Question for you

I am at a weekly shop where my main job is the sports editor. No problem there. However, we cover our county fair like ESPN has covered the Favre saga and everyone in the editorial side (four of us, including the editor) are expected to cover it. Now we were told to take lots of pictures. I came back from the fair with over 1,000 pictures and worked my best ones. Well, the day before our special fair tab went to press, I had to rush my wife to the emergency room. Now, I am told I missed deadline as a result of that. Just wondering how you guys would respond to that.

 

"Pffffffft."

That's how I'd respond.

 

www.journalismjobs.com

And I'm not kidding. I'd pretty much leave on the spot if they used me taking my wife to the hospital as some sort of negative.

 

I was SE at a weekly for many, many years and thankfully, they never would have pulled that on me.

If they are that cold, that no one else was able to step up and fill in, tell them to kiss off and look for another job.

 

I probably would have given a response that would have gotten me fired.

 

Yeah, I'm not sure I'd up and leave, but I'd definitely explain your situation, and if they made you feel awful about it, I'd let them know where they can stick the fair tab.

 

I worked at a place that gave a guy shit for taking two weeks after his mother died suddenly in a car accident.

She lived across the country and he initially took 10 days and then called to say he needed four more to get things together and the DSE gave him shit about it.

Some people in this business are soulless fucks.

 

They said because you rushed your wife to the ER, you missed deadline?
There are things more important than *ANY* job, and if your boss can't see that, is it worth working there?
What's next? Breaking both hands in a car crash and being told you should be able to find a way to keep taking pictures and typing because it's merely a flesh wound?

 

I normally am not an advocate for up and leaving a job, but in this case, I would.

I'd sling hash before working for heartless jerks. I quit a job last year because of jerkdom and had to fall back on my side biz (which is very small) before I got a new gig six months later.

But the stress level and aggravation, despite money being tighter than tight, actually went down. It was so worth it.

Sometimes you have to swallow your pride, deliver pizzas, tend bar or bus tables to make it work, but again, I'd rather do that than work for jerks.

 

I'd begin looking immediately and leave as soon as possible.

 

To be honest, Palmetto, there is not enough information in your post for me to know how I would respond.

You said you worked your best photos.

So what did you miss deadline on? Did you not get them turned in? Did your co-workers not know that you had a family emergency?

Did the tab get out?

I don't really understand what went wrong that someone would give you any grief about to start with.

 

After careful consideration, I would tell your co-workers that you regret that circumstances forced you to be late in filing photos of kids eating corn dogs. And look really hard for a new job.

Once you're on you way, enlist help from nearby bowel-troubled SportsJournalists.commers to upper deck the entire place.