Like many journalists today, those of us on the fully remote news team at CT no longer have offices, and that means no more office phones. We make calls straight from our personal cell phones, and most of our sources speak to us from their cell phones too.
My list of contacts has become dotted with spokespeople, pastors, whistleblowers, and experts, with the relevant story topics listed under their names in case I don’t recognize them right away. The direct access is great for reporting; it’s become easier to reach people directly and follow up when topics reemerge in the news.
But it also means I could glance down at my phone—in the middle of a run at the gym, while standing in line at a theme park, and during Bible study—and see a message from a source.
At some point, I might opt for a separate work phone. For now, I think if I’m going to occasionally have to make calls and ask questions that come as a disruption to others, I should be willing to be disrupted sometimes too.
