On curiosity and doubt

I was inclined to write this piece by the events that surrounded the recent sale of a well-known shopping centre. Information about the transaction popped up in our editorial e-mail box. It was almost entirely content-free – virtually no details were provided and the identity of the buyer was not disclosed, nor was the value of the deal. Basically, this gave me nothing to write about. But this kind of situation actually represents something of a irresistible challenge for a journalist – so many things to check, so much to uncover! Contacting the representatives of companies involved in the transaction did not have the desired effect – they remained tight-lipped, hiding behind the terms of a contract that prohibited them from revealing any further details.

With the official path thus blocked, none of the secrets behind this mysterious transaction had had any light shed on them. It was therefore necessary to turn to our contacts on the market to find out more. This resulted in the exchange of some intriguing gossip and morsels of information, a few aspersions here and there together with some completely groundless speculation, which I will not be able to dwell on here, although it was only armed with some of this that my report could be given some colour.

After a few more days of chipping away at the wall of silence, I finally managed to unearth some hard facts from a reliable source – a financial report by one of the parties to the transaction. It should be pointed out that this was both a public disclosure and one that is required by law. The result of all this was an article based mainly on the information it contained and, as a bonus, an account of the rather behind-the-scenes activity required to get it.

Some of the parties involved, however, didn’t quite share my satisfaction with the article when it was eventually published. In a telephone conversation with a representative of one of these companies, I was told that the “information” in the original press release should have been published unchanged because that is what my job should be (!). I was also informed that I actually had no business being so interested in the deal and anything related to it. Could I not have just been satisfied with what the companies had decided to disclose? Well, I couldn’t.

This is my message to all those who were upset by my divulging of information that was already in the public domain. I will continue to relay such news regardless of whether it reflects well or badly on the parties involved and despite personal sympathy or antipathy. The media exists for its readers. And those working on the real estate market are a specific group that wants to know more. We are writing for them. And, like every professional, we try to do things right. Hence our inquisitiveness and tenacity when it comes to certain issues.

Curiosity and doubt are central to the journalist’s daily work. They drive us on and make us dig deeper. For me it is this curiosity about people, their ideas, the places they are interested in, and the desire to know and understand more about what they are doing, and at the same time being able to investigate all the doubts and uncertainties this raises – that are the most attractive and engaging aspects of working for Eurobuild. ν