Do I stand up to the ME and say "Sorry ..."?

We are grossly understaffed right now. We just hired a dude to take over the local high school beat, but he's wrapping up college. That alone has put us in a major pinch this spring sports season.

We have an older fella that does our agate page, but he's been sick, had his chemo changed and tonight called from the hospital tonight. In addition to really liking this dude as a person, it sucks not having him here because it takes a few hours to really get the agate page right.

Tonight, we had no part time help. I've been told not to use them so much for budget reasons. I spent a lot of time tonight doing tennis results, baseball, softball, golf, etc.

On top of all this, I've been instructed to get a big feature done for Sunday. We're light on local copy, and I did have a subject in mind, but I was going to wait until next weekend to kind of do this story as a lead in to postseason play. But I've been told that we need a good local centerpiece for Sunday. I finally caught up with him today, got some decent stuff and planned on writing it tonight.

I didn't get it done because I obviously didn't have time. I haven't had a day off in more than a week. I was supposed to have Thursday off but had to come down for some training thing that lasted a couple hours. I'm supposed to have Saturday off. Had a nice long day with the family planned. Breakfast, kids soccer games, kids softball practice, zoo, just hang out with the family, etc. But this story that I've been bugged about is hovering over my head.

I can honestly say that I don't know when I will have time to do it tomorrow. I am so tempted to simply tell the ME, "It's going to have to wait."

Do I?

 

You had time to write that, so you could be doing it now.

 

Depends on the ME. If they're a decent, empathetic sort than go for it. If they not, you might be SOL. Jesum crow, it's just one flipping Sunday. If you ME gets sand in their vagina because of that than you must work at a Gannett paper, excuse me, information center.

 

If you can justify everything clearly then do it. If you haven't had a day off in a week, and you're being forced to do menial tasks because of their cutbacks, then that's part of the cutbacks.

What most publishers, MEs, etc. don't want to understand (but fully do) is that when you cut back staff you are essentially cutting back local content.

You can't do everything. It's not possible or fair to you.

Worst of all --- if you end up cowarding to some ridiculous demand --- then you have set a precedent that you will be expected to follow in the future. It's your bed and you have to lay in it. I prefer mine soft and comfortable.

 

I'd have stayed up tonight and done it, that way it's out of the way.

I also long for the days when going a week without a day off was even close to a big deal.

 

hopefully you're getting plenty of overtime pay.

 

If he's eligible. I believe federal law says that if he supervises two people, then they don't have to pay him OT.

I'd make a list of everything you did this past week, then show it to your ME, and tell him that you already have plans for Saturday, and since your day off on Thursday was ruined because of the training, you will be taking it off. Remember, the newspaper world ship is sinking, and nobody ever said on their deathbed that they wish they spent more time at the office.

 

Mom??!! Is that you????

 

I can tell that this is a Gannett newsroom. Only Gannett would arbitrarily decide it was the sports department's turn to produce a centerpiece-type feature.

Been there. Done that. Kicked the ME in the nuts. Made her cry.

 

No, but I also won't be doing much between now and early July. That's the trade-off for having maybe a dozen true days off between the start of football season and the end of basketball.

 

Sounds to me like you're doing plenty. Take more time off, especially when you have kids. They are more important to you than watching somebody else's kids play their games.

 

baron implied that you're an SE. are you?