More newspaper idiocy, Star-Telegram edition

SF_Express · Jan 30, 2009

Gil LeBreton said:

I was going to take the high road and ignore the inevitable forums and blogs for a few days, but after reading the unfair posts by slappy and sprtswrtr10, I simply can't sit by idly and let my character be destroyed.
Click to expand...

Gil: Don't really know you, certainly know of you, and I know we've probably run across each other at an event or two over the years. The Doug Williams Super Bowl, perhaps.

Something has really struck me in the past few weeks: The thinking that anybody over the age of 35 can't adapt to new technology and a new way of doing things.

Even E&P's Steve Outing, their cutting edge guy, says there are plenty of "elders" perfectly capable of and interested in trying new ways, if they're allowed to and not dismissed because they're older.

I'm 53; I started on the web at 40. And I've adapted plenty.

What happened to you here (not SportsJournalists.com, the e-mail) was totally inappropriate, public or not. And hell, maybe it was so stupid, there's no way they could possibly think to make it worse. So maybe ultimately, it's a victory for the good guys.

I hope so, anyway, although I don't know how you feel about everything right now. In any case, best of luck in whatever happens.

As an aside, I hope and ask that this doesn't become about Jennifer. Not her fault.

accguy · Jan 31, 2009

For those who call Jen Floyd Engel a youngster, that isn't exactly accurate. She's in her mid-30s. It's like she's 24 or something.

SockPuppet · Jan 31, 2009

This was posted on a blog and it's a pretty good send up of the whole fiasco. Enjoy.

From: Witt, Jim
Sent: Fri 1/30/2009 6:37 PM
To: bunch of people who shouldn’t read this because it’s about them
Cc: edit-all
Subject: bunch of people who shouldn’t read this because it’s about them – Oops again! 

Darla:

Well boy Sorry about stepping in a pile of journalistic/ethical/legal s–t again with all these accidentally released private emails about which of our sportswriters we should s–t-can! The way I’m steppin’ in it, good thing that I come to the office every day wearing cowboy boots, huh!

Oops! 

Hey, that second email in which I confirmed my high level of buffoonery by fibbing while attempting to explain the first email that detailed in very specific terms what sports department heads I think should roll? Well boy it’s a real good thing that nobody knows about the other four employees who we have very specifically mentioned in our conversations and that they weren’t mentioned in my edit-all CC emails – otherwise we might have four more lawsuits on our hands!

Oops! 

Anyway, let’s stress here that so much good work is still done in this sports section. Randy Galloway is a icon that still brings the heat in everything he writes. LeBreton is a talent. Reevo is a local legend. We’ve got good people who can follow Randy’s lead and take us forward.

So let’s not make me, Jim Witt, the story here, OK?

Well boy Here’s some reasoning on why Jen Floyd Engel is about to get a 65-percent raise:

*I mentioned in the email that she pitches in more than the guys around here do but that she makes 65-percent less. So, if she’s paying attention – between all the super work we made her do rating the chicken wings and the Bride-to-Bride exclusives — she’s already lined up a lawyer to secure that raise for her. And that’s my bad, since the whole point of this was for me to CUT budget, not to increase it.

Oops! 

Also, here’s some reasoning on why Gil LeBreton and Jim Reeves are now safe from being dismissed from the company to which they’ve devoted a combined 69 years: After my email, if we fire either one of them, they’ll sue our f—–g a—-s off.

Oops! 

Somebody left a couple of messages today on my phone … one referred to “age discrimination.’’ The other one referred to “sex discrimination.’’ Darla, can you look into that for me?

Otherwise, well boy, let’s do our best around here to keep a lid on this. My emailed comment that in a sense revealed how uncommitted upper management is to paying people for online content and blogging? Let’s hope nobody noticed – or realizes that the reason upper management is uncommitted to the future of the industry is because at our ages, none of the members of upper management will still be here to see the death of this rag.

More immediately and just speaking for myself, how can I be expected to be concerned about online content and blogging when I don’t even know how to properly use email!

Oops! 

For that matter, how can I be expected to figure out a keyboard by 2009 when it took me the entire decade of the 90’s to figure out how to open the main door to the meeting room?

Anyway, we can keep this quiet. We’ve kept quiet that little scandal about the two editors who have sex on their office desk, right? (Remember all the times staffers would forget to knock first and thus be involved in coitus interrupt ‘em? Ha! Oh, and the way we’ve lost top-notch staffers over the years and not replaced ‘em? We can get away with that, too! (I’m thinking we can blame Obama.) And the whole secret-merger thing between us and the Dallas Morning News. … have you noticed how there’s not really a public outcry against us? That’s good, right? No public outcry?

