One more call

Noted journalist, author and Case prof Ted Gup once told a group of SPJ folks the following (and I'm paraphrasing slightly):

"When you think you're done reporting, make one more phone call. You'll never be sorry."

He shared this nugget in light of a piece he wrote for Esquire magazine about corruption in a southern town. Gup described how many calls he had to make to accurately and colorfully describe the sound of a 2 a.m. train barreling through this sleepy town and how its residents collectively roll over at its arrival.

As I am fine-tuning my piece on small schools transformation at Cleveland Heights High School for KnowledgeWorks Foundation I found that advice most helpful. I'm thinking of taping a little reminder note above my laptop that reads, "One more call."

Thank you, Ted, for reminding us to push ourselves further.