Once in a while, probably not often enough, I get a phone call or an e-mail from a member of the fourth estate ( a journalist). Sometimes they want some information related to my community involvement, sometimes they are inquiring about neighborhood issues, but most often they are looking for information about a real estate transaction. If it concerns my work in the Chamber of Commerce, a PAC, or a citizen advisory board it is easy to defer to a higher authority. But if they are calling about a specific transaction I have to remind myself that the reporter probably already knows, from the public record, more than I can tell them. When my client or customer is a high profile personality I have to remember to remain polite, non-committal, non-judgemental, succinct and totally honest.
Such was the case recently when I got a call last week from Jessica Burke of the Daily Business Review. Upon publication of the article a few days later I found out that she had already chosen her story line, with lots of details about my customer’s past and family, and that the recent transaction was a way to get the article on the front page. At first I was a little dismayed, but then I realized that he has seen as much or more about himself in numerous publications over the years. All I did was confirm the size of the garage! And of course, I was credited as his representative in the transaction. The article was quite informative about both the seller and the buyer. Both clearly have an influence in our business community.
I was pleased and proud to represent my friend/customer and to be associated with E-W-M. Reporters, keep calling. I’ll always be polite, honest, and succinct. Just make sure you spell my name right. 🙂