cheating for an award

[Oz]

there's no way to bring this up without it being a "fight." the guy is a snake and you can't believe a word he says. let it go. you can't fight the crackheads unless you're willing to get on crack. let it go.

Who cares if it's a fight. I would simply ask him about it and go from there. Even if he lies to my face, I would have felt better because I confronted him about it, because it's out in the open. That much would clear my mind.

 

[Crimson Tide]

Don't confront people. Don't be the squeaky wheel. Don't create conflict. Just continue being a sheep in life and everything will be fine.

Seriously, don't let this go. It's bull****, and you know it's bull****. Otherwise, you wouldn't have even brought this up. So what if it's a fight with a boss that you have a "cold" relationship with? Sounds to me that it will happen eventually. Either this or something else. So, maybe this is the last stand. **** it. Fight.

As Richard Pryor claimed Jim Brown said, "That's an ass whippin' I gotta take."

 

[Tom Petty]

dude, these are anonymous people giving you advice. leave it alone. the guy is gonna smile in your face and tell you what you wanna hear, and he'll spend the rest of his career stabbing you in the back. LET IT GO...contest junkies aren't much different from crackheads. let it go.

No. What happens if he submits his work for a later job and it's noticed by someone who's seen it before from his boss.
Since the boss won an award for it and that's all the potential employer has to go by, it's going to make incognito look like HE'S taking credit for his boss's section...

But we're anonymous! We couldn't possibly be able to help this guy out!

OOP - yeah, i kinda wanted to pick up a fungo and beat him on the back of the head with it when i read that as well. <fungo placed securely back in closet.>

 

[Write-brained]

dude, these are anonymous people giving you advice. leave it alone. the guy is gonna smile in your face and tell you what you wanna hear, and he'll spend the rest of his career stabbing you in the back. LET IT GO...contest junkies aren't much different from crackheads. let it go.

Compare that above quote from Jason_Whitlock to this last sentence from a 2006 column by the Kansas City Star's Jason Whitlock, explaining why he left ESPN.

"It was just the act of a guy who values his ability to think, act and speak independently more than he does seeing his face on ESPN."

Seems like similiar situations but two different answers.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

Whitlock's point about fighting battles you can't win is fine, except you can win this one. I've worked under a sports editor that was an idiot. He did something like this, except the guy that had actually designed the page didn't find out until he was at the state press association banquet looking at the submissions. That was just one of the many problems in that office while the guy worked there. Eventually the rest of us in sports had to talk to the publisher. It made for an uncomfortable month or two but eventually things got better, a lot better.

Point is, if you aren't happy working for this douche bag you don't have that much to lose unless he's going to be the only person you can use a reference for your next job.

 

[Cousin Jeffrey]

If you're uncomfortable confronting the guy, make a joke about it to him, see how he responds. **** it, I'd say something to him. It's not life or death, just mention that you noticed it on the desk. Don't make a scene or anything. But Whitlock is right, if you don't want a contentious work environment, then don't do it, because things won't be the same. Also, does he read this site? (That's one thing I always wonder about in threads like this, has anyone had a co-worker find out you have a beef with him by going on here? Seems plausible, esp. considering the NWI Times fiasco)

 

[BH33]

I agree with Whitlock. Contests aren't that big of a deal. If a guy needs to cheat to try to win one, he's an idiot. Don't worry about it. If you want to enter the contest, do it, and submit your work, but don't worry about anyone else.

 

[OneMoreRead]

On the surface, this is about the contests. The deeper issue is with the principles behind the SE's actions.

If you know a person of authority is cheating, how do you trust them in anything else? Whether Incognito wants to or not, there will be hesitancy, a lack of respect and a lack of trust involved when dealing with the SE.

How do you do your best work in that situation?

 

[Mystery_Meat]

On the surface, this is about the contests. The deeper issue is with the principles behind the SE's actions.

If you know a person of authority is cheating, how do you trust them in anything else? Whether Incognito wants to or not, there will be hesitancy, a lack of respect and a lack of trust involved when dealing with the SE.

How do you do your best work in that situation?

Was just about to post something like this. Okay, fine, the contest isn't that big a deal, but there's something much larger to deal with. If the SE is that blatant about claiming someone else's work as his own, how do you know he's not doing it every day in discussions with the ME? Or claiming that you aren't doing enough work to the publisher? Or snorting cocaine and leaving the residue-laced doggy bag in your desk?

(I admit, it's a long road to the final example, but the point remains: it's not JUST about the contests.)

 

[friend of a friend]

I'm with Whitlock. I don't think this is a fight worth fighting. But I also agree that this is a much deeper problem. My advice, update that resume and get out as quick as you can.

