A World Of Stories

Iranian elections? Zimbabwe? Stick with our planned piece on HIV/AIDS among black men? What's the right answer? We are somewhat second guessing ourselves this morning ... not in a major way but it's our job. We were pleased to have the chance to interview Zimbabwe's prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Friday just a few minutes after his meeting with President Obama ended. He was staying just a half a block away from the White House, which is only a few blocks from us. But I can tell you it was no easy thing getting us to him or him here or there. Remember this was just three days after the shooting at the Holocaust Memorial so people are always a bit tense anyway. I think there was a report of a suspicious package a few blocks from us (I could see swirling lights and anyway the traffic snarl said it all). We were in traffic for half an hour for a trip that should have taken five minutes when I saw a motorcade swoop in right in front of me. It was the prime minister. I found myself wondering if he would not have preferred to walk the barely more than a block on a beautiful June day but of course that is no longer considered possible.

So we had our interview and he was very accessible and forthcoming. Perhaps too accessible. You can hear his aides walking around in the background.

We planned it for our Monday lede. But then elections results from Iran came in. The ruling party rushed the opposition ... or did it (didn't Tsvangirai just go though this last year)? Demonstrations ensue. Who can we get to talk to us? Who is credible and interesting who is NOT on everybody else's air (because why then do you need us?). In the end we stuck with Plan A. But we're working on B for tomorrow.