Stood in the Congo

A tiny feeling that this chap would be high maintenance.

Am I to take it then that you are not amenable to facilitating my reporting on the subject? In my years as a reporter— covering stories from South America to the Middle East for magazines and newspapers from The Baltimore Sun and the Christian Science Monitor to Beirut’s Daily Star, as well the time I spent on two masters degrees in journalism and international affairs at Columbia University— I’m become well-versed in the ethical prohibitions against striking any overt deals with the subject of a profile. Naturally, a profile of a nonprofit that has helped preserve Kenya’s storied wildlife through a recent dark chapter of history would probably include your fundraising efforts and the struggle that your mission entails. I would imagine that any magazine that buys the story might likely include a link to your website. But much of that is in the editor’s hands and, as a journalist, my job is to pursue the truth of the story without compromising the integrity of the story by promising things that, in the end, are someone else’s decision. I certainly understand that my tagging along could impose a burden on your staff, but in facilitating such coverage you would have to do so because you feel that the intrinsic merit of educating people about the work that you do— and about the challenges that Kenyans and preservationists alike face— resonates with the spirit of your mission. Please advise whether or not I can expect your cooperation.