What to do with ****hole?

[HanSenSE]

The year the Rolling Stones were the halftime performers at the Super Bowl (the year after Nipplegate), some lyrics were censored. AP referred to one of the words as "an euphenism for a male rooster." I saw that on the wire and it took me about 10 minutes to stop laughing. The rest of the newsroom looked at me rather strangely the rest of the night.

 

[JCT89]

Doesn't matter who said it. You don't run it. You either print those things all the time or you don't.

Strongly disagree with this perspective. So, in your mind, a random fan saying "****hole" should be weighed the same as the President of the United States? C'mon.

You run it in text and I'd argue strongly you run it as the headline too.

 

[Slacker]

I'd run "****hole" in the text and maybe run "sh*thole" in the headline.
Plan B would downgrade the hed to "sh- -hole," which would suck. Plan C would suck worse.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I'd argue strongly you run it as the headline too.

Your ass would be out of a job too.

 

[Bronco77]

Been out of town for the past week and saw several newspapers; also read the hometown newspaper online. I was a bit surprised that almost all of them kept the word in the story, although no newspaper used it in a headline.

Standards certainly have changed in this regard. A very good copy editor with my former employer let "pissed off" slip into sports copy about 25 years ago and received a stern talking-to, followed by a memo to the staff from the sports editor about the use of "swear words." Most papers probably wouldn't have a problem with it now.

 

[JCT89]

Your ass would be out of a job too.

Given I've seen The Washington Post, Politico, CNN, etc. all use it in a headline, it's pretty safe to say all of those people weren't immediately fired for doing so. But I know that won't stop you from thinking that.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Given I've seen The Washington Post, Politico, CNN, etc. all use it in a headline, it's pretty safe to say all of those people weren't immediately fired for doing so. But I know that won't stop you from thinking that.

It's my assumption that most members here don't work for WaPo, Politico and CNN. Try that at the Corpus Christi Caller Times and see what happens to your ass.

 

[reformedhack]

One would hope — although, certainly, it doesn't happen everywhere — that there would be some conversation between the publisher and the editor, and then between the editor and the news desk, about what would be acceptable.

If the desk — at any organization, from the Washington Post to the Corpus Christi Caller Times — is making its own, renegade decisions in situations like this, that's more a failure of newsroom leadership than the desk.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

A lot of places will still fire you for saying “booger.”

 

[wicked]

Given I've seen The Washington Post, Politico, CNN, etc. all use it in a headline, it's pretty safe to say all of those people weren't immediately fired for doing so. But I know that won't stop you from thinking that.

I'm assuming you're referring to the Post and Politico online, and not in their printed forums. There is a difference between running it as an 18-point hed atop a story page and a 60-point hed on A1.

 

[reformedhack]

A lot of places will still fire you for saying “booger.”

Just ask Dr. Johnny Fever.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I'm assuming you're referring to the Post and Politico online, and not in their printed forums. There is a difference between running it as an 18-point hed atop a story page and a 60-point hed on A1.

He doesn't seem to get that viewpoint.

 

[JCT89]

He doesn't seem to get that viewpoint.

I guess I'd only understand that viewpoint if I worked at the Corpus Christi Caller Times, right?

 

[Tweener]

Nice one, CNN.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I guess I'd only understand that viewpoint if I worked at the Corpus Christi Caller Times, right?

If you had any experience and professionalism, you should understand the viewpoint no matter where you work.

 

[wicked]

Nice one, CNN.

She must be well-hung.

 

[JCT89]

If you had any experience and professionalism, you should understand the viewpoint no matter where you work.

I'd say the same to you given you can't seem to understand how a person could keep their job after using "****hole" in a headline.

 

[I Should Coco]

At our shop (15K daily) we went up the chain of command. We asked the ME and he asked the publisher.

****hole stayed in the AP story, but not the headline.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I'd say the same to you given you can't seem to understand how a person could keep their job after using "****hole" in a headline.

You realize for every metro newspaper, there are about 100 mid-size and small community newspapers right? So, show me some mid-size or smaller newspapers that used it in their lead headline.

 

[Doc Holliday]

At our shop (15K daily) we went up the chain of command. We asked the ME and he asked the publisher.

****hole stayed in the AP story, but not the headline.

This is what 90 percent of newspapers did. But JCT doesn't think so and he thinks they all should have put ****hole in the headline. smh.