I’ve been an investigative reporter most of my career, and I feel lucky because long ago, when I was starting out, I didn’t take the advice of one of my elders. It was in my first few weeks as a reporter for The Kansas City Star. One of the copy editors pulled up a chair next to my desk and began to go through a small story I had written. He eliminated a word here, inserted a word there. Nothing major. Then he put the copy down and looked me in the eye and said, “Jimmy—you’re doing good work. But get out while you can.”
But I was hooked. Talking to people. Being around police. Watching firemen brave a big fire. Spending time with bereaved families who’d lost a loved one—all those currents that make us human spoke to me. I knew what I wanted to do.
