1.	When you introduced your newsletter 16 years ago, you already had lined up pledges of corporate support. True or false? Answer: False. I revealed my intention—to produce a monthly newsletter on annual reports—without forethought June 1, 1983. For sure, it was without having lined up support or pledges of support. No one, including yours truly (to my knowledge) knew I was going to do this prior to that date.
	2.	That’s all you do, right—produce a monthly newsletter? True or false? Answer: False again. I also conduct an annual Producer Poll, now in its 14th year, an annual International Annual Report Conference, in its 12th year. I maintain a Theme Registry®. It’s in its seventh year. I’ve delivered speeches around the country—and, abroad, to audiences in Copenhagen, Denmark; Prague in the Czech Republic, and London, England. What’s more, this is my 16th year of picking the world’s best and worst reports for Chief Executive, the magazine of corporate chieftains. I also serve as a steady source of news and information to the nation’s newsmedia. Plus, of course, I maintain a website named early on a USA Today "hot site."
	3.	Seldom if ever do you single out for praise reports that don’t score well in your competition. True or false? Answer: That’s false as well. In my August 1999 issue, in fact, EG&G is cited, despite its negative (-2.8%) rating. It and the report of Wisconsin Energy were given "looks 10" assessments.
	4.	I realize you say 12 of 100 CEOs aren’t honest. But surely there must be some chief executives who are "honest to a fault"—that is, tell the truth no matter how bleak the news. True or false? Answer: True. I praise St. Paul Companies’ CEO, Douglas W. Leatherdale, as "my kind of guy." He admitted without "windup before the pitch" that his company had an awful year. Why can’t every CEO be even half so forthright?
	5.	Most producers of annual reports—they know what your standards are, and then go out and accomplish what they envisioned...a winning document. True or false? Answer: False, strangely enough. Take DQE’s annual report producer: His company’s report finished among the 10 best a year ago, and he obviously felt he had another winner. He was ’way wrong: His score was 16 points fewer year to year, his report nowheresville, as we call it—decidedly an also-ran.