Office rearrangement

The loud newsroom, with all manner of banter, bullshit and activity, makes a shift 1,000 times better than coming to work in a morgue where everyone plugs in and ignores everyone else.

 

We have two levels. Downstairs near the main entrance is the front desk. Down the hallway is the graphic designers and other folks like IT staff, and down another hall is the classified folks.

You can enter the newsroom through one of two staircases. When you enter each door, the three-person community news team is the first you encounter. Then, on the right-hand side, you have photogs, copy desk, features and sports. On the left-hand side, you have four or five reporters, then three offices for our county editor, ME and SE.

 

To a degree. I love a bustling newsroom. But when the sports guys gather around the TV and shout encouragement at the screen, I don't blame news-side for getting a little ticked.

 

I suppose if you have to go through a newsroom reorganization, this is the right kind.

 

At our place, everyone communicates via IM, only sporadic person-to-person communication. I wonder how much it affects the finished product.

 

Right. I'm as big a bullshitter/banterer as the next person, but I've had to tell someone I was interviewing on the phone "Hang on a second", cover the phone and yell, "Hey, shut up" at a bunch of guys loudly doing Mystery Science Theater 3000 play-by-play over a game on TV.

 

My last shop, the SE was anal about ANY noise. He was so bad that he was slam his fists on the top of the desk or just get up and leave the room.
We knew his pattern and loved to fuck with him. The best was when our new ME started and didn't know his "tendencies" and when he started pulling his shit, she looked at him and said, "What the hell is your problem?"
We were all in one room, and if our columnist came into the room, he would start talking to any and all...he made sure to talk loudly right near the SE...just to piss him off.
I agree, a newsroom isn't a nursery. If you wanna go suck on yer mama's titty, go somewhere else. Adults at work (and sometimes play) here!

 

Really. Better to lose a door than get shown the door.

 

Our newsroom is a little too quiet at times, it's almost creepy. Everyone could be working on something, yet it'll be completely quiet.

And nearly everyone hangs out in our section of the newsroom because we have the best TV back here, so I've had to yell "shut up" a few thousands times when I'm on the phone. I can't stand it when it's quiet in here.

 

This is true. I was just seeking opinions. In my six years, at three different papers, I've never worked right open in the newsroom all willy nilly. Obviously I'm one of the few.

 

It'll be like using your real name on a message board. It'll keep you from saying things you otherwise wouldn't in "real life."

 

Just pay attention when you see NSFW and you'll be fine.