I think it was in the movie 'Wall Street' when Michael Douglas is in the limo and they're trying to get info about what stock news is being printed in the next day's newspaper when Gekko says, "If you want to know something, don't call the newsroom, call the advertising department." Ummm, yeah.
I can't exactly remember the scene, but I do remember that quote and it has stuck with me for the length of my career in media. I hear a lot of good scoop everyday and I'm terrible at keeping a secret. I've got one right now that is just clawing me from the inside like the lil Exorcist girl. Instead of spewing it by text, on twitter or facebook I'm giving myself a penance of 1. Write one blog 2. Eat Mexican food for dinner [yuck!] 3. Walk until I'm sore, and mostly... 4. Talk to no one.
Like that's gonna work.
Most of the time, I've got enough sense to know when I can talk and when I can't. Most of the time.
As Gekko said "the most valuable commodity I know of is information." Valuable enough to print it on a page or on the internet and charge people for it IF you can keep you advertising folks from talking.
Maybe Gordon Gekko could keep a secret, but as much as I want to be Gekko....just as Bud Fox realized, I'll always be Rhonda Overbey. So, off to dinner with my friends where I'll most likely tell my secret and you'll read about it in tomorrow's Log Cabin Democrat.
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