Strangers call with breathless tips or send me scrawled letters accusing the press of shocking bias. I also get a steady torrent of unsolicited advice about people's pet peeves - in the hallway, in the elevator, in the men's room. Petersburg, chances are someone will drop a dime. If there's a plagiarism incident in Fort Worth, a newsroom revolt in Boston or a complaint about sexism in St.
The fun part of patrolling the media beat is that I get all kinds of tips and leads from my gossipy brethren. The only answer is to play it straight and try to develop a reputation for calling 'em as I see 'em. And if I say a nice word about The Post's coverage, I'm sure to be dismissed as a hometown booster. If I take a shot at Time, there are suggestions that I'm really giving a boost to Newsweek, which is also owned by Katharine Graham's company. If I criticize the New York Times, some people think I'm simply dumping on The Post's biggest rival. Working for a major media company means that much of what I write is automatically viewed with suspicion. There is a built-in conflict of interest, to be sure, but one there's no satisfactory way around. But they understand that a media reporter wouldn't have a shred of credibility if he simply ignored The Washington Post Co., and so have granted me an unusual license to second-guess them in print.
It is even less fun confronting my bosses with sensitive questions about plagiarism, bias, racial preference or sexual harassment.
It is awkward, to say the least, to have to interview colleagues about whether they slanted a story or went easy on a source, or to question Bob Woodward or David Broder about their reporting methods, or to press Ben Bradlee on why he is retiring. Should I ever be tempted to forget this vital link, I'm reminded each morning when I walk to my desk, which is a few feet from the glass-enclosed office of Leonard Downie Jr., The Washington Post's executive editor.Ī standing joke in the newsroom is that people get nervous when they see me coming with a pen and pad. It is virtually impossible to report honestly on the news business without also writing about the folks who pay my salary. To be a media reporter for one of the nation's biggest newspapers is to dwell in the belly of the beast.
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