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What's the worst thing your boss has ever made you do?

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Mizzougrad96, Apr 16, 2008.

  1. Jeremy Goodwin

    Jeremy Goodwin Active Member

    and without that contrib line he missed his byline count for the week. [/crossing threads]
     
  2. MileHigh

    MileHigh Moderator Staff Member

    Was there a "Mizzougrad96 contributed to this story" at the end?
     
  3. SF_Express

    SF_Express Active Member

    I couldn't think of one, but now I have. This is an actual minor assignment thing, and not something bigger. It goes without saying, I think, that the worst/toughest things are being asked to fire somebody because the staff has to be cut -- not for cause -- or things like that.

    I once had an editor who has gone on to run one of the nation's top 10 newspapers. And in fact, I respected him a great deal and still do. But he was a newsside guy who wanted sports to act more like newsside. And while I don't entirely disagree with that, sometimes he wanted things that just weren't practical.

    Scenario: Local pro team is doing an extended dance about possibly moving to another city. Thing went on for several years. And on a Sunday afternoon, there was some slight development, not an earthshaker, just a ripple. There were dozens of these little developments a month.

    It's Sunday afternoon, my day off, and I'm in the local saloon getting into the condition you do in such places. And he pages me on my brand-new pager, I call him, and he insists that one of my writers or I call the governor of the state to get a comment from him about this development.

    I tell him that it's not worth the governor commenting on, and by the way, it's Sunday afternoon, but he's not only absolutely adamant, he's extremely annoyed with me for resisting him.

    So I have to ruin somebody else's day off by asking a reporter to find the governor to comment on The Ripple.

    He finally tracks down the governor, who's extremely annoyed with being called on a Sunday afternoon. His comment? "No comment."

    Not a big thing, obviously, but it pissed off a lot of people that day, and knotted up my stomach pretty good, because I had an "editor thinks I'm not doing my job" thought for all of that day and night.
     
  4. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    Thankfully, I did not get a "contributed to" line...
     
  5. SportsDude

    SportsDude Active Member

    Our publisher decided to show our school spirit by hanging some of the local team's sports jerseys around the office. Spend the money on the jerseys? Hell no, we're going to call them up and ask them for the old jerseys. Guess who had to do that? Spent two days calling just to track down jerseys, missed a story that broke. Guess who got yelled at for that?

    Out of all our schools, got one jersey. Apparently the are "expensive" said said publisher. Two weeks later, I'm walking past her office and see it sitting in her trash can.
     
  6. EE94

    EE94 Guest

    I bet this is what happened.

    The ME was at the theatre that night and recognized the sports hero.

    Theatre critic likely didn't have a clue who the guy was nor cared.

    ME goes to theatre critic and says, "Hey, Sports Hero was there. Find out what he thought of the play."

    Theatre critic goes to Sports department and says "Who's Sports Hero? Who does he play for? Would anyone have a phone number for him?"

    Sports Department says "Uh, no, but Joe Blow covers the team."

    Theatre critic (who clearly has no idea who Joe Blow is): Uh, do you have a number for him?

    Theatre critic phones Joe Blow

    Joe Blow (understandably) balks

    Theatre Critic tells ME that Joe Blow says no.

    ME blows a gasket because it WAS HIS IDEA

    ME reams out Joe Blow

    Joe Blow gets the quotes, sends to Theatre Critic

    Theatre Critic never really cared who Sports Hero was, so merely inserts a line, no quote

    ME never bothers to read review, so has no idea how it eventually played out

    Sun went down

    Sun came up

    repeat
     
  7. hondo

    hondo Well-Known Member

    Dead man.
     
  8. Babs

    Babs Member

    The only bad thing I can think of off the top of my head is being asked to backdate something. It wasn't even for a reason like looking like we had it earlier. If I recall correctly it was something to do with the way things ordered themselves on the website. But I still didn't like it.
     
  9. SoCalDude

    SoCalDude Active Member

    Two come to mind:
    1 -- After a merger, I was yanked from a pro baseball beat. The SE called me into the office, told me about this and assigned me to cover the Watts Summer Games, which is essentially summer practice games for high school teams. I went to the Editor, who gave me a sympathetic ear, but "there's nothing we can do." I went to the SE and said, "I'm on vacation, see you in 2 weeks."
    2 -- World Games for the Deaf. Not much to say about it except that it was pathetic.
     
  10. mustangj17

    mustangj17 Active Member

    I had an editor make me lead with the losing team for game coverage because the losing team had more of a following. Both teams were in our coverage area.

    I told the editor she had no idea how to run a paper. She got pissed. Told me to do as I am told.

    I got a job offer two days later, and jumped on it.
     
  11. ZummoSports

    ZummoSports Member

    Paper hosted a golf tournament to raise money for NIE and I had to write a preview for it...which was basically a 15-inch ad for the thing.

    Loved it so much I wouldn't even put my byline on it.
     
  12. mustangj17

    mustangj17 Active Member

    I also had a paper make me cover a minor league team for an entire summer during an internship but they didnt send me to one game or give me a byline. They had me call and get quotes from the office so I could get paid the stringer rate and not get paid for a gamer.
     
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