Don Van Natta Jr.’s favorite song in Hamilton is “The Room Where It Happens.” Partially because, in his own words, as an investigative journalist, he is always trying to find out what really happens in the rooms where things happen.
Seriously. It’s pretty perfect.
Van Natta Jr., a senior writer at ESPN, joins Brian this week and talks about how covering the White House, Pentagon and CIA prepared him to write about the NFL, how he keeps organized when interviewing 100 people for a story and how he builds the architecture of his stories. He also shares tips on how to become a better rewriter, and he and Brian figure out why writers drink so much.
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