In Margaret Tablot's article David Simon talks about reporting for the Baltimore Sun. There are some quotes in here that let you know how a reporter sees the world, even when he is not talking about reporting.
"'You can’t make this shit up...stealing life,' as he once described it to me—and knowing which parts to steal."
Great quote. It shows that you can never have an idea of what you are going to write. You have to figure it out first, and then you can report it. Knowing what is bs and what is true and honest--that is the trick.
"To be a decent city reporter, I had to listen to people who were different from me,” Simon explained. “I had to not be uncomfortable asking stupid questions or being on the outside. I found I had a knack for walking into situations where I didn’t know anything, and just waiting. A lot of reporters don’t want to be the butt of jokes. But sometimes it’s useful to act as if you couldn’t find your ass with both hands.”
A good reporter has to go beyond himself at times. He has to be honest about what that means. If it means you have to look at a criminal and tell him that you don't know if 50 bucks is fair for a gram, that means you ask it. If you are going to get the facts, you have to assume you don't know jack.
"I always have to trust my own ideas"
The journalist is the one stuck in the story. The people who really know it, don't know how to write. Others might know how to write, but not be in the story. Follow your gut. If the story is going one way, follow it. It might be a dead end, but even if it looks like a good story follow it. The writer knows what he is looking for and should go for it.
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