Memories Pizza: The 'Ambush Interview' That Wasn't

I apparently owe fellow PJ Media contributor Scott Ott a debt of gratitude and like all good journalists I always (cough, cough) pay off my obligations.

You see, it’s been some years – and that’s an understatement – since I attended journalism school so I only learned recently via Mr. Ott that that the old standard practices I adhered to for more than 40 years in the news trade have changed. Given that, I was wondering if he would be so good as to clarify some things for this old scribe.

Is it now considered unethical or somehow improper to enter a business, regardless of locale, and request an interview with the owner regarding the affairs of the day? And, having accomplished that, is it unethical or improper to accurately quote the things that owner had to say?

I raise these questions in the wake of his recent post, which seems to suggest that nosy reporters should just keep their inquiries to themselves.

A quick recap: The Indiana legislature last month passed, and Gov. Mike Pence signed, a so-called religious freedom law that, among other things, prohibited state and local governments from impeding an individual’s ability to exercise his or her religion unless the government could establish a compelling interest.

The legislation made no reference to sexual orientation but some folks, gay rights advocates in particular, insisted it would permit business owners to deny services to gays and lesbians based on religious convictions.

After extended hemming and hawing – we old journalists used to call it backing-and-filling – Pence defended the law and therefore immediately proceeded to change it.

Fine thus far. But during this brouhaha a South Bend, Ind., news outlet, Channel 57, dispatched reporter Alyssa Marino to the small town of Walkerton to do a reaction story. You see, back in the day, this was considered SOP – standard operating procedure – for news outfits. If a newsworthy event occurred in the state (in my case, Kentucky) that carried national ramifications, the editor would kindly suggest we hunt up a local angle. Actually, the request was neither done kindly nor was it a suggestion. Anyway, go find someone who approves/disapproves of what’s going on and write about it.

In this instance the reporter happened upon a seemingly nice and considerate young woman named Crystal O’Connor, whose family operates Memories Pizza. That, to many news folks, would seem to make her a rather average Hoosier – just the sort of person a reporter would like to talk to about a story like this. She then proceeded to ask the woman questions, sans strong-arm tactics, it appears, and the young woman willingly answered.

The report was aired – O’Connor expressed some concern about her religious convictions being compromised if she had to cater a same-sex wedding ceremony, a somewhat remote possibility, and the comments drew some negative reaction. O’Connor also said they would not deny service to gay customers who came in to place an order. Memories Pizza was forced to temporarily close and recently reopened with $800,000 in crowd-funding donations.

Now I learn through Ott (as I noted, it’s been a long time since I sat in Leonard Tipton’s news writing class) that the formerly rather staid and standard practice of asking “real people” questions and then accurately relating their responses is a damnable outrage and that Alyssa Marino obviously is the greatest villain since Saul Alinsky.

Who knew?

Now I’m getting old (actually I am old but we journalists always try to be even-handed) so I’m easily confused. Ott, for instance, in his piece, uses the term “ambush interview” – my God, did Marino jump out from behind a car, push a microphone in the young woman’s face and demand she answer questions? That certainly would be a bit much, but it seems to be an assumption based on facts not in evidence. My impression is she walked into the establishment, politely asked a few questions and skedaddled. She may have even had a slice with pepperoni.

Regardless, the young reporter conducted the interview, probably thanked the pizzeria owner at the conclusion, and thereupon returned to South Bend – Go Irish.

Speaking of South Bend, Ott dutifully notes that city slicker Marino, coming down all high and mighty from the 96^th largest media market in all these United States – just ahead of the Tri-Cities in Tennessee and Burlington, Vt. – to take advantage of the first poor rube she ran into. Wow, and all this time I thought we were supposed to respect and admire the intelligence and wisdom of those residing in small town America and take what they say seriously.

Never again!

Now, being old school, I have yet to ascertain how the reporter is being linked to that old devil Saul Alinsky. The Indiana General Assembly passed a law ostensibly about religious freedom. Various groups and individuals complained that it essentially would allow Hoosier businesses to refuse service to gay couples. Being a reporter for a news operation in, of all places, Indiana, the reporter asked the pizzeria owner what she thought about said Indiana law and then accurately reported her comments to expectant South Benders.

Back when I was a newspaper reporter that was called, well, reporting the news. I was unaware that reporters now must first receive a press release or be contacted by a business owner before we could presume to ask questions.

But times change. Thanks for the education, Scott.

One thing I do understand is that many of the comments directed at the pizzeria and Crystal O’Connor are gross, terrible and have no place in a civil society. This is a horrible outgrowth of the digital age and if someone can offer a satisfactory way to address it count me in.

And I hope you’ll join me in, likewise, condemning the filth flung at Alyssa Marino, the young reporter who has been called, among other things, “vile” and “a gay/Lesbian terrorist.” WBND-TV said it received more than 300 threatening phone calls resulting in extra police patrols being needed outside of the station. Things have indeed gotten out of control.