Last week I caught a speech given at the National Press Club by David Simon, who created The Wire, an extremely popular HBO show on the drug world in Baltimore. He had been a police beat reporter for 12 years at the Baltimore Sun and talked about what he had learned there.
"Journalists are supposed to be innately curious. I can't tell you the number of people I knew who didn't want to be seen asking the stupid question, or asking any question at all, or didn't want to ask a question where it wasn't clear they already knew the answer and were just trying to catch you.
"The idea of journalism is walking into a room and saying, 'Gee, I don't know about any of this. Help me.'"
In this regard Simon's role model was Homer Bigart (at left in PBS pic) who became a legendary reporter in New York City, although he didn't start out that way."Homer Bigart's great gift was he didn't mind being a goof. He had a speech impediment and they didn't even let him be a reporter until his 30s. When the plane hit the Empire State Bldg he was the only one to go up in the elevator with NYC Mayor LaGuardia. He was such a nondescript character no one paid any attention to him.
"Once a captain of industry said to Bigart's editor, 'I can't believe the reporter you sent to interview me. The guy was a complete idiot. I had to explain everything to him."
Bigart went on to win a Pulitzer for international reporting in 1951.
Simon spoke of a drug dealer he'd worked with in researching material for The Wire. Talking to him years later the dealer told him why he'd agreed to help him. "Man, you just looked like you didn't know anything. I felt sorry for you. I figured I had to help you."
"That's my skill set: I have an ear for dialogue - and I'm willing to admit I don't know anything."
Words of wisdom if I ever heard them.
7 comments:
Great stuff. Bigart was every bit as good as his legend, apparently. A splendid biography I read some years ago of the late, great New York Herald Tribune documented dozens of stories about him, making it obvious why he came to be such an icon to other journalists.
Since I don't have HBO, I've never seen a moment of The Wire, but I'm dying to check it out. Do you know if it's available on DVD yet?
Actually, I've never seen The Wire either. My son thinks it's probably available from Netflix.
One more reason to do Netflix. Thanks for that, Mike. All the stuff you can learn from blogs!
Wellll, I'd check the library first, but I'm as cheap as they come.
No, I'm cheap also. No "affluenza" in our house, even before the recent implosion.
Humdrum life, Dad? Good thing you didn't also mention Book TV.
You should see The Wire, Dad. John and Mireia are obsessed with it.
David Simon's "The Corner" was our October book for book club last year. Are you adequately impressed?
- B
I'm positively teary, honey. That high-falutin' eastern education is beginning to pay dividends.
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