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Had a difficult & unusual experience recently with a group of researchers. A colleague & I had a minor scoop & we wanted to get a second opinion on our conclusions. I went to the researchers to get a sanity check. They instead rushed out their own version of our findings.
It seems they'd been working in parallel & came to the same conclusions - which happens! But it was not handled gracefully.
Reporters - particularly those that cover technical subjects - are extraordinarily dependent on the good will & good faith of subject matter experts. Many selflessly give up their time (and slivers of their sanity) to help journalists navigate complex questions.
Reporters can get it wrong regardless, of course, but without experts providing guardrails & guidance coverage would be a disaster (or even more of a disaster, depending on your perspective.)
If reporters feel that the people they reach out to are liable to become competitors, they may become gun shy about speaking to experts. That has negative consequences for the quality of coverage overall.
My advice to everyone concerned: Talk it out ahead of time.
My advice to everyone concerned: Talk it out ahead of time.
