How did he cope with this? In really complex cases, Coutinho says, he referred the journalist to a knowledgeable colleague. But in most other cases, Coutinho did it himself. He read up on the subject matter, called a few people, and then appeared in the media to comment or inform. The major challenge was to decide when he felt knowledgeable enough not to consult others. We note that this back region (Goffman 1959) , the preparation, remains invisible to the public view; that which is visible in the front region is the knowledgeable expert, who then takes the credit.