--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: During my past career as a journalist, I…" description: "\"During my past career as a journalist, I relished writing obits and equally dreaded phoning relatives for the necessary facts. But to my surprise and g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/tom-rachman-8194_career_during-my-past-career-as-a-journalist-i_224917.jpg" --- # During my past career as a journalist, I relished writing… ![“During my past career as a journalist, I relished writing obits and equally dreaded phoning relatives for the necessary facts. But to my surprise and great relief, they often wanted to talk - they wanted their recently deceased loved ones recorded in print.” quote by Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/tom-rachman-8194_career_during-my-past-career-as-a-journalist-i_224917.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/tom-rachman-8194_career_during-my-past-career-as-a-journalist-i_224917.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4be/tom-rachman-8194_career_during-my-past-career-as-a-journalist-i_224917.jpg) > “During my past career as a journalist, I relished writing obits and equally dreaded phoning relatives for the necessary facts. But to my surprise and great relief, they often wanted to talk - they wanted their recently deceased loved ones recorded in print.” [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author found that interviewing grieving families for obituaries was unexpectedly welcomed, revealing a desire to memorialize loved ones in print. **In simple terms:** People often want to share memories of the dead in writing. Key Takeaway Offer respectful space for families to tell their stories. Themes memory grief storytelling journalism Mood reflective empathetic Type observational human‑interest When to use this quote - Writing obituaries - family interviews - memorial projects - media outreach Key Concepts Narrative ethics human connection Questions to Reflect On - How can journalists balance sensitivity with factual reporting? - What role does public remembrance play in healing? A Different Perspective Some may feel exploited or uncomfortable sharing personal loss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Journalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist/) [Loved ones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loved-ones/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Relief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relief/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Yet for quixotic reasons--namely, that I enjoyed writing obits--I had decided to scale back on articles about city life in order to write exclusively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi-steinberg/yet-for-quixotic-reasons-namely-that-i-enjoyed-writing-obits-i-had/) [Avi Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi-steinberg/) > [Few have attained to consummate wisdom in the perfection of philosophy: Solomon attained to it, and Aristotle in relation to his times, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/few-have-attained-to-consummate-wisdom-in-the-perfection-of/) [Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/) > [Well, I've read through that handbook for the recently deceased. 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