Should I be pissed? Because I am!!!

I'm the sports editor for a one-man sports desk for a very small daily in mid-Michigan.

I got to work yesterday, Monday, which is the lightest day of the week.

All we had going on were two soccer games. Only one was in town and it was against a team out of our coverage area.

I barely had a enough content to fill my page... Anyway at the end of the night when I am proofing the news pages, which is another part of my job for some reason, I noticed an interesting article by the news reporter.

He wrote an article about a local kid shooting a 17 pt buck.

I'm no hunting expert but one, the buck, from what I understand is massive. And two the kid was only 16.

I told my editor this should have been my story and she told me my job was to stick to prep sports.

She's only been an editor for 3 months and it is her first newspaper gig.

Would the rest of you be pissed if she stepped on your toes like that? I really want to punch her in the head. Especially since a story like this will never come around again during my time at this newspaper.

I asked her to do a follow-up story after the official measurements came in and she said no.

Any suggestions of what I should do? Besides slashing her tires.

 

Um, talk to a counselor about your anger issues?

Punch someone in the head and slash her tires over a dead fucking deer? Seriously?

 

I was making jokes... I'm not actually angry enough to punch her.

 

Then no. Talk to her, say 'hunting is a sport here' or something, and hope that next time it comes your way. Maybe you had a shitload going on when the shooting actually happened. Maybe this other person heard of the story and volunteered to do it.

Just say you think that's a sports story, and you'll handle them from here on out.




Personally, having written the 'dead deer head' story more times than I'd like to count, I'd gladly have passed it off to news side every fucking time.

 

Yeah but, if this was a 17 pt buck were talking a potential state record.

 

Understood. But what can you do about it now (aside from punch someone in the head and slash her tires)?

Just plan for next time. It's all you can do.

 

Nope, let news have the dead deer story.

Dead animals do not belong in sports unless you have an outdoors column/page. Sorry.

 

Seriously, be happy that news has set the precedent of taking dead animal stories.

 

You should see if you can get them to take the local dirt track too ... since, you know, you're supposed to focus on prep sports.

 

Her response is snotty and deserves being discussed privately. If you already are fighting turf battles and having a pissing match with a bitchy rookie editor, life won't get easier. Figure it out now.

If this kid's deer is a state record or the biggest news in your city, let News handle it. That is big news in many parts of the country, especially in areas where hunting is important.

If she does not follow up with the official "measurements" or whatever they do with a dead deer, maybe you can talk with the kid then.

When the telephone rings with more hunters wanting their dead deer photos in the paper, be sure to give them her telephone number.

 

I was going to tell you to thank your lucky stars that news is taking bullshit hunting stories off your hands, but it looks like I'm late to the party.

And if it's a state record, it probably belongs in news anyway.

 

I don't think her telling you your job is to stick to prep sports is snotty at all, especially since you "told her" this should have been your story rather than approach it professionally and ask why it went news and not sports.

Seriously, if you're going to get this pissed and create a turf war over stuff like this, you better get out of there -- and maybe out of the business -- right now.