Check with your editor that there is a reasonable half chance that the story idea you have will be published before taking up too much time of those you need to interview, or ask information of, in the course of researching and writing your article.
Be Respectful of the Other Person’s Schedule. Many reporters have told me that any individual should drop whatever they are doing to talk to the media. To say this is to say that communicating via the media is everyone’s most important duty. I do not want my local Fire Chief to have the media as his first priority. Sorry, I just don’t. To be clear, I am not advocating dodging of media. This is bad practice, as well.
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