still do. I've got the facts on my story -- the box, who scored when, the lead changes, the happenings -- and my quotes written out. Now it's just a matter of where to put them and connecting the two sections -- transitioning. I always got a kick out of that part of the process.

 

Oh, that's a good feeling, all right.

 

I love being on deadline. That sounds awful, but I feel like I do some of my best writing on deadline. I don't over analyze anything, I just write what comes to me. And it often turns out better.

Plus, I love the rush of being on deadline. Big game, team I'm covering wins, everything is crazy and everyone wants to talk a ton. I love getting the two or three money quotes and hustling back to the computer.

Like I said, it sucks at the time, but I usually don't have a higher sense of accomplishment than when I hit "send" 30 seconds before deadline with a good story.

 

The cold beer at home when the day is done.

 

Sirs, Madames,

Just sweet-talked a secretary into giving me a home phone number ten minutes after her superior said that it was against all institutional protocol and privacy rules. Finally it's paying off, all those years of watching reruns of The Rockford Files. And all it took was me signing over a few shares in my fictional oil company.

YD&OHS, etc

 

I love interacting with sources, and realizing how great -- how special, even -- it is when I know I've gained their trust and respect.

That, to me, is everything in journalism, and holds true regardless of the paper, the department you're in, the job role/status, or the story.

It could be knowing -- really knowing -- that I've done the work of building long-standing relations with sources on my beats, so that they don't mind you calling, almost no matter the hour, or the reason. It could be realizing that someone is giving a great interview, in large part just because they're talking to me, and not someone else. It could a key source telling me, "I have a lot of people who call me. I don't always call them back, but I call you back." It could be someone with whom I had a tough interview telling me I wrote a fair story, and then seeing how the relationship only gets stronger, and better, from there.

There's nothing like it, in my opinion.

It's all about trust, reliability, integrity and relationships. And in reporting at its best, it goes both ways.

 

Waiting for the day all these smokin' hot high school chicks I've purposely been writing great things about become legal.

 

I love the stress. As CollegeJournalist said, it sounds weird, but I've always worked really well under pressure.

In high school and college I worked at a touristy restaurant and that got absolutely insanely packed with customers. Loved it when it got busy and I still work there occasionally when they need an extra hand just because the stress of trying keep up is somehow fun for me.

Deadline and playoff time are the same way for me. So much to do, so little time to do it. And when it's over and I realize I got everything out and did a damn good job, it's tremendously satisfying.

As I've come to grips with the fact that I'm weird for enjoying that kind of stress, I've also learned how perfectly tailored my personality is to journalism.

The other thing I really enjoy is feeling truly comfortable with my beat. By that I mean, there are several places I've covered for between six and 10 years and I feel like I have a better sense of their history than most of my competitors. I also have great relationships with some key sources on those beats, people who I can just shoot the shit with if I run into the them around town and inevitably, they end up giving me good leads on important stories.

 

The moment after I hit the send button.

 

The feeling I get when I know I nailed it.