Here’s Your Answer

By Jim Hagarty
2016

When I was an editor of newspapers, I came in daily contact with many wonderful people. I also had to deal with jerks. In every encounter, with nice guys and power-drivers, I would be presented with a decision to say yes or no to a request. Usually for “coverage.” Publicity.

The nice ones presented their cases nicely, as you would expect. Some got an immediate yes, some got a promise of consideration, which they accepted.

The troublemakers came at me with a sense of urgency and entitlement. They would demand an immediate answer. That was my cue. “OK,” I would say. “If you have to have an answer right away, then my answer is no.” They would start to backtrack. Too late. I loved it when they made my job easy.

I used to tell community groups seeking publicity to think very carefully about the person they were choosing to represent them to the media.

Journalists are only human.

Author: Jim Hagarty

I am a 72-year-old retired journalist, busy recovering from a lifelong career as an unretired journalist. This year marks a half century of my scratching out little fables about life. My interests include genealogy, humour and music. I live in a little blue shack in Canada and spend most of my time trying to stay out of trouble. I am not that good at it. I also spent years teaching journalism. Poor state of journalism today: My fault. I have a family I don't deserve, a dog that adores me, and two cars the junk yard refuses to accept. My prized possessions include my old guitar and a razor my Dad gave me when I was 14 and which I still use when I bother to shave. Oh, and my great-great-grandfather's blackthorn stick he brought from Ireland in the 1850s. I have only one opinion but it is a good one: People take too many showers.