 

[Ace]

On the surface, this is about the contests. The deeper issue is with the principles behind the SE's actions.

If you know a person of authority is cheating, how do you trust them in anything else? Whether Incognito wants to or not, there will be hesitancy, a lack of respect and a lack of trust involved when dealing with the SE.

How do you do your best work in that situation?

Based on the information given, however, incog doesn't know the SE is cheating. He just suspects. Assumptions can be dangerous.

 

[outofplace]

I still believe to this day I worked for one of the worst sports editors to ever make it to a daily newspaper. He couldn't write. He was terrible when it came to communicating with his staff. His journalistic judgement was shaky at best. His organizational and management skills were lousy.

Worst of all, he had no respect for the business, or much of anything else. I won't get into the stories of the unprofessional crap he pulled, not to mention the personal stuff we all knew about.

But to this day one of my biggest regrets was not calling him on any of his crap. I got out before things got ugly, but there was at least one instance I still feel like I should have said something.

We're supposed to stand up for ourselves and the truth is supposed to matter to us. That's part of working in journalism, or at least it should be.

 

[Ace]

I still believe to this day I worked for one of the worst sports editors to ever make it to a daily newspaper. He couldn't write. He was terrible when it came to communicating with his staff. His journalistic judgement was shaky at best. His organizational and management skills were lousy.

Worst of all, he had no respect for the business, or much of anything else. I won't get into the stories of the unprofessional crap he pulled, not to mention the personal stuff we all knew about.

But to this day one of my biggest regrets was not calling him on any of his crap. I got out before things got ugly, but there was at least one instance I still feel like I should have said something.

We're supposed to stand up for ourselves and the truth is supposed to matter to us. That's part of working in journalism, or at least it should be.

Eh. Your guy sounds par for the course to me.

 

[Birdscribe]

An offshoot of this happened to me many years ago, when I was working in New Mexico. I was the SE of a small daily and the ME -- who I replaced -- took several of my stories for a regional contest.

Only he didn't enter them, only the sports stories HE wrote for me on trips to Albuquerque and Lubbock, mindless stories he wrote to justify said trips. And -- adding salt into open wound at the time -- one of them somehow won.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

I worked with a jackass who piled up several design awards by lifting ideas straight out of some glossy-paged design showbook. I watched him do it. Guy didn't have one original thought in his body.

As far as the subject of the thread, I wouldn't let this go unanswered. I don't care if it's a sports editor or the King of Prussia. There is some honor at stake here.

 

[fishwrapper]

I'm pretty sure this has never come up, but LJ Beauregard brought it up.
There is a possibility the Sports Editor could be the sports editor of King of Prussia, PA.
They could be one in the same at the King of Prussia Courier.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?brd=1679

Sorry for the Random Thought.

 

[Mystery_Meat]

I'm pretty sure this has never come up, but LJ Beauregard brought it up.
There is a possibility the Sports Editor could be the sports editor of King of Prussia, PA.
They could be one in the same. King of Prussia Courier.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?brd=1679

Sorry for the Random Thought.

Not sure what I'm looking for, but I will say that it's more than a little disturbing that Officials: Disc-golf course was 'a mistake' is the most-read story of the week on that site.

 

[Taylee]

It's just a contest.
I've never hired anyone based upon a resume that lists awards. Anyone who does is a fool.
It's just one person's opinion. I'd rather look at the work myself and make my own judgements.
I've judged contests and seen other judge them. I take my time, usually too much, and try to make the right decisions because there are people and companies who place value (too much, in my opinion) on them. Besides, doing a thorough job was part of the responsibility.
Saw a co-worker judge a writing contest by reading the lead, maybe going as far as the jump before quitting. Took him less than an hour to go through all the entries.
Know of one contest that is judged by undergrads who think comparing a high school sophomore with LeBron James is cute writing.
Am I bitter? No. Our company makes contest entries mandatory, and our dept. has done very well.
But contests never have been addressed in any performance review, either one I've received or the ones I give.
Don't make an issue of it. If you didn't already know, there are dishonest people out there and some of them luck into management jobs. Might be a good sign that it's time to roll.

 

[Just_An_SID]

I am with Whitlock on this.

There might be a 10 percent chance that if you confront him that everything will work out and you will be happy. That means there is a 90 percent chance that it won't, which will only anger you more.

In addition, there is a reasonable chance that your boss will use the challenge to screw you whenever he gets a chance.

Remember the words of many, many SportsJournalists.com threads. . . this will not end well.

 

[Write-brained]

Incognito, will you please tell us what you did and how it turned out? Thanks.