The Balance

I'm still sitting at WGCH Radio.

My show -- Doubleheader -- ended 3.5 hours ago.

Tonight, I ran the board and served as a sort of co-host for Sam Romeo on "Greenwich Matters."

Sam's show is about Greenwich issues, though it can go in a lot of different directions. It does lean heavily into politics and goes quite to the right.

I enjoyed it and was quite buoyed by the callers who seemed happy to have me on the air, with them all seeming to know me.

You need to know that, after 22 years at WGCH, I work with the impression that nobody knows me. For one thing, that keeps me humble and balanced. For another, there's a large sense of truth to that. I can still recall walking over to a Greenwich football tailgate (yes, really) a few years ago, and the people running the event asking me if I was with the other team.

So, yeah. Stay humble, my friends.

But it's the concern of remaining a balanced journalist that works on my mind. For the most part, I keep my politics out of my social media, including the blog. I also tend to keep it off the air.

I can tell you I'm a very central person. I don't buy into party lines. I think that makes me a good journalist, to be honest.

So, being a part of this show with Sam might be a challenge, but it's one that I'll embrace and am quite confident I'll handle.

I don't like seeing members of the media showing their cards. They're (I'm) there to give you fair and accurate reporting. It's that approach that has served me well at election night events since 2000. I've covered the left and I've covered the right. It doesn't matter.

That's how I approach the Mets or Yankees or Red Sox or Cowboys or any high school. You might think otherwise, but your mileage may vary as well. I know what's in my heart.

When I see journalists showing a clear bias of their own (either on personal social media, in their work, or in their decision-making), well, let's just say I bite my tongue.

A lot.

And growl at people I can trust.

It's something I wonder about. How are they (and I'm not calling any one person out -- I need to be clear about that) OK with showing their hand? This isn't sports. It's politics and real life.

I think it is a legit question.

So, as I embark on working with Sam, I find myself thinking the same thing. Will I simply nod to most of what he says? Will I add opinions and commentary? Will I debate with him?

The answer is probably "yes" to all of the above, though I'll walk that line very carefully. I know I will argue with myself after probably every show and I'll possibly get thoughts from a friend to make sure I retain that balance and integrity that I believe in.

This is not an attempt to be high and mighty.

It's an attempt to do what I believe is the right thing. It's how I've done it my whole career.

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As I wrote about last night, Susan is doing a post-per-night in October. To me, she's the ultimate scream queen. Tonight, she lists her favorites.