Last week I linked to Ezra Klein’s post that called for journalists to start publishing transcripts of their important interviews online. It’s a request I’m still entirely on-board with.

Later that day, I left this comment on his blog:

I work in the PR/media field and frequently act as an intermediary between reporter and source, making sure everyone has the appropriate background information before a formal interview to ensure nobody’s time ends up being wasted.

I like having information fully transparent, and anyone who feels the same way can probably get on board with the notion that important interviews ought to be fully transcribed somewhere online and public. In fact, I frequently urge clients — corporate executives, law firm partners, etc. — to establish their own blogs so they can do just that. Reporters, understandably, have deadlines and many other pressures to grapple with, but transcribing and posting an important interview between one of my clients and a Times reporter, for instance, would probably be a decent use of *my* time, and if it can benefit other writers or bloggers, then all the better.

I’m not so sure, though, that most journalists would like it if the subjects of their interviews began to do that. Any thoughts?

I’m still on the fence about the matter. How would journalists react if their sources began recording interviews and publishing the full transcripts on their own blog, or on their company’s blog?

When I’m committing public relations, I want to help journalists get what they need as quickly as possible, whether it’s a quote, statistic, or an interview with someone. I also want to give clients the capability to fully articulate their positions, and oftentimes news articles don’t offer the space for fully nuanced opinions. But at the same time, I don’t want to overstep that delicate journalist-source boundary, which is, it seems, quite variable, depending on the professional tastes of both parties.

I’d love to hear from other media-types on the question. Journalists and PR people, chime in if you want to.