Tonight's Stupid Phone Call

So mysterious that even I don't know what it is. Yet you seem to be the only one who feels I have some mysterious cause.

 

Never mind, AlleyBabbler.

 

This happened a while ago.
There are a couple of First Nations reserves in our coverage area, but they are always difficult to deal with, and that's if they call us in the first place to know when anything is happening involving them, not that we have a problem covering them or anything.
Anyways about an issue or two after we did a big front on their pow wow, we have an entire issue mailed back to us from the reserve – of course not the same issue of the pow wow. In it they had circled every single white face with a counter next to each one. They didn't just circle photographs, they had circled national ads, local ads, and classified ads/obits/paid wedding and birthday announcements. Their argument being of course that we are racist and never cover them.

 

It's odd, but you and the other handful of neo-cons on this board are the only ones who have an issue with me. As the old saying goes, maybe it's you.

 

Two papers ago, we had one gentleman come in with a spreadsheet and a graph breaking down the coverage on the nine preps in our county, complaining about the lack of coverage for one particular team ... despite the fact that the team in question finished well behind a state champ and a state finalist.

How come you don't cover our girls?

 

(1) Not a neo-con.

(2) I saw one of the other discussions you seem to refer to, and I wasn't sure where you were coming from in that one, either.

 

Like I said, maybe it's you cause no one else seems to have that problem, neo-con or not.

 

Getting this thread back on track....

We have the top-ranked and fourth-ranked volleyball teams in the state playing in the state tournament.

Fans from No. 4 team in the state have been complaining that we favor the No. 1 team. (Side note, the two teams have played each other four times, No. 1 has won every time).

So, both won yesterday in the first round at state. The best photo was of the No. 4 team, so we ran that dominant, packaged it with a 2 column photo of No. 1 team, and put both stories on the front play. No. 1 team got dominant photo on the inside page.

Mother of player from No. 1 team calls today and complains that we didn't run their photo dominant on Page 1, then tries to say that No. 4 team lost. When pointed out that she was wrong, that the No. 4 team won, she says, "Well, you favor them anyway," and hung up.

The teams play each other tonight. Can't wait for tomorrow's phone calls.

 

Most calls from moms, some from dads, are from whiners for the most part.

"Well we've been waiting down here in Po-dunk for our stories previewing the soccer season. My daughter and my son play on the Po-dunk soccer teams and they work hard. They deserve some coverage. I mean I know you got football going on, but can't you come to our soccer game on Friday night instead...?"

I took great pleasure in telling this bitch off (because it was my last day, my sports section has been phased out to save money. We wrapped up football regular season and then it was done).

First I asked her what she really thought: Do people want to see more football in the paper, or more soccer? I asked her to think about how many people actually go to high school soccer games compared to the volume of idiots that go to football games.

She said, "well soccer is played in the dead of winter when it's cold and raining. People would go to the soccer games more if it's nice weather..."

I said that may very well be true, but in football, fuckers are there rain, sleet or shine, therefore suggesting that football is just more popular in the minds of the general public.

She whined and whined about how just once the soccer mommies in Podunkland want to see their kids get recognized because they work so hard. She said the only time the soccer programs have gotten coverage was last year in the playoffs and they lost in the semis, and that represented bias against their school because we chose to cover them only when the team "could lose...and did."

I then told her that Thursday's paper would have a long editorial that explains how sports has been phased out, and only championship games would from that point, get coverage, and only in the major sports -- football, basketball or baseball. The letter from the publisher explains that parents will have to submit stories if they want info from their games in the paper (something we've never gotten any help with).

I told the bitch on the phone that I was packing up my desk...that I was out of work.

She said, "I guess that means you're not coming to our soccer game on Friday night...?"

Ya think?

 

Had a terrific one yesterday afternoon.

Caller says we are biased against Bumfuck High because my story detailing the postseason chances of all five HS football teams had Bumfuck last. "It wasn't even on the front. It was on the bottom of 2D." Sir, would you have preferred the top of 2D?

He babbled on for about another five minutes, after which I told him that we give his school great coverage, despite the fact that it is in our lowest circulation area. I then told him to take the Bumfuck-colored glasses off, look at the section and goodbye.

It might have been my proudest moment in 14 months here.

 

Sorry to hear that sartrean.

 

You should have skipped the long explanation, told her she was absolutely right but you were on deadline, and could she call back on Monday.