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'2am and I'm still awake writing a song...'*
Posted by JSYL
on
Thursday, April 16, 2009
in
The Secret Life of Journalists
You may or may not be wondering what I'm doing blogging at 2.25am Sydney time. (If you're not, you have no empathy, soul, or business perusing my blog. Sorry. I'm tired. That sounded funnier in my head.)
It all started with an article - The Burmese economy, warts and all, and how the recent ASEAN Australia New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) will work in that context.
After a quick Internet browse I stumbled on three perfect contacts:
1. Australian economist who's published countless works and been quoted for his views on Myanmar in, (who'd have thunk it?) The Economist
2. A Burmese person who shall remain nameless
3. Humanitarian aid workers who've worked in Myanmar for years
But it was too good to be true. One by one my potential interviewees started to drop out for various reasons. Then, miraculously, said economist agreed to a phone interview despite currently being in Washington.
Well, my big ego made me brag about it on Facebook and Twitter, and being a stickler for accuracy, it also felt compelled to report the unfortunate series of events that followed:
10.19PM JSYL taking a nap before a 1am interview with Australian economist currently in Washington, on the plight of Burmese migrant workers in Thailand..sweeeeet
10.27PM JSYL oh. holy. crap. what is wrong with my recorder.
10.29PM JSYL All's well. thank God I had spare cassettes. Night all!
...after fitfully hovering between sleep and consciousness for a few hours...
1.14AM JSYL voice mail?!?! nooooooOoooooooOoooooo
Journalism fail indeed.
*Not really. Anna Nalick is though, and it's a good one.
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It all started with an article - The Burmese economy, warts and all, and how the recent ASEAN Australia New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) will work in that context.
After a quick Internet browse I stumbled on three perfect contacts:
1. Australian economist who's published countless works and been quoted for his views on Myanmar in, (who'd have thunk it?) The Economist
2. A Burmese person who shall remain nameless
3. Humanitarian aid workers who've worked in Myanmar for years
But it was too good to be true. One by one my potential interviewees started to drop out for various reasons. Then, miraculously, said economist agreed to a phone interview despite currently being in Washington.
Well, my big ego made me brag about it on Facebook and Twitter, and being a stickler for accuracy, it also felt compelled to report the unfortunate series of events that followed:
10.19PM JSYL taking a nap before a 1am interview with Australian economist currently in Washington, on the plight of Burmese migrant workers in Thailand..sweeeeet
10.27PM JSYL oh. holy. crap. what is wrong with my recorder.
10.29PM JSYL All's well. thank God I had spare cassettes. Night all!
...after fitfully hovering between sleep and consciousness for a few hours...
1.14AM JSYL voice mail?!?! nooooooOoooooooOoooooo
Journalism fail indeed.
*Not really. Anna Nalick is though, and it's a good one.
|
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