ESPN's Sam Alipour on Miguel Cabrera

I don't mind the first person so much if it works with the story and isn't done all the time. To me it's kind of like knowing what's obscene; you just know if it is, or isn't. Same with first person working in a story. You either think the writer including himself fits or it doesn't.

Of course, the comments below Alipour's story are "how dare you ask those questions!" The questions about Cabrera's drinking should have been asked. Good for him for asking.

As for more first person in ESPN the Mag stories, as was asked in another thread, they do things differently. The first letter of that company's name says it all. It's not the Journalism Sports Programming Network.

 

How do you guys handle the "send questions before interview" request? Do you decline doing so, do you go through it, do you lose the interview?

 

In my nearly 10 years as a reporter, including more than four covering a national sport, I was never asked to see the questions before the interview. I was often asked if they could see the story before it went to print, which I never agreed to. But I don't remember anyone asking specifically about the questions.

 

I never sent questions before an interview and never sent a story for someone to read before publication. Anyone who asked was told no. More than one person refused to talk because of it but I never lost any sleep over it.

 

That's fair. I enjoyed it. Didn't know much about Miggy.