Beat Reporter As Pro

Saul Friedman: Why can't reporters who cover their beats well and who become as expert as possible in that field–the law, courts, medicine, consumerism, politics, the Congress, even the presidency – write for their newspapers as if they're writing a book or a magazine piece? If they are truly expert, as many reporters are, they need not depend on someone else for a meaningless quote. They should be freed from the constraints of "he said, she said" and provide narrative journalism, which is much more interesting than "on the other handism." And it may come closer to the truth.