The overall aptitude of sources and their willingness to help should never go unnoticed by a reporter.

If they are experts in their own field, sources should be able to realize the major difference they could make in helping a reporter express the point of his or her story. At that point, it’s up to them whether they want to actually do that or give monotone and short-sighted answers. They could also just blow a reporter off altogether.

Thankfully, Tammy O’Neil-Gayer, of the Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center at Lake Metroparks’ Penitentiary Glen Reservation, and veterinarian Dr. David Hammond chose to take a few moments out of their day to provide me with some key comments that really helped me create my article about exotic animals this week.

Hope Brustein, executive director of the Geauga Humane Society’s Rescue Village, can’t be forgotten either. Even though her story about Wilbur the potbellied pig didn’t make the final copy, it helped drive home the point that some people enjoy the novelty of making pets out of animals that shouldn’t be domesticated, only to see that joy quickly turn into panic, fear and frustration.

Nancy Niehus of the Lake County General Health District and Ken Fitz at the state’s Department of Natural Resource’s Division of Wildlife also helped me understand the laws surrounding chimps, venomous snakes and other wild animals who make desirable pets for a select few of us. Scott Heasley and Heather Phillips of the Cleveland Clinic’s public relations department kept me updated on the unfortunate condition of Charla Nash, the Stamford, Conn. women who got mauled by Travis the chimp.

This post isn’t about name-dropping, despite what you might be thinking to this point. It’s just a way to thank everyone who played a part in helping me do my job. Their aid was needed for a topic that I knew only the basics about. It’s not unlike the times when others brought me up to speed at hair salons, dental offices and machine shops. Back then, of course, there was no “Behind The News-Herald” blog available for me to thank those individuals.

It’s also not solely about information sharing. It’s about being the true professionals these people were when I approached them. They seemed genuinely glad that someone respected their opinions enough to publish them. I think most readers would be surprised at the amount of potential sources who don’t do this, and instead make reporters feel like they’re a burden, who should have never called, e-mailed or visited.

That brings me to the ridiculous behavior of one potential source that COULD HAVE added a lot to this story and received some free publicity in the process. I’m talking about a pet shop within The News-Herald’s coverage area that’s known to have a few exotic pets, including small sharks and snakes.

I suppose I shouldn’t mention the shop by name since they “probably wouldn’t want to be involved in that kind of thing.”

Huh??!?

In this economy, you don’t want me to mention you in an article as my sole pet-shop source? You don’t want people seeing your name at no cost?

Surprisingly, that’s what the shop manager told me. I wonder if the owner found that declination as ludicrous as I did. Probably not, since he didn’t return the calls I made to him for about a week prior to the story’s run date. I guess business is just THAT good for them.

But hey, everyone’s not always going to be willing to help. That said, the best thing to do is appreciate the ones who are. They certainly constitute the majority of sources my colleagues and I attempt to contact.

Thanks again.

-- Brandon C. Baker

In order to help Viva Spanish! Language Programs teach Spanish to young students and/or workers at public entities and companies who serve the Hispanic population, prospects must do more than just talk the talk.

Whether her staff is teaching its lessons to fourth graders at an area Catholic school or continuing its pilot program for employees at the Cleveland Clinic, Viva teachers also evoke the culture of the countries where the language is spoken, said Gladys Benitez-Reilly, the owner and president of the Willoughby-based business.

The teaching could incorporate entertainment, little known facts and other tidbits, but Viva isn’t just looking for dictation and recitation.

“We want people to understand the Spanish community, as well as the language,” Benitez-Reilly said. “With our kids, we’re really trying to promote the value of learning. A lot of kids in the schools that we work with don’t have a lot of diversity in their schools. If we can help them understand that there’s other people out there, that there’s people different than them, then we’ve done a good job.”

“La Presidente” has seven instructors on staff, and they’re all native Spanish speakers who live in Northeast Ohio, but hail from the likes of Mexico, Venezuela, Columbia and the Dominican Republic. They undergo constant training, but they all have college degrees. For teachers who want to take part in the school segment, experience with children is a must.

‘We will talk with and interview anyone,” Benitez-Reilly said. “Our goal is to make this a great place to work. It’s empowering for (teachers) to see people interested in their culture.”

It’s no coincidence that interest is increasing along with the rise in our country’s Spanish-speaking population. Of course, there’s also no shortage of controversy and opinions regarding how quickly said population should learn English.

That’s not lost on Benitez-Reilly, but neither is the idea that some of the people in question should be given more time before being subjected to such criticism. In my story last week, she made the point that so many immigrants have come over to make better lives for their families, and frankly don’t have the time or energy to put into learning a new language just yet. She says it’s no different than Germans, the Irish and other nationalities who previously made their way to the U.S.

I agree. Whenever I hear someone bellyache that Spanish-speakers, particularly immigrants, need to learn English because “they’re in our country,” I can’t help but think of sour grapes.

The reality is that America’s fastest-growing minority population includes many families who prefer speaking to each other in their own language. It’s pure evidence that the country is becoming that huge melting pot that we’ve always bragged about. Should they eventually learn English? Sure. But to angrily insist that they do it immediately, as many have done on Web sites across the net, including this one, in my opinion, reeks of separatism much more than someone greeting you with, “Hola.”

Well, I tried, but I’ll leave it to Benitez-Reilly, a Cleveland native with parents from Paraguay and Venezuela, to really drive home this very important point. Really, the following is a reporter’s dream quote about a hot-button topic, and one I also whole-heartedly agree with:

“The truth is, that second, third and fourth generation are all going to speak English. I really don’t believe the country’s going to become half-Spanish or anything. At the same time, you have a lot of immigrants that are here, and they’re all making money and they’re spending money. They’re a huge consumer group. People who are smart are going to be marketing to the Hispanic market because they’re huge! They’re 15 percent of this country right now.

“If you don’t market to them, you’re going to be losing. That’s why everywhere you call, it says, ‘Press 1 for English, press 2 for Spanish.’

“People know that’s the truth. If you want to serve the general population, you have to attend to the Spanish. Even if you don’t think it’s a good thing, it’s still a reality.”

-- Brandon C. Baker

Photo by Duncan Scott/The News-Herald