Personifying a good journalistic ethic

Photo by Bob Siddens
John Quinn and James Wagner

In the lobby of the Freedom Forum’s Seigenthaler Center, I met an older man who within seconds left me amazed. As the groups of scholars met for the first time, John C. Quinn moved from one group to another and greeted each person individually. And with each introduction, Mr. Quinn had a specific comment about that person’s Chips Quinn biography. It was so specific that it was scary. “Did you bring that music you like with you?” he asked me. Or “sorry the major leagues didn’t work out for you,” he told my fellow Chipster and failed professional baseball player, Danny Davis. How did he know that about me? Or Danny? Easy, he is a journalist and he did his homework. Mr. Quinn had spent time reading all the scholars’ Web profiles and taken notes. With this seemingly meaningless encounter within the first few hours of the start of the weekend, Mr. Quinn personified a good journalistic ethic. He did his homework. He researched his sources, or in this case, his protégés. In my mind, he established his credibility by spending time to learn about me. I stood in awe as a true journalist did his work. Hopefully, I can remember his example and turn the tables on him. Mr. Quinn, if you are reading this, here is my researched question: “What was Rochester, N.Y., like?”

-- James Wagner, University of Virginia, The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.