Asking to see a draft shouldn’t be heresy

Is it okay to politely ask a journalist if you can review a draft of their piece before it goes out?

Heads up that by asking this in a public setting here, I might as well have phrased it:

“Are any journalists secure enough to admit that they don’t religiously adhere to this norm, even though by so doing they will invite an X or Bluesky mob of other journalists with torches and pitchforks to flame them for the confession?”

Fact: Plenty of journalists still get super offended if a source asks to review a draft in advance of publication.

Other fact: Plenty of journalists quietly do agree to let a source review a draft in advance of publication. But admitting it risks getting them labeled as biased or spineless by the journalists in the first group.

If you’re a current or former journalist and you’re aghast at that last thought, think of it this way. Imagine you are a nonprofit leader, or a finance executive, or an attorney, or a scientist, and you are used to people misunderstanding you. And then a journalist asks you for your opinion on something, and you actually believe it when journalists say they take great care to be accurate and clear in their reporting. So you naturally assume, since they want to get it right, that they’ll be happy to let you review what they write. And then imagine how confusing it must be when they say no and even sometimes act offended.

No, this doesn’t apply to elected officials and other public figures. I’m talking here about sources who rarely deal with journalists. And of course the journalist will not and should not promise they will comply with any edits you suggest. The review is simply another chance to clear up something the journalist misunderstood.

My recommendation: If you’re working on a dense, technical, confusing or sensitive issue, and you aren’t sure whether you want to encourage your sources to take media interviews on the topic, go ahead and ask before the interview if you can review a draft for accuracy. Know the journalist may say no outright, or may agree only under certain conditions.

But times have changed, and some journalists will be willing to let you review a draft for accuracy while they retain final editorial control. Before you rule out an interview, just ask.