On Monday afternoon my editor, Randy, said that FOX News called and wanted to speak with a News Tribune reporter about the case of Zina Linnik, the missing 12-year-old girl from Tacoma. I told him I'd do it. I thought it would be a fun experience, and, if nothing else, I'd have a story to tell.

I drove up to Fisher Plaza in Seattle on Tuesday morning. I wore my light blue shirt and sport coat, but I didn't shave. I was wearing sneakers and jeans because I knew the camera wouldn't show them.

The engineer who greeted me looked me up and down and said: "You're a newspaper reporter, aren't you?"

"Yep."

They sat me in a chair, put a piece in a my ear so I could hear the host and told me to just look into the camera. There's no video monitor in the room because of a four-second delay, so you have no idea what you look like on TV. They could digitally add devil horns to your head and you wouldn't know it until it was too late.

The host, who used to be on "A Current Affair" (classy show), started asking me questions about the case. I was on for a few minutes and did well. Apparently, people clapped in the News Tribune newsroom when I finished.

Afterwards, I drove to buy the new Smashing Pumpkins record when I received a voice mail. It was from another producer at FOX. She wanted me to go on their morning show on Wednesday. Then Randy called and said CNN wanted me to go on at 5:30 p.m. to talk about the case.

I didn't want to do either because I didn't want to drive back to Seattle. I called the FOX producer back and eventually agreed to do a phone interview, which was a good deal because I didn't even need to shower to be on TV.

Randy and I played phone tag for a while. I told him I didn't want to do CNN because another News Tribune reporter called me and said she heard in the newsroom that it was Nancy Grace's show. (I’m generally terrified and turned off by night-time cable talk shows.) About an hour later, I got a voice mail from a CNN producer saying that she'd booked my studio time at 5:30 p.m. and that I should call her back. She was a very pushy woman.

I called Randy, and he said he didn't agree to it. I decided to do it anyway, even the producer was railroading me into appearing. (My dad told me I'd regret it if I didn't go on CNN when I had the chance. Even if it is CNN Headline News.)

I drove back up to Seattle and settled into the studio's green room. I took the latest news off The News Tribune's Web site -- that police were focusing on a convicted sex offender in connection with the abduction -- and settled in.

During the first half of Grace's show she talked to a panel of people who were only remotely acquainted with reality about a video on YouTube that apparently showed a Texas toddler high on ecstasy. She spent 40 minutes on that before we got to the Zina segment.

I sat in the chair and the producer told me Grace would throw to me first and ask for the latest. I dutifully reported the latest news, and stayed alert just in case she asked me any more questions.

But she didn't.

The panel was speculating wildly about exactly whose house was searched in connection with the abduction. I kept trying to jump in.

"Nancy, I can answer that question. Nancy?"

Nothing.

Then the segment wrapped up, and the show ended.

I’m told today there were a few people in the newsroom who were yelling at the TV, "Ask Paul which house was searched! He knows! That's why he's on the show! He's your facts guys!"

I drove back to the newsroom to finish out my normal night shift. I wrote an addition to a hot weather story about some grass fires. I felt like it was payback for my fun day on TV.

This morning, I rolled out of bed at 7 and talked to FOX News' Bill Hemmer for about a minute. I basically just read him the lead of today's story in the paper about the abduction.

Grace's producer called me twice during the morning to try and get me to do the show again tonight. I declined, telling her I'm finished with TV interviews unless "60 Minutes" calls. Or Anderson Cooper. I would definitely talk to Anderson.

People in the newsroom were interested in talking to me about my TV appearances when I got to work this afternoon. And I found out that Greta Van Susteren's show wanted me for tonight, too.

Talk about a weird experience that quickly got out of hand.

The Pierce County jury deliberating the fate of Tacoma middle school principal Harold Wright Jr. and co-defendant Richy Carter left the County-City Building Monday afternoon without rendering a verdict.

Jurors are scheduled to reconvene Thursday for more deliberations.

Thursday from 6-7 p.m. at Peace Community Center, 2106 S. Cushman.

Here's the link to our latest story about the missing girl.