On being on the other side of the interview

By Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO—I’ve had the pleasure of being a journalist for more than 52 years, ever since my first byline appeared in the UCLA Daily Bruin in 1962.  Over those years, I’ve interviewed more people than I can count and I long ago lost track of all the stories I’ve written.

But far from saying “I’ve seen it all, done it all,” every day seems to bring me a new experience, and none more eye-opening than finding out what it is like to be on the other side of the interview.  Today (December 20^th), an article by Nina Garin of the San Diego Union-Tribune was printed about me on Page 2.  It was a question-and-answer article in which Garin asked me about my life, my career, and about San Diego Jewish World.  The article was timed to coincide with Chanukah.

From my standpoint, it was a very nice article, and I have nothing but compliments for Garin and photographer Eduardo Contreras. A professional, Contreras got me smiling in the U-T’s studio, despite my natural discomfort being in front (instead of behind) a camera.   Garin, too, put me at ease as she explained what her process was for developing these Q&A’s.  I simply could not have been treated more nicely.

What I learned from all this, is what it feels like to anticipate an article—especially one with a photo—hoping that you look good, or at least presentable, and hoping that you didn’t per chance say anything to embarrass yourself.

Knowing the U-T article was coming out in the morning, I tiptoed out to the driveway to find where the carrier had tossed the newspaper.  I took it back into the house, laid it out on the kitchen table, slowly  turned to page 2, took a breath, looked, and then—oh  my gosh – there I was staring back at myself.  I had never seen myself so close-up, not even in the mirror while shaving.   It was quite a shock.  I really am not the 30-year-old that my mind likes to trick me into thinking I am; I am indeed on the verge of the biblical three score and ten.

Next came e-mail messages from family and friends, almost all of them friendly, congratulating me on the article, or even complimenting something I had to say.  I wouldn’t have been surprised if my wife, Nancy, had pulled out a tape measure for my head to see if it really swelled as a result of all this attention.

As nice as all this was, I wondered what it would have been like if things hadn’t turned out so satisfactorily.  Suppose there had been a piece of spinach in my teeth, and no one had told me?  What if I had said one thing, meaning another, and it came back to haunt me?   I realized how grateful I was that none of those calamities befell me.  I reflected as well on my responsibilities as a journalist.  Do people whom I interview have similar bouts with doubts and anticipation after I interview them?  Do they feel secure that in my article I will treat them fairly and with respect?

Sometimes, of course, journalists have to write, or publish, articles that make their subjects unhappy.  In many years of covering politics, I have had to ask people questions they would rather not hear – how do they feel about this hot button issue, or that one, and who is it that their campaign donations are coming from?  Or, if they are donors, who are they backing and why?

None of this, from my standpoint, is ever personal. I’m just trying to do my job, seeking answers to questions that the readers may find relevant.

But, after experiencing the waiting period for Garin’s fine article and Contreras’s photo to appear, I have a much better understanding of the emotions interviewees are feeling.  I’ll continue to balance that understanding with the need to present factual stories to the readers.

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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World.  Your comment on this article may be posted in the box below or you may send it directly to the author at donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com