How Do Journos Make New Sources?

From Joe Curl’s chat on washingtontimes.com:

Now that there is a new administration in town, how does the process work for cultivating new contacts and sources? by Washington, DC

Answer: The same old way — cash payouts in brown paper bags left at phone booths for good sources. Kidding (and there aren’t any phone booths anymore, anyway).

It’s an odd job: One day, you’ve got the names and phone numbers (cell phones, too), of 1,000 primo sources, and the next day, they’ve all left town and there’s another thousand people in charge (22 of whom you’ve actually met).

Reporters who covered the campaign have a big edge here: Some of the top aides — and especially the lower-level aides, who will deal most often with the press — were on the campaign plane and bus, so most reporters know them.

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