June column for Builder & Developer magazine now online

My column for the June issue of Builder & Developer magazine is now online. The subject this month is on the current state of real estate journalism, and what builder & developers can do to encourage more balanced reportage from not just traditional reporters, but also from bloggers as well.

I wrote it because I was mourning the passing of L.A. Times reporter Annette Haddad, whom I think really did want to get a story right and include all of the necessary angles. But I also wanted to impart some tips I learned from my own freelance writing experience for the Times, when getting a builder to comment for a story was akin to ordering manna from heaven. In other words, close to impossible.

Since I know it's certainly not in any company's best interest -- in any industry -- to prefer to see the the line "Company x didn't return calls for comment" published for all to see, I can only assume such reactions are due to poor communication, management or both.

You can read that column here. For the entire June issue's table of contents, click here.