We saw news reporter David Marino getting out of a Channel Four KVOA truck on East University Boulevard.

Wildcat: Hi, I’m from the Wildcat. I saw you guys pulling up and I was just wondering what you were covering right now.

Marino: We’re actually getting some coffee.

W: Can I interview you? I do this thing every day called On the Spot, and I could just think of some questions right now. Just, I guess, what is your position?

M: I’m a reporter.

W: Why are you … around here right now? For coffee?

M: Yeah, yeah.

W: Sorry, it’s kind of weird because you’re on the spot all of the time, and I’m on the spot, and we’re both news reporters, and we’re both talking, and I got a coffee earlier, and like, sometimes I’m on my way to go get coffee and someone sees me and they want to interview me, and it’s just really awkward. You know?

M: Yeah, but it’s cool. Is there a specific subject you want to talk about?

W: Let’s see. Well…

M: It’s on the spot, you said.

W: I usually don’t even think of a subject, I just report what’s there. So I saw you driving up and I just wanted…

M: I can tell you what we’re doing a story on today.

W: OK, yeah.

M: We’re talking about the measles outbreak. There’s 17 cases in Tucson right now…

W: Is that a lot?

M: Yeah, it’s one of the biggest outbreaks they’ve had since the early ’90s across the country. There’s 17 cases, and we’re just kinda getting the word out about what people need to do to get vaccinated.

W: Do you euthanize the measles?

M: You get immunized on it, yeah.

W: Immunize. So do they bite people, or what do you mean?

M: The measles?

W: Yeah. How do the measles spread it?

M: It’s like the chicken pox. When you come into contact with somebody who has it.

W: Oh. But chickens aren’t mammals, are they?

M: (Laughs.)

W: Do you ever cover car crashes?

M: Yeah.

W: Is it really exciting?

M: There’s so many that it’s sort of … you see car accidents all the time.

W: Do you ever cover fatal car accidents?

M: Uh huh.

W: That’s so scary. Every time I’m driving, I’m scared that I’m going to get in a car accident. I think that part of it is just watching it on the news and seeing all these people in car accidents, and just, yeah I don’t know. (Pauses.) So you cover measles … do you cover just local things?

M: Well, it just depends. Whatever’s the big story that day pretty much.

W: This is a more intellectual interview. Yesterday I interviewed a lima bean.

– interview by Andi Berlin