The complaints you don't hear

People tell me shit they feel about my co-workers all the time. I tell them I can give them their e-mail or phone number and they can take it up with them. They always respond with "I don't want to make anyone angry, I just want someone to know ..."

Maybe it's a situation like that? Be happy you don't have to deal with their pissed off messages all the time.

 

I giggled at that

 

If you're e-mail and voicemail aren't lighting up on at least a semi-regular basis, chances are you're doing OK.

I know my readers aren't afraid to bitch at me about even the smallest of details, and I can't imagine it being too different elsewhere.

Recently in a football game I was covering from the sidelines, a No. 72 recovered a fumble in a whole mess of bodies. In my gamer, I credited the recovery to No. 32. A lot of the kids were slapping No. 32's helmet, so I figured he was the one who recovered it. Plus, Nos. 72 and 32 have the same body type.

Saturday morning, I got a not-so-friendly e-mail from No. 72's gramps. Geesh.

 

Hoo, this happens everywhere.

For example, one of my writers covered a volleyball game last night. One of the coaches complained to him about coverage. Specifically, she mentioned how they beat a school two classifications bigger on Saturday, but nothing was in the paper about it.

My writer told her to call or e-mail me. She hasn't. And that means I can't point out to her that Saturday's match wasn't on the schedule she provided us at the start of the season, that nobody bothered to tell us they'd be playing nor reported the scores after the match.

 

Maybe they don't call because they don't want to be the subject of a new thread about stupid callers.

 

smallp,

Saying people aren't happy means nothing. You need specifics. What are they supposedly unhappy about.

I'm sure readers are unhappy -- that you didn't staff the JV volleyball game or whatever. You can't be everywhere and do everything but you need to be out there making contacts and getting a pulse.

I used to work at a bigger paper that covered a lot of schools and at virtually every game you cover, you get the snide "Oh, the Podunk Press finally showed up."

You get used to it.

Oh, and the photo editor is a dick.

 

Are all photo editors bizarre, or is it just most?

 

FWIW, some guys hear one complaint and all the sudden everybody is unhappy. I've seen that happen often.

 

This is the crux of the issue. This thread has nothing to do with coverage.

 

You should go out more often so you can hear people complain to you about the photographer.

 

This is just plain Bullshit. If you are getting out and about (and obviously you are), then your photographer is being a shit disturber just because. Some people like to stir shit up because it makes them feel important. Trust me, those are usually the least important people in an office.

Besides, it's preps. Do you really think they would take some sort of perceived bad coverage quietly?


I mean really, they work as hard as everyone else.

Let it go, or tell the guy to screw off. Either works.

 

Every single photo editor I've ever encountered has been bizarre. There have to be some normal ones out there. Right?