NBA writer caught double-dipping

[Some Guy]

In the writer's defense (oh God), he can get what he needs from the fresh faces before the game and be done with his story before tipoff, thus freeing him up to "string."

However ... the point remains, he should have asked permission from his superiors. No question.

 

[ballscribe]

I can't believe no one has weighed in yet on the man's worthiness to work for the Plain-Dealer.

You guys are slipping.

 

[ECrawford]

My only qualm -- I don't think I'd ever consider covering an NBA beat a "plush" job.

 

[Joe Williams]

In the writer's defense (oh God), he can get what he needs from the fresh faces before the game and be done with his story before tipoff, thus freeing him up to "string."

However ... the point remains, he should have asked permission from his superiors. No question.

I disagree. Very bad form, on the same night that you have a backup person handling game duties, for you to string for some other newspaper. If you're free and clear to handle game duties, handle them for your employer and let your backup pick up $125 or whatever.

And if he had asked, I would like to think that someone there would have had balls enough to tell him, "No f---in' way." That would require someone with balls enough to fire or demote the guy, rather than make him the sports dept. blogger. (For someone as lazy as this guy, that is a reward -- sit on your ass and compile and comment on others' work.)

 

[armageddon]

In the writer's defense (oh God), he can get what he needs from the fresh faces before the game and be done with his story before tipoff, thus freeing him up to "string."

However ... the point remains, he should have asked permission from his superiors. No question.

I disagree. Very bad form, on the same night that you have a backup person handling game duties, for you to string for some other newspaper. If you're free and clear to handle game duties, handle them for your employer and let your backup pick up $125 or whatever.

And if he had asked, I would like to think that someone there would have had balls enough to tell him, "No f---in' way." That would require someone with balls enough to fire or demote the guy, rather than make him the sports dept. blogger. (For someone as lazy as this guy, that is a reward -- sit on your ass and compile and comment on others' work.)

Not surprised the editor(s) handled the matter in that way.

Same way in our shop with a particular reporter. Lazy whiner who is allowed to skate for weeks at a time doing little else but eating and cashing checks.

This person is allowed a walk while others are too often forced to pick up the slack. And then editors get pissy if you complain.

Ridiculous.

 

[CitizenTino]

PD is a guild paper. Are there any union rules that would have protected Wright from getting outright fired in this case? It's always been my understanding that you pretty much have to bludgeon the publisher over the head with a shovel in front of the editorial board in order to get fired from a guild job, but I could very well be wrong on all this.

 

[Joe Williams]

PD is a guild paper. Are there any union rules that would have protected Wright from getting outright fired in this case? It's always been my understanding that you pretty much have to bludgeon the publisher over the head with a shovel in front of the editorial board in order to get fired from a guild job, but I could very well be wrong on all this.

That's fine. Then you put the screw-up back on a preps beat where the workload is extreme but the glory is scarce. Or you have him work the desk, unless you're reluctant to punish the night crew that way.

Used to joke with a friend that, if our egos could handle it, one of the best things that can happen to you in this business is to get in a boss's doghouse. Generally the boss would rather ignore you, which includes not requiring much work or offering much in terms of evaluation, and you really get to skate.

Sure, someone might target you for a layoff or a buyout, but at a Guild joint, making that happen w/o regard for seniority would be as tough as firing you outright for cause.

 

[WriteThinking]

Not only is it a Guild paper, but a very strong Guild. The executive editor probably didn't want to deal with blowback from the Guild and diversity issues his firing would bring.

Unfortunately, a textbook example of what can be wrong when considering the few more negative effects of diversity efforts.

What management doesn't want to deal with? What BS. Dealing with staff issues is, or should be, part and parcel of being a manager, especially if somebody want to be a good one.

Get a reporter in there who actually wants to do that job. It's not like there aren't any out there right now.

 

[Ace]

Ace would have done better.

That's all I have.

I may not ever write for the Plain-Dealer, but I can string like hell for the Washington Times, dammit!

 

[hpdrifter]

I can't believe no one has weighed in yet on the man's worthiness to work for the Plain-Dealer.

You guys are slipping.

I'm good enough to cheat the Plain-Dealer.

 

[Scoop returns]

I challenge one of the moderators to shut this discussion down. You guys are taking the word of a rag weekly newspaper in Cleveland as gospel. That story is way off. Branson did not get into trouble for stringing that night. He was off. Last I checked, you can do what the hell you want to do on your night off. But that isn't really the point. I'm bothered by uninformed discussions like this and how this could be swaying the next potential employer. I'm sure many of you posters have been demoted or in the case of many of you, you've probably never made it out of your Podunk newspaper beginning. Believe it or not, people can sometimes lose a beat because of personality conflicts with his/her boss. Nothing more or less.

Again, I challenge the moderator to shut down this discussion because it's not close true. The guy is going through enough as it is. If you don't have a heart, at least have the desire to be accurate.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

I challenge one of the moderators to shut this discussion down. You guys are taking the word of a rag weekly newspaper in Cleveland as gospel. That story is way off. Branson did not get into trouble for stringing that night. He was off. Last I checked, you can do what the hell you want to do on your night off. But that isn't really the point. I'm bothered by uninformed discussions like this and how this could be swaying the next potential employer. I'm sure many of you posters have been demoted or in the case of many of you, you've probably never made it out of your Podunk newspaper beginning. Believe it or not, people can sometimes lose a beat because of personality conflicts with his/her boss. Nothing more or less.

Again, I challenge the moderator to shut down this discussion because it's not close true. The guy is going through enough as it is. If you don't have a heart, at least have the desire to be accurate.

I challenge you to tell us what happened. The Scene was not the first to say Branson lost his beat because he double-dipped. Another poster said it on another thread long ago.

 

[Elliotte Friedman]

Scoop,

TSP asks a fair question: What specifically is wrong with the story? It's like the O'Leary/Sentinel thread. How can we be certain there is an error if we don't know what it is?

 

[Scoop returns]

The thing is it's none of our business. How about that?

 

[Joe Williams]

The thing is it's none of our business. How about that?

Didn't President Nixon say something like that to Woodstein?

Wrong then (if he did) and wrong now.

The ethics of our business is our business, especially now in these troubled times. Newspapers have to pay attention to what Jayson Blair is doing in New York, and they have to pay attention to what a Cavs beat writer is doing in Cleveland if it's not honest, not straight-forward. Got to pay attention to what their bosses do about it, too.

We all own a share of the public trust that journalism requires.

From what I hear of the situation, SE there fiddled while Rome burned for years, until finally making this move.

 

[zagoshe]

The thing is it's none of our business. How about that?

Not even close to good enough -- it was written about, thus it was made public, it is a story about a writer facing an ethical issue that many of us have faced -- and likely decided to do the right thing - so it is more than fair game to discuss on a message board for journalists, particularly since the discussion has really for the most part moved passed Branson Wright and is now a more general discussion about the proper way to "double dip" or "freelance"

 

[MMatt60]

If it's "none of our business," Scoop, why are you commenting on it?

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

The thing is it's none of our business. How about that?

Laughable.

 

[FishHack76]

I could so double-dip for the Plain Dealer!

 

[slappy4428]

The thing is it's none of our business. How about that?

Laughable.

Funny thing was, that if you look at the posts, this topic was on its way to petering out on its own. But as soon as Scoop went to Wright's defense and fostered new discussion, it's found a whole new life of its own.