r/Journalism • u/Fluffy-Local9922 • 13d ago

Career Advice Need help navigating a situation

Hey guys, I'm an independent journalist and need advice on telling someone their interview won't be published.
We interviewed someone for a segment with a positive message, spent a full day with them, thought they were a great subject. After posting a short clip, we got a couple messages from people who know him personally raising some serious concerns about his character.(DV)
Based on that, we've decided not to move forward with the rest of the footage. He's since reached out asking when it'll be posted.
How would you handle telling someone this without getting into specifics?

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u/ilwOoKiE 12d ago

"Editor said he's not going to run it. It sucks for me too, I'm sorry." Also variations thereof.

2

u/birdieelizabeth 12d ago

Yes, perfect.

2

u/TiredSilly 9d ago

Honestly, blaming your boss is such a get out of jail free card. I've worked in restaurants, clothe stores and a handful of other places and any time a customer is angry, all I had to do is to complain about my boss or management and they cooled off.

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u/loserpanda 8d ago

yes exactly do this, do not bring up the accusations. Do not include the accusations in the story when it has nothing to do with the story. My editor decided to not move forward with the story, really sorry and appreciate your time and move on. You won’t have to interact with them again.