A Journalist’s Balance Between Building Sources and Standing Ground

by Mariam Mackar

When I first entered the world of Journalism, one of the most striking things I was told was that a journalist can’t be afraid of being disliked. This idea made sense to me in theory: a reporter can’t be afraid to ask the tough questions to get the right answers and a reporter definitely can’t be scared of nagging to get an interview that will make or break a story. For a notorious people pleaser like myself, I had a bit of a mental back and forth with myself after hearing this from many, if not all, of my professors at DePaul. This internal game of ping-pong consisted of a lot of questions of whether or not I was capable of going the lengths for each story or if my desire to be ‘liked’ swallowed that. Like many who first enter the fast-paced and demanding world of reporting, I wasn’t sure I had what it takes.

I quickly accepted that I needed to step out of my head and push myself further than I was used to in order to become the journalist I hoped to be. Throughout my time reporting I have learned to be okay with asking for interviews, speaking to people who are much more successful than I am, and doing whatever needs to be done to get the right components of each story. I did not allow myself to get lost in the thought of whether or not the people I was speaking to would find me agitating; after all I didn’t enter this profession to be liked, I entered it to learn how to find the truth.

Learning how to be bold in this way is something that every reporter learns how to do, but as I began to come to terms with this factor of the field, I found a new obstacle.

As the saying goes, a journalist is only as good as his or her sources.

All the best journalists have a network of sources that expand throughout their entire career. A good relationship with a source is another tool in your tool belt to utilize for future stories.

So where is the balance?  What is the priority?

“This is a relationship business.” Jenna Goudreau, writer for Forbes, says in her article “10 Tips for Young Aspiring Journalists.” “Good relationships with sources and subjects will make you better at your job. Do not underestimate or shortchange your relationships.”

This is especially important for young journalists like me who are just starting out in the field. I don’t exactly have the “clout” to be creating enemies with the little credibility and network I have. Building those sources and relationships are critical for young journalists like myself as I begin my professional life.

So, if a journalist can’t get held up by wanting to be liked, but must be liked enough to build their network, where is the line and where should it be set?

Building relationships with sources and keeping journalistic integrity are not mutually exclusive. In fact, it often takes a journalist’s ethical integrity and honesty to show a source that they are someone to be trusted both in the moment and in the future.

In his article “Defining the Delicate and Often Difficult Relationship Between Reporters and Sources,” Pro- Publica journalist Steve Mills states that transparency is crucial in fostering a reporter’s relationship with their sources.

“A good journalist explains to that kind of source the risks of cooperating with a story — either by being a source of information or a subject of a story. Journalism can be a sort of hit-and-run business: get information from the source, write the story, never talk to the source again. That approach can be a bit unkind, I think, and shortsighted. I keep in touch with some sources who haven’t provided me with information that led to a story in several years. You never know when they’ll have a story for you.”

A journalist’s goal is to report with integrity and not to create a personal fan-base or new friend. However, this does not mean that one needs to foster a standoffish demeanor or unkind behavior to succeed, but instead to keep the bigger picture in mind at all times and understand that, no matter what they do, they can’t make everyone happy.

As Mills says, a journalist can’t be afraid to go against a source if it means reporting the truth of a story.

“[Journalists] must also be willing to follow the facts wherever they lead, even if that means angering a source with a story that’s tough on them — even if that makes getting information from the source in the future more difficult.”

At its core, the solution seems to be simple: be a reliable person. Just as every journalist wants to be able to depend on their source’s credibility, sources would like to feel the same with journalists. Report with integrity, honesty, and transparency. Go the extra mile to find the right sources that will expose the nitty gritty of each story.

This is certainly much easier said than done and mistakes are, of course, inevitable. The field of journalism is one that requires opening the door to one’s comfort zone and stepping outside of it indefinitely. What I have learned from the rigorous reporting my colleagues and professors have accomplished is that a reporter should never get comfortable. Each story should make them better in some way, whether that’s by learning how to ask better questions, knowing where to look for answers or learning something new about a person, place or thing.

A reporter can’t live with the worry of being disliked, because the nature of the job transcends the desire of being loved by everyone. By being ethical, reliable, and driven by the goal of getting the job done the right way, the tension between building relationships with sources and being a good reporter disappears on its own.