Whenever we interview someone, most journalists prefer doing it in person rather than by phone for all kinds of reasons. There are the facial expressions, the hand gestures, the nervous ticks, the way they dress, the hairstyle, jewelry, makeup, and generally just how comfortable they seem in their own skin.
Their eyes.
There also is what their office or room looks like, what kinds of pictures are on the wall, etc.
But despite these advantages, when I was a young reporter I noticed some of my colleagues preferred phone interviews and I'll tell you why. Some of the men adopted a lower voice over the phone, trying (I suppose) to sound older, tougher or more authoritative than they might otherwise seem in person..
Also, God forbid, if a reporter considered himself baby-faced, he certainly didn't want his appearance to undermine the impression that he was a super-serious journalist.
All of these factors were equally true of my female colleagues, who additionally had to contend with the inevitable extra factor of how men would react to them as women. Every female friend had stories of being ridiculed, flirted with, dismissed as (pick your adjective) bossy, angry, controlling, cute -- anything that gave the male subject an excuse to try and avoid answering their questions.
This remains true -- all of it -- today in the time of the pandemic as colleagues continue to try and do their work as reporters.
In a larger context, these journalistic dilemmas pervade everyone's life, since hardly any of us can get together with anybody else these days. By not getting physical with each other, we're lacking a lot of the information our brains and hearts are used to absorbing.
But everything is remote now. So I can't help wondering whether connecting virtually is in some ways deepening the connections humans feel with each other. Not able to be in each other's presence, or to touch, hug, kiss and show other gestures of affection, we have to fall back on our words and perhaps on our pictures.
It may be that our story-telling skills are becoming more important, as we share with each other how we are enduring in this time of deprivation. If all we can do is tell each other our stories, maybe that is rendering all the other stuff -- physical appearances, clothes, tattoos, piercings, age lines, hair color, on and on -- less relevant.
For me, getting to know a person whether it's professional or personal is one of the true pleasures of life. I straight-out love hearing people tell their own stories when they trust me enough to do so. And I have found myself having deeper conversations over the phone lately with friends than I used to.
Of course, we are finding ways to use social media to connect with each other in wonderful ways, too.
Maybe that is an unexpected benefit of Covid-19. Since this is Thanksgiving time, you'll forgive me for looking for silver linings that reflect on our predicament. We may have to shelter-in-place but we can still let each other feel closer with the tools at hand.
***
The news, it don't stop...
* Dow Surges Past 30,000 Points For 1st Time In Historic Milestone (NPR)
* China Says It Remains Open to the World, but Wants to Dictate Terms -- China’s leader, Xi Jinping, is pursuing a strategy to make the country’s economy more self-sufficient, while making other places more dependent on it than ever. (NYT)
* Study: Coronavirus vaccines face trust gap in Black and Latino communities (WashPo)
* “It’s always tempting to do other things.” Distractions and lack of motivation while learning at home might be hurting boys more than girls—and researchers say that could widen the gender achievement gap. (WSJ)
* As Customers Move Online, So Does the Holiday Shopping Season -- Empty stores are turning into fulfillment centers and the market for warehouse space is booming, as the pandemic rockets the retail industry into its e-commerce future. (NYT)
* Judge orders Trump appointee "hands off" Voice of America journalism (NPR)
* ‘We’re in the foxhole together’: House Democrats reckon with a diminished majority (WashPo)
* Biden shared a tweet showing off a new website for his transition. And his supporters are excited by just three letters in the URL: .gov. The new site, BuildBackBetter.gov, is one of the first visible signs that the formal transition to the new administration is underway, hours after the General Services Administration finally signed off on giving Biden’s team access to the resources to begin the process. [HuffPost]
* General Motors says it will no longer support the Trump administration in legal efforts to end California’s right to set its own clean-air standards. CEO Mary Barra said in a letter to environmental groups that GM will pull out of the lawsuit, and it urges other automakers to do so. She said the company agrees with Biden’s plan to expand electric vehicle use. [AP]
* Coronavirus is roaring back in parts of Asia, capitalizing on pandemic fatigue (WashPo)
***
The lonesome organ grinder cries
The silver saxophones say I should refuse you
The cracked bells and washed-out horns
Blow into my face with scorn, but it's
Not that way, I wasn't born to lose you
I want you
I want you, so bad
Honey, I want you
Upon the street where mothers weep
And the saviors who are fast asleep, they wait for you
And I wait for them to interrupt
Me drinkin' from my broken cup
And ask me to open up the gate for you
I want you
Yes I want you, so bad
Honey, I want you
True love they've been without it
But all their daughters put me down
'Cause I don't think about it
And talk with my chambermaid
She knows that I'm not afraid to look at her
She is good to me and there's
Nothing she doesn't see
She knows where I'd like to be but it doesn't
Matter
I want you
Yes I want you, so bad
Honey, I want you
Spoke to me, I took his flute
No, I wasn't very cute to him, was I?
But I did it, because he lied and
Because he took you for a ride
And because time was on his side and
Because I
I want you
Yes I want you, so bad
Honey, I want you
-- Bob Dylan
-30-
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