OK, here I go,
I got fired from my shop which I have worked at for 18 years, more than half my life. The reason I was given for my termination was that I wrote a story for a rival newspaper. Said rival newspaper has a full-time sports writer who has written a weekly column for my paper the last 15 years, so it's not like sharing information between the two of us is unprecedented. Also, I have (had) a part-time worker on my staff who is an editor at a paper 15 miles from my location. We share information on schools we both cover all the time.
This is what happened: My "rival" paper called me and said they didn't have anyone available to cover a state semifinal football game and wondered if I would be willing to write a story for them. Although the team involved is in my coverage area, I have other writers on my staff who have been responsible for covering them, so I said I wouldn't be covering the game, but I could have a writer on my staff who would be at the game shoot them a story. Upon second thought, I figured rather than have someone on my staff be responsible for writing a story for two papers and put them on double-deadline pressure, so to speak, I could go to the game, write them a quick 12-incher, then go back to my shop and lay out our section.
I did that, and in fact, I was waiting on my writers to complete their stories so I could put our section to bed. Bottom line, I did my normal job and was not derelict in my duties in any way. I merely was helping out a colleague, which is something that's done in our area all the time. I can't stress enough that papers within our area share information and stories all the time. In fact, one of my writers wrote a story for the same team I'm talking about for another paper when they played in the first round of the playoffs.
In my 10 years as editor at this shop, I have earned 19 state-wide AP awards, ranging from Best Sports Writer, to Best Headline Writer, to Best Daily Section, to Best Special Sports Section, to Best Game Story. I mention this not to brag in any way, but only to point out that the work I have been producing is respected among my peers.
I also should point out that the owner of my shop and the owner of the shop I wrote the story for that got me fired are at a major personal war. I can't help but feel that I was a pawn in a rich-man's game.
I'd really appreciate some thoughts on this situation, and I don't need any trash thrown my way. This job I just got fired from is the only thing in this world I know how to do, and I honestly don't know where to go from here. I don't need negativtity, I need help and support because I honestly feel that within six months I may be homeless.
Let me know what you think.
I got fired from my shop which I have worked at for 18 years, more than half my life. The reason I was given for my termination was that I wrote a story for a rival newspaper. Said rival newspaper has a full-time sports writer who has written a weekly column for my paper the last 15 years, so it's not like sharing information between the two of us is unprecedented. Also, I have (had) a part-time worker on my staff who is an editor at a paper 15 miles from my location. We share information on schools we both cover all the time.
This is what happened: My "rival" paper called me and said they didn't have anyone available to cover a state semifinal football game and wondered if I would be willing to write a story for them. Although the team involved is in my coverage area, I have other writers on my staff who have been responsible for covering them, so I said I wouldn't be covering the game, but I could have a writer on my staff who would be at the game shoot them a story. Upon second thought, I figured rather than have someone on my staff be responsible for writing a story for two papers and put them on double-deadline pressure, so to speak, I could go to the game, write them a quick 12-incher, then go back to my shop and lay out our section.
I did that, and in fact, I was waiting on my writers to complete their stories so I could put our section to bed. Bottom line, I did my normal job and was not derelict in my duties in any way. I merely was helping out a colleague, which is something that's done in our area all the time. I can't stress enough that papers within our area share information and stories all the time. In fact, one of my writers wrote a story for the same team I'm talking about for another paper when they played in the first round of the playoffs.
In my 10 years as editor at this shop, I have earned 19 state-wide AP awards, ranging from Best Sports Writer, to Best Headline Writer, to Best Daily Section, to Best Special Sports Section, to Best Game Story. I mention this not to brag in any way, but only to point out that the work I have been producing is respected among my peers.
I also should point out that the owner of my shop and the owner of the shop I wrote the story for that got me fired are at a major personal war. I can't help but feel that I was a pawn in a rich-man's game.
I'd really appreciate some thoughts on this situation, and I don't need any trash thrown my way. This job I just got fired from is the only thing in this world I know how to do, and I honestly don't know where to go from here. I don't need negativtity, I need help and support because I honestly feel that within six months I may be homeless.
Let me know what you think.
