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September 2008
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Knowing the Difference Between Hot Air and Sewer GasesBy Dean Rotbart A graduate of one of my recent
Newsroom Confidential courses called this week, in a bit of a bind. She heeded my recommendations and
found a way to hitch her small-town plumbing business to a story of global
proportions. Rather than pitch the
regional TV station on how great a plumbing business she runs, she offered to
serve as an expert on rumors that the deadly SARS virus now traumatizing Asia
may somehow be linked to sewer gases. The TV station acted quickly to book
her as a guest. My proud alumna called with a
dilemma. ãWhat do I really know
about SARS?ä she worried. ãDo I
have to cite credible sources who say it may be caused by sewer gases?ä Her questions, like her media
instincts, are solid. The core
answer is relevant not only to her but to everyone who finds themselves peering
into a television lens and asked to conjecture on subjects way out of their
league. Donât. Her expertise, as I reminded her, is
in understanding the difference between benign and not-so-benign sewer gases,
which is exactly what she needs to tell the television interviewer.
I offered a comfortable response to any question that makes her
uncomfortable: ãThat is beyond my
expertise. What I can say is·.ä Knowing your intellectual and
educational limit is vital. Too
often, media pundits ad lib themselves right into a cesspool of intellectual
bunk. In the effort to look Ÿber-smart,
they come across as windbags. It is
far better to stick to what you know. My friend, the plumber, knows more
than she thinks and knows more than enough to be a valuable source to the local
TV station. She knows that some of
her customers are worried about links between sewer gasses and SARS and she
knows how to detect troublesome sewer gasses and what to do about them. Most importantly, my graduate knows
how to be a valuable source and asset to the media without over-promising.
In the refined art of being a good source, knowing when to keep quiet is
just as important as knowing when to speak up. April 23, 2003
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