Emotions
I don't write anything here that I wouldn't want sources, article subjects or co-workers/bosses to see, so that occasionally keeps me from posting some things. I will, however, get a few thoughts off my mind.Like most people in America, I have a job. Sometimes it's harder than other times. Sometimes I have to ask questions and do some things that aren't easy. I know that some things upset people, even when I try to make it easier on them. So then, when they turn around and blame me, it's not pleasant. It's hard to take the blame for something factual -- something that is not in my control.
On a similar note, I'm a person with feelings. I learned a long time ago that people take their frustration out on the nearest potential target. When suspects' family memers call me nasty names under their breath, I understand they have nobody else to blame. When they insist I got something wrong, I listen and try to fix it (even when we go around in circles and they can't tell me what, if anything, was wrong). When they make veiled threats, I don't back down while letting them know I'm not out to get them.
But, as I started to say earlier, I have feelings. Occasionally I come across something that invokes emotions and goes beyond my ability to say, "Yes, I just saw a nasty car wreck; yes, I'm fine." Take, for instance, a really good story that just happened to hit me on a deeper level. Combine that with a variety of the things mentioned in the previous paragraph, and you get a relatively normal, average person who just happens to have a job that sometimes throws curve balls at her.
So, what's my point? I guess I'm venting a bit. And I'm also attempting to remind people that I, like virtually every other person in the world, have feelings. Give us reporters some slack; we're doing our jobs and trying not to get emotionally involved.
Posted by Layla at 11:00 PM, January 24, 2006
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