Lose the Malaise, Cover the Story   

LETTER FROM ALBUQUERQUE
When the Philadelphia Bulletin went under in 1982, many reporters and editors left the newspaper business. Geiselman followed the craft he loves to the Southwest, and as he makes clear in this letter, he's never looked back

I'm having a hell of a time here at the Albuquerque Journal, where I landed nine years ago. Without blowing my own horn too much, I must say that I'm still going strong after 42 years in the business, most of it in investigative reporting.

Since 1951, I have worked for six newspapers and two major television stations. And it might be encouraging for young reporters to know that I have survived although I've been fired three times (twice in TV), demoted nine times, suspended once, physically assaulted while working on stories four times (three cameras smashed), investigated by police in four cities, arrested, charged with a crime or detained three times, gone on strike twice and had a paper fold on me.

I have only been sued once during all this time, and the suit was quickly thrown out. But I must point out that back in York, Pennsylvania, my three top editors were arrested and hauled out of the newsroom on criminal libel charges resulting from one of my stories.

One reason they were charged and not I was that the newspaper did not give bylines. So the angry officials I had written about arrested those whose names were on the masthead. The story was accurate and the charges were dropped. And much to their credit the three never held against me the fact that I almost landed them in jail.

I might note that New Mexico was the last of the old frontier states and there is still much of the old-time wrongdoing here. What a bunch of cover-up artists! But what a place for an investigative reporter!

Since I've been here I have been point man on more than a dozen major investigations. In some cases we get results, in others we don't. But we've always been on the side of the angels.

Currently I am working at one stage or another on four investigations. One is into questionable practices in the sheriff's department, an investigation largely responsible for the indictment of the sheriff and a move to get him out of office. The sheriff has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

Also, I am in the midst of stories on pedophilic priests that already have led to the resignation of the archbishop; on alleged misdeeds in the state liquor industry and on serious fiscal problems at the local community college.

Not too long ago I completed what I consider one of my best efforts: stories on brutality in the local calaboose that resulted in serious reforms.

I also have done many stories about problems in the Albuquerque police department that among other things led to the disclosure that police were keeping secret files on citizens not suspected of crimes.

Young people who don't want to stay in the newspaper business ought to know that there is one guy out there who hasn't given up at 68. This is a tough business, but they should realize that just being a part of it is its own reward.

They should know that having their stories killed or badly edited, or being unexpectedly put on the midnight police beat, or fired for no reason, are all part of a business that in many respects is changing but remains pretty much the same – rough, but the only way for a guy like me to go.