I got a genuine thank you from a family member of someone killed the other day. I’m not sure what it was for; was it my provision of information to them, my willingness to talk and listen, or my desire to get details to the public to inform them of these issues? I don’t know. A cynic would say it’s bad if any source is grateful for your work, but I don’t think that’s really how this works. Our work can please some, and hurt others. Most journalism does not exist in the political press: engaging with people and favoring some people’s ideas and tellings is, at the end of the day, inevitable. We’re part of communities, and our work has ripples. If my work results in a family member of someone killed feeling even a little better, I’d argue that’s not just a good effect, but part of what we do.