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Show There ought to be hazard pay for this tidbits .& . Copyright 1984, Sharon Morrey By SIIAKON MORKKY This is treacherous duty, this reporting business. If someone isn't yelling in your ear about how you misspelled their name or left them out of the story, somebody else is writing you death threats because their child's picture never ran. I don't know if it's worth it. I mean, here I am, small-time reporter person out on assignment when I should be cooking dinner and all I have to do is climb a couple of 40-foot ladders and back up to take a roof photo. Why should I be concerned? Why should I mind. "I get paid for it. don't I?" (not enough! ) And then again I'm spending the morning with my claustrophobia and 25 sixth grade kids underground in a bomb shelter tunnel, I find myself wondering ... is this the life of ease and fame I dreamed of? Is any story worth the risk? I never intended to get rich doing this (and I haven't) and I never Even then I was getting into trouble with my stories - my mom didn't like how I dredged up little juicy details about life around the house. And my brothers reacted negatively when their escapades made the front page. There would be good days and bad days, a mistake now and then, libel suits, letter bombs, unhappy editors and peeved politicians. I knew that. I planned ahead for that. I try to be ready and "believe it or not" I even try to make sure I don't make the mistakes that drive people crazy and cause them to cancel their subscriptions. The problem is that a reporter's "little" mistakes usually are in GREAT BIG LETTERS, for the world to see and with a tatlletale byline by-line to make sure people know "whodunnit." And it's always the sleepers that get you, the PR (public relations) pieces or the freebies you did on your own time just to be nice. I always hear about theoneonili back page where 1 cut a crwialbii" information 'in half (to gel iu where there wasn't room) or lit to represent the other side in it-story it-story about the PTA member drive. And then once in a while when I' get it right, the reader gels it m and I'm still in the doghouse iT . years ago when the Alpine Su District thought I was sent F; sonally to persecute them have been tickled to know sum called to accuse me of W district's little puppet." You can't win. And somen wonder why 1 fight it-Mf. sick sense of wanting to be flog'-public, flog'-public, maybe I don't gel kicks at home. t I don't have the answer i journalists and newspaper this. Most of us know Ml ; someofuscouldbehappierm occupations. , 0 Maybe it's because Bufdon't quote me on tnai. really set out to make friends (although it would be nice if people didn't lob tomatoes at you in the schoolyard.) Bull thought it would be fun and keep me out of trouble. I thought I knew the score as I went in. I've been putting out papers since I was five and published the "Hancock Gazette." |