The interviewee

When he told me of stories of how he 'fooled' this guy, and 'won over' that man, I often wonder if I am one of those stories to someone else. After some years in reporting, it becomes second nature to tell when a person is lying, or when he/she is pulling at heart strings, or playing to the media pitch. Lying is a part of the game. Almost everyone exaggerates. Justifies. Withholds. Decorates. You learn to glean motives for these actions. Someone more vulnerable, or desperate for help, or in danger, gets a lot of room. A man or woman in a position of authority gets less leeway.

When I can't know for sure, I tell myself this: Stories are stories, aren't they? Listen.

But sometimes, the idea of being subtly manipulated by an interviewee is so strong that I find myself impossibly torn from the actual words, drawing more meaning and motive than is immediately apparent. Like today, when a long anecdote about A Great Escape from Great Danger involved the projection of innocent eyes. The same kind of innocent eyes I've often seen.
I listen with a filter, but do I still understand? I care still, but do I trust?
I doubt, but do I still believe?
Ah, the interviewee must laugh at how the tables have turned.