NY Times reporter explains his big scoop

Over the weekend, The New York Times Magazine ran an excerpt from Stelter’s book “Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV,” which ended with his recounting of a lunch date between Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira.

“On April 3 they met for lunch around noon at Park Avenue Spring, an upscale restaurant on East 63rd Street. They swapped stories about their children and then, according to another diner, talked about work in hushed tones. Vieira urged Lauer to tough it out, promising that the bad press would subside. Dessert arrived at the table by 1 p.m., but they lingered until 1:40, bantering the way they used to on television. Lauer held the door for her as they walked outside, and she embraced him, rubbing his back reassuringly and saying in his ear, ‘It’ll be O. K.'”

How did Stelter, who is just 27 years old, learn these details? Who dropped a dime on Lauer and Vieira?

Stelter shed some light on his reporting technique in a tweet:

Here’s how: I was tipped by a source, so I went to the restaurant. Timing was wild: Leno’s “Tonight” retirement was announced during lunch.

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) April 18, 2013