But he did actually do the boots on the ground research, not just copy other stories:
> I spent a week seeking out his family, friends, and coworkers and imploring them to talk to me.
> I went to the tunnel control center, and to the local ‘Carabinieri’ post, where I spoke to managers and cops who must have known that the accounts published in 1999 were exaggerated. But all the witnesses and officials were under gag orders, and records – including security video and recordings of radio traffic – were sealed due to ongoing criminal and civil investigations.
> As I write this, I’ve spent the last week going back over 76 pages of handwritten notes I made on that trip.
> I spent a week seeking out his family, friends, and coworkers and imploring them to talk to me.
> I went to the tunnel control center, and to the local ‘Carabinieri’ post, where I spoke to managers and cops who must have known that the accounts published in 1999 were exaggerated. But all the witnesses and officials were under gag orders, and records – including security video and recordings of radio traffic – were sealed due to ongoing criminal and civil investigations.
> As I write this, I’ve spent the last week going back over 76 pages of handwritten notes I made on that trip.