"Interview"

[Thinking Man]

I am a former newspaper reporter now working as a purchasing agent. I wanted to get some opinions on something that just happened to me.

Earlier today, I sent a solicitation out for police vehicle emergency equipment. I received a call a few moments ago from someone asking questions about the solicitation. I assumed it was a vendor. At the end of the brief conversation, the guy indicated that he was writing an article. He never identified himself or the publication he was representing. I did ask him to do so. When he wouldn't, I ended the call immediately.

If he was representing a real publication, what he did was very unethical, IMO. I did thousands of interviews during my career as a news reporter. I ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS identified myself upfront including my name and the publication I was writing for….

Thoughts?

 

[rpmmutant]

Totally unethical on the reporter's part. Totally irresponsible of you not to ask who the caller was. Even it if was a vendor, it doesn't hurt to ask: Who are you and who do you work for?

 

[Thinking Man]

Agreed. I should have asked him to ID himself up front. I just thought the way it was handled was completely slime-ball. The guy ambushes me and clearly has an agenda. I sure as shirt hope I never came off that way in an interview.

 

[J-School Blue]

Unethical and shady. I'd put money the guy wasn't representing any media outlet you would've heard of. Did you snag his phone number off a caller ID or anything similar? I'd run it through a 411.com search to see if you could identify his pub, though I doubt he was calling from a work phone. Anyway, if you get any identifying info about who the guy works for, call his editor and tell them what happened. That's an offense that should land a reporter in deep shirt, and if he did it to you he may well be doing it to other "sources."

Though I repeat, it doesn't sound like this dude was working for a legit news organization.