Speis

Try and research the mildest story and no matter who you talk to you'll quickly find yourself redirected to their press representative, someone schooled in evasion and spewing press releases. No one wants to talk to journalists (or even student journalists). It's frustrating that every nugget of information has to be shredded, reconstituted and coated in crispy-fried lies.

I'm trying to cover a local story for an assignment. Nothing major, just a 1,000 words on a local interest story. It's quickly turning into a game of smoke and mirrors. The people who want to talk to me are gagged and the people who can help me are aloof. The story is turning into the fight to cover the story. Why are they so cagey? Don't they know that saying things like "this is not public knowledge at the moment" will set every curious nerve ending in my body quivering like a giant tuning fork? Can I still write this story without their permission? I think I will. I think I have to. I don't have any other ideas and it's due in a week. What's the harm? It's only for class. No one's gonna know.