Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Diva Darcel Grimes and Tallahassee Tammy Watford had some fun happy talk on Thursday when Tammy congratulated The Diva on her 25th anniversary with WLOSers. Twenty-five years of reading us the news. Twenty-five years of calling hurricanes “harri-canes.” Twenty-five years of perfect weaves.
Diva, we salute you.
For more insight, or for a hearty belly laugh, we thought we’d bring you a little excerpt from an interview The Diva did with the free weekly rag WNC Woman a couple of years ago:
Interviewer: And my personal question, coming from someone who has been told that I could never play poker … How do you – especially if it is personal/local – how do you keep your face totally neutral?
The Diva: (laughs)
Bootlicking interviewer: It is obviously a skill you have to have.
The Diva: You have to understand—at least, I think journalists have to understand, how I feel is not important. What is important is the story. Yes, I can empathize, I can feel pain, but it’s not for me to judge. When you cross the line and start to judge – I have a problem with that.
I had an instructor in college who said there is no such thing as total objectivity. We all come to the table with life experiences, so as journalists you have to sit down and say, this is how I feel. Acknowledge the feeling and be honest with yourself so that your feelings don’t creep into the story.
Interviewer as sycophant: And you are excellent at that.
The Diva: I may think this politician is (does a raspberry), but how I feel is irrelevent because this politician is still a person. How I feel about him matters only on election day when I go to cast my one vote. My job is to inform, not to sway. To give the facts and then let you decide. That is one thing that does bother me sometimes with the news and reporting across the nation today. You have young people in their 20scoming into the business that tend to forget that they’re dealing with someone’s life.
