In the “usual” journalistic process, reporters find expert sources and ask questions, then ask additional questions as the answers dictate. This process did not work in developing this article. On both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border, phone calls directed to knowledgeable horticulturists involved in the plum pox programs were shunted to media relations people, who agreed to provide answers to specific questions. Efforts to bypass “the system” resulted in intercepted e-mail messages. In response to Good Fruit Grower’s questions, the office of media relations for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) sent this by e-mail: “The plum pox virus (PPV) […]