Of three job titles I’ve spent time fitting into – journalist, teacher, editor – journalist is the easiest to define. This is about three common varieties:

The Scoop reporter. The Scandal reporter. The Story reporter.

The Scoop reporter will steal keys andn/or lie to children if that’s what it takes to arrive first on the scene of a calamitous event, say, a plane crash. If it’s too soon to know anything for certain, the scoop reporter will set up cameras to report that it is too soon to report anything for certain.

The Scandal reporter thrives on salacious. At a plane crash, he’s the microphone shover, an intimidating move assuring a source the mike WILL proceed down his throat directly to get a statement.

The Story reporter is born with a sad gene, easily triggered at a plane crash. Sadly, he kicks glods of debris looking for a sad symbol…an abandoned headphone, a shoe. Whether there is a story behind the object is less important than imagining one. And it is always sad.