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Dumbest reader ever

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by hankschu, May 21, 2008.

  1. Lieslntx

    Lieslntx Active Member

    We had a pipeline explosion type thing once that resulted in a huge fire. The paper the next day had an enormous verticle photo of the flames shooting up in the air. And by huge, I mean that it began at the bottom off the paper and reached almost to the headline at the top. It was quite possibly the only story on the front page that day. The paper is on my desk and I am skimming the article as I receive a phone call from a woman who asks, "Why we didn't you cover the fire in Bumfuck town??" I was seriously rendered speechless for at least 30 seconds before I managed to repond, "Have you seen the paper this morning?"
     
  2. Rex Harrison

    Rex Harrison Member

    I had the luxury of (finally, according to some) buying into the family business 1,000 miles away. Otherwise, I wouldn't have done that.
     
  3. Tom Petty

    Tom Petty Guest

    so, you're saying you're smarter than, er, the guy i know? :D
     
  4. pressmurphy

    pressmurphy Member

    A Cincinnati TV sportscaster (Bob Hillman, I think) once reported the results of a heavyweight championship fight on his late-night telecast. Trouble is, what he had watched just before airtime was one of those "Great Fights" anthologies on ESPN. The fight that he was reporting as live news actually took place several years earlier.
     
  5. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member

    "DOWN GOES FRAZIAH!! DOWN GOES FRAZIAH!!!!!"
     
  6. Wonderlic

    Wonderlic Member

    Some jackass, clearly an older guy who is not dicking around with me, calls the other night, on deadline, of course...

    ME: "Sports, this is me."

    SOME JACKASS: "A yeah, um, um, yeah, um, I was, we was, I was watching the baseball game on this here TV here and um ... the numbers came up and they show this here batter's hits and um, his um, batting average, yeah."

    ME: "What can I do for you, sir?"

    SOME JACKASS: "What does it mean when, um, um, yeah, um, what does the BB stand for that they show on the TV there?"

    ME: "It stands for a base on balls, sir. It's the same thing as a walk."

    SOME JACKASS: "It's a walk, eh? It's a walk. ... I thought that maybe that it stood for broken bats."

    ME: "Have a good night, sir."
     
  7. One lonely summer Friday night...lone man in the office outside of the desk folks....

    Ring, ring:

    Me: Sports, how may I help you?
    Reader: I just ordered the paper for my husband. How do I know he's going to get it?
    Me: Well, as long as you put the address down, it should be taken care of...
    Reader: But I just want to make sure.
    Me: OK, that's really a question for circulation, but they aren't in tonight...
    Reader: I just paid for it, so I want to make sure he gets it.
    Me: Fine, but you'll have to call circulation on Monday with that question...
    Reader: But what about tomorrow and Sunday's paper?
    Me: It shouldn't be a problem. You put down the correct address, right?
    Reader: Well, I did. But he got arrested for drunk driving tonight and he's in jail until Monday.
    Me: Uhhh.......
    Reader: I paid for it. Can't someone take the paper to him in jail??
    Me: Uhh....

    click
     
  8. pseudo

    pseudo Well-Known Member

    You win, vonnegut.
     
  9. Bud_Bundy

    Bud_Bundy Well-Known Member

    We had a coach once threaten to kick one of our reporter's ass. That's until the coach (maybe 5-6, 150) found out our reporter was 6-5 and 300 pounds. He backed off.
     
  10. crusoes

    crusoes Active Member

    You just described a conversation I had with my managing editor twice this month.
     
  11. I've had a couple of cops threaten to crack me in the head and the knees with their ASP batons.

    Another cautioned me that he knew what kind of car I drive.
     
  12. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    I had a couple of interesting cop episodes.

    1. I was coming back from covering an out-of-town HS playoff game around 1 a.m. As soon as I drove into town, a cop car came up behind me and followed me, through the entire town, including several turns onto streets until I pulled up to my apartment. If he had pulled me over, I would have shown him my newspaper ID, , whip out my notepad, and then ask if it was common for a cop to follow a car throughout the entire town when the car was driving five miles below the speed limit. It might have gotten me arrested, but it would have been a great story.

    2. During a minor natural disaster (no loss of life, just a weather-related problem), I was assigned to go to the police station to try to get an interview with the chief or assistant chief of police. Chief sees me, I identify myself (I knew he didn't know me), and ask him if I can have a few minutes of his time. Chief screams at me, and tells me if I didn't leave right away, that I would be arrested.

    I went back to my editor, who, a few days after things calmed down, called the chief and told him who I was. The chief, who had been working about 60 hours straight without sleep, apologized. We understood, of course, and things were perfectly fine ever since.
     
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