Unless, I suppose, apathy among readers is a bad thing. I dunno!

Well boy, we can spin this. I’ve already convinced the world … Literally – the WORLD, all over the globe. The Star-Telegram gets e-mails from places you wouldn’t believe - Egypt, Japan, some places in the Middle East. Under my leadership, we have quite a following. I mean, nobody in Fort Worth actually reads us anymore. But in Egypt? We are f——g HUGE with them Egyptians. … anyway, I’ve already spun with my second oopsmail that this whole LeBreton/Reeves/Floyd-Engel thing was just me spit-ballin’ about the mergery thing.

So I’ll just spin this, too. With more edit-all CC emails!

Could we maybe do some sort of Super Bowl “distraction’’ like The Ticket pulled off? That Gordo fight was cool, hip and relevant! It even seemed almost unplanned! We’ve got to get our marketing dept. on that, Darla.

Well boy I’m thinking maybe have Jennifer Floyd-Engel run naked across the field in Tampa. Or maybe Reevo and Gil could get in a choke fight on Radio Row? I bet “Deadspin’’ would “link’’ to that!

(by the way: , Darla, what is “Deadspin’’? And what does “link’’ mean?)

So let’s ignore the naysayers who are disgruntled with McClatchy … hey, McClatchy’s the one who started this, right, by ordering that we dump five people from sports?

And let’s also ignore anyone who is probably thinking at this very moment that the manly thing to do now would be to rescue and finance the careers of the five-to-eight employees I’ve just embarrassed by me, Jim Witt, immediately submitting my resignation from McClatchy Newspapers and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

jwitt (oops!) 
Click to expand...

Montezuma's Revenge · Jan 31, 2009

Nice, sock.
Very nice.

MU_was_not_so_hard · Jan 31, 2009

This is going to force the ST to quit covering high schools. None of these three are going anywhere anytime soon (unless it's with a very, very large check).

Angola! · Jan 31, 2009

they'd be crucified if they quit covering high schools in this state.

steveu · Jan 31, 2009

Agreed. High school coverage is a huge part of the DMN and the ST, even if they've taken the majority of it online.

Football_Bat · Jan 31, 2009

I've got Gil's back and Revo's too. Jen's a good writer too (and I'm not damning with faint praise) but I'm not as familiar with her column work. I guess Galloway's gone 100 percent radio as I haven't seen his print work in about 4 years.

Fredrick · Jan 31, 2009

Glad to see managers get fucked by email. Cause that is what they are best at: communicating through fucking email. Take that you stupid dumb ass ST managers. Hope these columnists quit or eat you for lunch. You are an embarrassment.

Scoop returns · Jan 31, 2009

What would be poetic justice in this situation is they kept Gil, Jen, Reevo and just fired the stupid fucker who sent out the email! That's a major screw up his part and people have been fired for less in this business. He should have been fired many years ago anyways. Get his ass out of there!

MU_was_not_so_hard · Jan 31, 2009

Angola! said:

they'd be crucified if they quit covering high schools in this state.
Click to expand...

It was more of a "Eastern Kentucky just got slapped w/ NCAA violations because Duke screwed up again" comment.
Wasn't being serious.

Angola! · Jan 31, 2009

MU_was_not_so_hard said:

Angola! said:

they'd be crucified if they quit covering high schools in this state.
Click to expand...

It was more of a "Eastern Kentucky just got slapped w/ NCAA violations because Duke screwed up again" comment.
Wasn't being serious.
Click to expand...

Oh. Sorry. I struggle to catch sarcasm sometimes.

Log in or Sign up

More newspaper idiocy, Star-Telegram edition

SF_Express Active Member

accguy Member

SockPuppet Active Member

Montezuma's Revenge Active Member

MU_was_not_so_hard Active Member

Angola! Guest

steveu Well-Known Member

Football_Bat Well-Known Member

Fredrick Well-Known Member

Scoop returns Member

MU_was_not_so_hard Active Member

Angola! Guest

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

More newspaper idiocy, Star-Telegram edition

SF_Express Active Member

accguy Member

SockPuppet Active Member

Montezuma's Revenge Active Member

MU_was_not_so_hard Active Member

Angola! Guest

steveu Well-Known Member

Football_Bat Well-Known Member

Fredrick Well-Known Member

Scoop returns Member

MU_was_not_so_hard Active Member

Angola! Guest

Share This Page

Useful Searches