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How do you respond to readers who think you hate their team?

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Whatwhat, Mar 24, 2012.

  1. Versatile

    Versatile Active Member

    How do you like your steak, burnt to a crisp or bloody as hell?
     
  2. imjustagirl

    imjustagirl Active Member

    Closer to burnt than bloody. Medium well on everything but filets, and medium on those.
     
  3. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Why do I get the impression that sending you to the kitchen is about as good an idea as sending Chef to the first-aid kit?
     
  4. spikechiquet

    spikechiquet Well-Known Member

    Just bring the damn cow to the table! I'll cut off what I want to eat and ride the rest home!
     
  5. I occasionally will take to the comments for a discussion, but usually only when someone posts a question or complaint that is easily explainable.

    A few weeks ago someone complained we didn't cover a prep basketball team until our state semifinal preview, so I went back and linked to every game story and preview we had done dating back to the region tournament. That satisfied them until they complained they couldn't find them the way our website works. That was essentially when I realized I was falling into an argument with someone who not only does not subscribe, but only looks at our website once every three or four days at most. Of course things are going to be rotated off the main sports page by then. Someone else jumped in to complain about another issue, and I pointed them to links to something relevant we had done, and they actually came back and said they stood corrected and I was correct. The original poster came back yet again with a revised complain, and I gave up.

    It's so frustrating because an anonymous commenter can always stoop one level lower than you can professionally or even just mildly courteously. Just once I'd love to not just be polite in my explanation, but when they revise their argument, rip into their circular logic and chastise them for their tactics.
     
  6. imjustagirl

    imjustagirl Active Member

    So much worse.
     
  7. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    One of the many problems with comments ... it turns into a bully pulpit. I'm like most other folks here. Someone phones or e-mails with a question and behaves reasonably, I'll reply in kind. Go on a rant on how Podunk East soccer always gets in and Podunk West doesn't and don't leave a phone number, I can't call you back and say Podunk West's coaches are a bunch of douchebags that don't call in, despite having enough of my cards to paper a small restroom, you deserve to labor in ignorance.

    But you never know when or how that complainy call will come. Occasionally a missing paper call rings on my desk. One time, as I was looking up circulation's extension, the old timer on the other end started ranting about the liberal media and how I was a BCS voter, so finally I said firmly, "Sir, I'm trying to help you ..."
     
  8. ColdCat

    ColdCat Well-Known Member

    the "you hate our team" commenters assume we are biased against them just because we don't share their bias. They care 100% about Podunk East so when they see 50% Podunk East and 50% Podunk West coverage, they see that as not enough for their guys and way too much for the others.
     
  9. jr/shotglass

    jr/shotglass Well-Known Member

    IJAG, are you still taking orders?
     
  10. Johnny Dangerously

    Johnny Dangerously Well-Known Member

    IJAG ...

    ... has never been in her kitchen.
     
  11. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    On the hater front, it's funny that people will remember some perceived slight to their graves but cannot recall any positive articles ever written.
     
  12. Johnny Dangerously

    Johnny Dangerously Well-Known Member

Draft saved Draft deleted

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