Under the Dome

This is a problem when that source or sources you've been hounding all day finally calls back at a not-unreasonable time of day -- but too late to make it into the story. Do I write that they didn't return calls? Refused to comment? Were unavailable?

When it's not clear-cut either way, the best practice would be to print what actually happened, however awkward:

"By 3 p.m., Jane Doe had not returned five messages left on her voicemail, a text message, two pages, three e-mails and two verbal messages her assistant swore up and down to deliver."

Case in point: Tomorrow's story re: Measure D will contain a line referencing that Mayor Bill Bogaard "couldn't be reached for comment" by late afternoon. He did call at 4:30 p.m., and we talked about the ballot measure and other things.

Posted by Todd on November 20, 2007 5:16 PM | Permalink

Comments

You don't really work for a NEWSpaper anymore. It's more like an Oldspaper because with the ridiculous deadlines brought about by the Los Angeles Newspaper Groups attempt to save money by consolidating printing at a plant that needs extra lead time you don't get a lot of the days news until two days later.

Posted by: Anonymous | November 20, 2007 6:13 PM

Next time call me and I can try to get to him before your deadline. Can't promise but can do my level best.

Posted by: Ann Erdman | November 20, 2007 6:31 PM

(applause)

Posted by: Miss Havisham | November 20, 2007 6:54 PM

Yeah, on my way to and from the locker room at the 24-hr Fitness underneath Glabman's Furniture (in the real Star-News building), I love to imagine the bustle of a print room as I walk along the filled in miniature railroad tracks. I guess the PSN will never have an "Extra" edition in this day and age...

Posted by: Eric E | November 21, 2007 12:03 PM

Don't know if you do, but many of your colleagues DON'T bother to mention their deadline . . . back when I did a little daily journalism, I'd leave a msg. to the effect that my deadline was X (30 minutes before the deadline) and needed to hear from them by that hour to make the story . . . 99/100 I got a call back on time, or else the comment was going to be "no comment" anyway . . .

Posted by: Gone Green | November 24, 2007 8:35 PM

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