I pulled my byline

I get a little moody when football, basketball, Thanksgiving and Christmas all collide.

 

I don't think taking the byline off without talking to the editor is the right move, but it is worth at least asking about the changes.

I asked for a byline to be removed from a story of mine once. It was a take-out piece that I had worked on for weeks. It had been through two editors with minor changes, then the last guy decided to rewrite the entire thing because the facts and quotes didn't fit his opinion on the topic. Once it ran, the managing editor actually apologized for not stepping in (Long story, but I do understand his reasoning).

Of course, they refused to remove it and the mess ran with my name on it, but there really wasn't much to be done about it.

 

What he said. It's better than the places that let stories go online without any copy editing.

 

Journalism and media is such a disgrace nowadays. I never would have signed up for this had I known where the future of the industry was headed.

 

It all feels like bullshit now. Entire career feels wasted, with the sacrifice of a much better life.

 

Guys, the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that if I had it to do over, I would have gone into college sports information early in my career. And I sure never thought I'd say that.

 

As a former sports editor, I will say I appreciated when reporters were invested in their copy.

Ideally, this would have been discussed in advance and all, but I'd much rather you call me upset about how your story was cut or rewritten and want to remove your byline than shrug and say nothing.

Of course, if I suggest a new direction or new lede on your story and you still turn in the same damn thing, your story is now mine to fiddle with as I see fit and I might not even show it to you before it's printed.

 

Memory's a bit foggy on this, but I'll chime in with what I can remember...

About three years into my career I wrote an all-area boys basketball team story. My editor at the weekly I was at generally left us alone to compile the notes and the players, and then he chimed in with his suggestions.

The west region had a lot of forwards with great stats, but my editor was a stickler for the classic basketball lineup (G-G-F-F-C). I had never raised my voice prior to this, but I told him I was thinking about not having my byline on this story. When he asked why, I said because this really isn't MY story, it's a collection of opinions.

All of the all-area teams that run in this paper now say that the teams are chosen by the sports staff, in conjunction with area coaches. So I guess I made history, dubious as it was.

 

Not having your byline on an all-area team is a good thing if you can get away with it.

 

Sports information seems like a great and lucrative career for a few (but with sucky hours) and a low-paying job with sucky hours for most.

 

The SIDs at the big schools have it made. The two I worked mostly with are or were at their alma maters for 40+ years, scored six-figure incomes and drove donated Mercedes or other quality cars that are replaced every year. Yeah, they are some weird hours for football and basketball, but they have enough staff and interns to cover the rest.