This thread will ring true to media reporters, but may be interesting to readers who want to know how the sausage is made. Last Friday, I contacted Carly from Fox News PR and asked her about a $601.71 donation made by Brian Kilmeade to the Trump campaign on Jan. 20, 2017. (1/5) 
Fox News took the weekend to investigate the donation, and on Monday I spoke with Carly for 15 minutes off-the-record, during which she explained the genesis of the donation: Kilmeade bought Trump Christmas ornaments, not realizing they'd count as contributions. (2/5)
The following day, I emailed her and let her know that we would be covering the story. I asked for an on-the-record statement or background details to use, so that my story on Brian's donation would appear in context and would be fair to him. (3/5)
She did not respond. But, less than five hours later, The Hill (a largely sympathetic outlet) published a story about the donation, which had gone unreported for more than a year and half. The story included an exclusive interview with Kilmeade. (4/5)
Instead of covering the donation, Fox News PR gave me "a tip" and said I should cover "an actual story," which was "the NBC/Megyn stuff" — former employee Megyn Kelly's ill-advised "blackface" comments. (5/5)
