Down on the Farm Ch. 06

The interview was concluded and they left. It was time for milking. Trish came up behind me and put her arms around my waist. I turned around and for the next several minutes we were in a close embrace. "Alright you two." Said Sam. "Let's get busy. There's work to be done, ya know." Playfully I swatted her behind.

With the chores done, the five of us gathered around the TV to watch the news. The younger girls were interested in hearing about the farm. I wanted to see how the information would be presented. The public view would be critical, so it was especially important that the proposal be viewed in a positive light. I figured this story would be a human interest item; however the station chose to make it the lead. The community would be loosing a long established business because of adverse market pressures and a large number of people would be loosing their jobs by the end of the year. However an enterprising young farmer was offering to step in and save this company from financial ruin with a daring proposal. A shortened version of the plan's details was given and this would be in exchange for concessions from various groups in the area. The sound bite of the question and my complete answer was presented. A brief pause in my voice was edited out, but this didn't affect what was told. Then the reporter gave some commentary about how the plight of the workers could be affected if the Union were to vote in favor of the proposal.

All in all, I felt it was a fair piece and the viewers would have the key points of the plan. What I was completely unprepared for was the attention we received the next day. A national network picked up on the story and appeared on our door step in morning. I was in the milk house when they drove in so Trish greeted them. She was courteous and answered their initial questions on camera. By the time I realized they were there, they,d gotten the basic outline of our plan and were looking for more details and pictures. I exited the milk house and shook hands with them. The difference between the local station and the national news network was huge. The local team was willing to work within my recommendations. The national team tried to push us around to create a story to their liking. This was a three person team; the interviewer was a lady and sound and camera were run by two men. Quickly I explained I wanted the story to be told in a specific way and either they agree, or the interview would be concluded at this point. They were professionals and, I felt, tried to intimidate me for my young years. I held my ground and explained the main points which were identical to the ones given the local station. I did however allow them to keep Trish's on camera interview and include a short camera session for myself. Otherwise, no people were to be filmed. The barn, cows, and equipment were fair game for the camera; plus I would answer any and all questions. Eventually they acquiesced.

That evening, again the news was a central focus point for our family. The network news anchor presented a brief 90 second human interest story. Both Trish and I were featured for a few seconds as our plan was given national news attention. "How does it feel to be famous?" I asked Trish while my arm was around her waist.

"Not too bad." She answered. "But that other guy, I think he's cute."

Edith looked over at us. "We got a lot of coverage. Think it'll affect the outcome?"

"I only want to ensure the whole story is presented. That's key. The outcome is a decision everyone has to choose for themselves."