Possibly dealing with a pissed off principal

One of my intern reporters wrote a story about gang violence in our county and interviewed two students from a local high school. The parents of each kid gave their kid permission to talk to my intern for the story and we end up running a story on the front of our free section and feature it on our Web site.

Anyway, I got a call today from the intern that the principal apparently called the two students into his office and was upset that they talked to the reporter intern. He threatened to write a letter to the big J-school where that student intern is attending.

Before this guy calls and decides to go apeshit on me, how do I (diplomatically) tell him to get his head out of the fucking sand and deal with the REAL problem that he doesn't seem to be facing?

I have a feeling I'll be pulling out the "I stand behind the accuracy of this story and I do not apologize for publishing it" card, but is there something I can keep in mind before I have to deal with him?

 

That the parents gave the kids permission ... ipso facto, none of his business.

 

Have a snappy comeback if he says, "I'M A MAN! I'M 40! COME AFTER ME!"

 

mr. principal is overstepping his boundaries

 

Upper deck him.

 

That's never a bad response.

 

Comet bomb, boys, Comet bomb.

Principal can bitch all he wants, but if the kids' parents said they could talk there's not much he can do.

Hell even in the parents didn't give permission there's not a damned thing he can do unless your reporter talked to them on school grounds.

 

Well, Mr. Principal. Please call the journalism school. I'm sure the powers that be would enjoy the fact that one of their students wrote a great story and pissed off an officious little puke like yourself.
Now, is there anything else?

 

I would make my comeback in writing ... by penning a column in which I describe his response as putting his head in the sand instead of dealing with the REAL problem.

 

Call the principal on it. Tell him to write his letter, and you'll write one, too. Mention that journalism's a profession where going to jail to protect a source is a badge of honor, so he probably isn't going to get the reaction he hopes for or expects.
Oh, and be sure the principal -- an educator by trade -- knows what kind of lesson he's teaching this intern.
Make sure the intern knows you'll go to the mat for him. That kind of loyalty can't be bought. And make sure the intern learns the lesson in all this. Sometimes, that kind of criticism can be the best praise.

 

Well played. Failing that, stick your dick in his ear.

 

Put him on blast. That seems to work for everything these days.