Friend —

You know, we have a number of US correspondents. And sometimes, that all seems so romantic. Telling your story, standing in front of The White House or from the roof of your office, with the famous New Yorker Hotel behind you. It’s a job almost everyone would like to do.

But you know, it’s really hard work. It’s no nine-to-five job. Add the time-difference to that. But what really, really matters is that it’s not simply telling us what’s going on. They have to tell the story behind what’s going on. They have to dissect what’s happening. To get to the bottom of it. And that’s only the beginning. Now the really hard part comes in – the editing, always the editing. All the material you instructed your cameraman to shoot compressing in 1 minute 30 seconds, or, when you’re lucky, in a 10-minute coverage. Boy! Other times, they have to report events as they unfold. Where they’re unfolding. Right from the spot.

Correspondents of newspapers have no less easier task. They have to edit too. Paragraphs. All those paragraphs. Putting them in the right order. Of course, what’s above this blog, is a joke. They have much more space. But it’s a paradox. They have to enchant their readers, so their stories will not be boring!

And on top of that, they have families. Spouses and children. They have to adjust – all the time. As one former BBC correspondent put it, slightly modified by me: the secret to a happy foreign correspondent is a happy foreign correspondent’s family.

So, for us to know what’s going on in the US, they all sacrifice. Doing their work — and making it possible — to the best of their ability. For us. To know. To be informed. To understand. To grasp the story.

So, won’t it be fair for us to do something in return? You know, one of them has something special. He’s on Facebook. And right now, he is just below 1,500 likes. Friend — would you join me in reaching this goal by the end of the month? It ’s just that tiny click we, when we join forces, as grassroots viewers, can do. Will you join me and like too? Visit http://www.facebook.com/NieuwsuurNewYork

Thank you, Friend.