My second assignment at the Inky marked my first cold door-knocking experience. I had to track down a hit-and-run victim who suffered minor injuries outside the previous night's Phillies game. The hook? He was 91-years-old. I got ahold of his name and contact information, called to make sure he was home and took an hour-long drive out to the suburbs to find out his story.
I'll admit, I was a bit nervous. When I first called, it sounded like the victim and his wife were not interested in an interview. Sometime in the interim, they changed their minds. When I arrived, the victim was decked out in his Phillies gear in his kitchen, which was also decorated with Phillies memorabilia. In the wooden door frame that opened to the garage, two tickets for that night's game were secured. It turned out not even a hospital visit would deter this man, a season ticket-holder, from making it to the game. I had myself a story!
That assignment taught me that it ALWAYS pays to go to the source in journalism. Sometimes you feel like a nusance, but it is almost always worth it to take the gamble. If I hadn't knocked on his door, I wouldn't have discovered the colorful details that helped me land the story on A1.
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