Best We Can Do

Sometimes, the story becomes a part of the story.

by Brian Howard

As journalists, we do our damnedest to tell stories without becoming part of them. Journalism in its Platonic ideal would involve something like invisible reporters and subjects unswayed by the consequences of their interactions. But Platonic idealism is, alas, idealism. Ours is an existence impacted by media, where the line can blur easily, and before you know it your story's a prose version of Escher's Drawing Hands.

That's where we found ourselves with staff writer Isaiah Thompson's cover feature on Ron Blount, the controversial president of the United Taxi Workers Alliance of Pennsylvania. Blount's controversial because he's good at what he does and passionate. He's also controversial because he's facing assault charges that could hinder the TWA-PA's ability to bargain.

City Paper is a staunch supporter of labor unions; the freedom to organize and bargain collectively is one of our most American ideas. But labor love aside, it was never our intention to write a puff piece on Blount.

Which is where our story first became part of our story. Thompson was concerned Blount would react negatively when questioned about a pair of incidents, one recent and one in the late '90s, for which he was charged. When asked, Blount was upset and requested we leave an older incident — a 1997 allegation that was later retracted — out of the story. We told him it was our obligation to present an honest portrait, warts and all. We told him that the best we could do would be to tell everything.

"A lot of people are more used to daily news stories," figures Thompson. "They don't realize how deep we dig in these cover stories. ... I knew that Ron Blount wasn't thrilled about some of the questions that had to do with his life before becoming an organizer. And I understand that. I also think we're justified in asking the questions I did."

To his credit, Blount didn't shut us out. He continued to answer Thompson's queries.

But as deadline approached, things fell even further down the rabbit hole. The best we can do, dear reader, is tell you everything.

"The night before our final deadline I had called and left a message for him," says Thompson, wanting to give Blount a final chance to comment and ask questions. "He called me back, was very polite, was very gracious as always, and said, 'I'm resigning.'"

In an e-mail Blount sent that evening to his fellow cabbies, he mentioned an "ongoing legal battle" and "stories" focusing on his past, allegedly our story, as his reasons for stepping down.

This was news to even his innermost circle, who convened a secret meeting Tuesday night where they refused to accept Blount's resignation.

All of this changed the end of our story quite substantially, from "Is Ron Blount the right guy to lead the taxi army?" to "Will Ron Blount lead the taxi army?"

Turns out he will. Here's the story, warts and all.

If there are further developments, you can be sure we'll tell you everything — as it happens — here on citypaper.net.

Tuesday night, while Thompson was following up with cabbies, staff writer Tom Namako was in Linvilla Orchards grilling veep nominee Joe Biden. Some writers hear they have a chance to interview Biden and think, "Ooh, I wonder if he'll like me." Namako thinks, "Ooh, I get to grill this guy."

Namako got 6 minutes of face time with Joe and asked him, among other things, what he and Barry would be doing for cities. Sayeth Biden: "You know that old expression, if you don't visit a bad neighborhood, it'll visit you? You know, people deserve better, they deserve a lot better. And people are going to say, 'How are you going to pay for this?' Look, right now the tax cut going to the people who make over $250,000 is $130 billion a year. What do you think I can do for cities with one-tenth of that amount of money?"

Here's to finding out.

(bhoward@citypaper.net)