the truth business
Since Krizzer asked, I think it would be as good a time as any to let any newcomers know that I'm a journalist at a local paper. I won't say which local paper, though I'd be happy to tell you if you ever run into me on #squeeze.

I purposely don't say on my blog where in the USA I work or anything about what I cover exactly. Editors (you know, the kinds of folks who pay me) can get kind of prickly about personal Web pages. They say they're really sensitive about perceptions of bias. I wonder if it's because the reporter's writing and point-of-view is unleased without editorial input.

I actually agree with some of that perspective. I try not to get tempted into writing personal essays for my paper (and so far, I haven't). I don't have a great desire to hear my own voice, and I couldn't care less about idealistic notions of "being heard."

Newspaper reporting suits me because I am a slave to facts. While I don't believe my opinions get in the way of my coverage, potential sources might let my opinions get in the way of my coverage.

Though I don't advertise at work that I have my own personal Web page, I am aware that if I put my name or my paper in this blog, that my editors (or future editors) might be able to find it. After all, most editors used to be reporters, too, and I'm sure that Google is one of the first places they look.