I have to say, I sympathize with Jason Calacanis on this interview thing - here's his comment on a request for an interview from Wired:

A WIRED journalist pinged me for some comments on Michael Arrington and his A-list blogger status. I told the journalist to send me the questions by email and he refused. He said Dave Winer did the same thing.

Journalists have been burning subjects for so long with paraphrased quotes, half quotes, and misquotes that I think a lot of folks (especially ones who don't need the press) are taking an email only interview policy. (Mark Cuban did this long ago).

Dave Winer weighed in as well, and while I don't often agree with him, I think he's correct about this. Here's the thing: take some subject you are conversant in, and then start paying attention to media reports on that subject. How often do you notice:

• The reporters are just completely out in left field, with no clue as to the subject matter
• People the reporters interview complaining about being misquoted?

I've gotten to the point where I'm extremely skeptical of media reporting in general, unless I trust the specific reporter. For people who are in the public eye, it's worse - any contact with the media is an opportunity to be misunderstood or misquoted - or to have your work described badly because the reporter simply has no clue about the subject matter.

So what's up with the title? Well, here's how Wired responded:

Calacanis Won't Do Phone Interview -- Cowardly

Jason McCabe Calacanis is complaining about a Wired reporter who wants to do an interview with him, but refuses to do it via email. He says it's "ironic" that a magazine covering the digital age refuses to use email for its interviews.

Yeah, I can see where that response is going to ratchet my trust in your magazine right up there - perhaps all the way to the level of respect that I reserve for my local highway department.

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