Prep opening: Opelika-Auburn News

With that said, this is still a good job for someone fresh out of school looking to make a name for themselves. The person who gets hired will have an opportunity to develop skills on his/her own and will have an excellent opportunity to make the judgment calls that can cultivate strong editors.
Mike is a good guy and this will be a good starting point for a young, hardworking, talented reporter hoping to make a name.
Feel free to add me to the PM list if you have any questions about the job.

 

I'll be about the 15th one to say Mike is a great guy and very good to work with. When I was in Tampa, he was always more than helpful to us whenever we needed it and his staff always got stuff to us in a good time period.

The only trouble with Mike was the fact I HAD to spell his name on some of the daily budgets (Like during football Friday nights.) and it was ... well look at it. I found out if you just mash you hand on the keyboard it was usually right about 96 percent of the time. Just kidding with ya Mike.

 

It's M-I-K-E S.

 

C'mon, guys, it's hardly his fault what the budget will and won't allow them to pay. It's not the AJC, but a chance to cover some good stuff, get some cool clips.

I do, however, wonder if there is a quota involved. I've heard from more than one sports editor "I really like your stuff and you're the best candidate, but management tells me we HAVE to hire a (woman, black, other minority, etc.) to fill this position." Well, sheesh, I am who I am and that part isn't going to change. Makes me wonder how common this stuff is these days.

 

Bullshit. If there are so many minorities - women and people of color - being hired where are they? They're definitely not in the press boxes.

 

I don't think I would want to work for someone dumb enough to come out and tell job candidates that, even if it were true.

 

I wasn't blaming him at all for the salary and I want that to be clear. As I said, my post wasn't meant to be directed at him personally. I do, however, think it's unreasonable advertise positions for experienced journalists and offer entry-level salaries just because, hey, we're hiring!

As for the rest of your post, well, I just find it hard to believe that you've ever heard that from one sports editor, much less several. That would be a quick way to draw a lawsuit for any company.

 

I have heard editors say they would like to make their next hire a woman or a minority. That's a different take than saying I have to HAVE a woman or a minority.

 

I don't think anyone should get a job based off the color of their skin or sex. It should always be the best candidate. Personally, I wouldn't want to work for any company that is not trying to fill its openings with the best people, because they are probably going close their doors eventually in this climate if that is their business model. ESPN.com is the king of this with poor female writers they employ just because they are female (i.e. Jemelle Hill) Also, I don't think women, and for that sake anyone who hasn't played a sport should cover that sport. Why are there female football writers? What the hell do they know about football? If you have never played the particular sport, you will never be able to truly grasp it. This is why I should never be a wrestling reporter or hockey reporter. This leads to stupid people writing terrible articles such as Jenni Carlson's. She only has her job because she is a woman, because she can't cover sports worth a lick. That piece she wrote that pissed off Gundy was hands down the worst sports column I have ever read.

 

I guess I'll never be a good GA reporter. I only played three sports in high school so there's no way I'll ever be able to grasp the rest.

 

Please. That's not aspecific to journalism, or really a reflection of the times. Everyone wants to get more for what they pay for.

It's similar to buying a car. You know the book value, but who wants to pay book value?

Sure, supply and demand factors in, but basically, everyone's after a good bargain, employers included.

And this one sound like a good gig. Someone will wind up happy.

 

Sure, employers in all fields would like to pay as little as needed to secure talent. But it is specific to journalism that the entry-level wages, after a college-based preparation, are considerably lower than almost all similarly educated occupations.