He’s at every city council meeting. At school board meetings, there is a seat reserved for him, even though he’s never had a kid in school. And he’s the one fanning the flames behind every scandal, uproar and complaint. And if you’re a journalist, he has you on his speed dial.
Gadflies are, at the same time, every journalist’s friend and nightmare.
Unlike journalists who hastily skim agendas while driving to town hall meetings, gadflies, who unsurprisingly have time to kill, memorize agendas, budgets and amendments and bring to attention any discrepancies, budget gaps or typos. But with all their downtime, gadflies also develop conspiracy theories about fluoride, communists and bugs planted in their homes. It’s also highly likely that the local gadfly has recently filed a UFO report.
Just as sure as the next round of layoffs is coming, journalists can expect to see their gadfly once a week. The weekly arrival usually comes either as the journalist was just sending a last email before lunch or when the journalist is trying to finish the next day’s lead story. But every time, there is a sinking feeling in the journalist’s gut as he or she sees the gadfly walk toward the newsroom. And as the gadfly rambles on for 95 minutes about the fact that the school is planning to remove three handicapped parking spots, the journalist will politely nod his or her head and repeatedly check the time in the lower right hand corner of the computer screen and listen as the phone rings repeatedly (probably a source calling back to confirm a number).
But the journalist obliges the gadfly because two out of 17 times, he actually has real news. The news about the principal sneaking around with the school nurse on the clock, the tip about the city planning to cut prenatal care but increase funding to Planned Parenthood – brought to you by your local gadfly. It’s these times when journalists are glad they have their gadfly. They bring the news journalists are too busy or too important to find.
Topics:
gadfly, gadfly westword, kid at city council meeting, list of gadflies
ahh, so true. so relevant.
I’ve met my share of gadflies.
I remember years ago how one particular Mother created a local groundswell against sex education in local schools. It was going to be abstinence-only, or nothing. Her histrionics mobilized a conservative public and the school board buckled.
Turns out she was home-schooling her kids anyway and had none enrolled in the public school system.
The result all these year’s later is a city with one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the state of Texas, and highest STD rates as well.
Interesting, but sad, documentary on the aftermath can be found at: http://www.incite-pictures.com/shelbyknox/index.html
I’ve had many gadflies … and despised them all.