Write All About It

We had a few hours to kill on the way back to airport, so we decided to stop at a shopping mall.
"Let's try this one," I said to Grumpy, fiddling with the GPS. "Lakeland Outlet Mall. That sounds pretty."
I really must stop doing that. Turned out to be a giant warehouse with only one or two open stores, the rest closed.
"This is ridiculous," said Grumpy. "Let's go."
But there obviously was a reason why we should be there.
Just as we were heading off, I was approached by a young man with a shorthand pad in his hand. After 30 years as a journalist, I reckonised the signs. Good grief. Here was someone who wanted to interview me for a change.
"I'm with the Magnolia Beacon," he said. (Ok, I didn't actually catch the name, but on this side of the notebook it doesn't matter).
"This mall is in need of refurbishment and I'm asking people here what they think of it. Are you disappointed there aren't more shops open?"
Not being from the area I didn't much care either way, but was happy to trill on for a bit so he had something to write about.
For me, this is what local newspaper writing is all about. It's about sending juniors out on the street and not letting them come back without a story, whatever it is. That's how you find the real stuff, not just the press releases that land on your desk on a daily basis.