tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post1546174294387172091..comments2024-03-27T19:11:37.620-04:00Comments on You Don't Say: The patron and the protegeJohn McIntyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559687583130468871noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-13257049448036212582009-08-14T22:48:41.936-04:002009-08-14T22:48:41.936-04:00I'm a worker bee myself refusing to suck up to...I'm a worker bee myself refusing to suck up to the bullies and stars. I continue to assist others, although I can and have written circles around them. I am a women and a minority who couldn't even type got a reporters position even though I have 12 years of experience as a journalist. I am a columnist paid like an assistant. I have a bully for a boss, who protects him. My real boss is a worker bee and afraid to stand up for himself or anyone else.<br />So guess what? I still push on. I love writing, newspapers and the whole nine. I am a yes girl. But I will tell you only recently after so many years I said no because I was too busy doing work I was asked to do to help out the gentleman who can't type or write. Evidently, I'm more accurate. Guess who got written up for the first time in her career? Not that it will count for anything considering we will no longer get raises. :0)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-84074817131511127112009-08-11T12:12:50.658-04:002009-08-11T12:12:50.658-04:00Speaking as someone who consistently called out a ...Speaking as someone who consistently called out a "star" who had basic incompetencies, to the star's "patron" as well as to the "patron's" boss, with ample documentation, I've come to the conclusion that love IS blind. It was far easier in their view to allow everyone else to do extra work to cover for the incompentencies than to suggest (rather simple) corrective measures that hinted at imperfections. I offered to do the pointing out and face the "star's" wrath, a wish that was (unfortunately) granted, and we had what I thought was a pleasant conversation in which I suggested some simple ways of correcting the incompetencies, without saying the "star" was incompetent:(How do you use spellcheck? Do you have the latest almanac? What Website do you use to check stuff?) I ended up in the doghouse because, of course, the star complained to the "patron," who chided me for being "too harsh". End result: No change in behavior from the star; everyone else had to scramble to continue covering the star's butt. I'd often wondered why people continued to make the same mistakes once they'd been pointed out multiple times, but now I know -- because they can, and because they don't care.<br />Oh, yes. I lost my job; the star's still there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-66353606405142094992009-08-10T01:03:51.943-04:002009-08-10T01:03:51.943-04:00It's a great article... Thanks for the sharing...It's a great article... Thanks for the sharing <a href="http://www.itemplatez.com" rel="nofollow">easy to download</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-91420115528730024692009-08-08T18:30:38.331-04:002009-08-08T18:30:38.331-04:00I agree with two factors mention above: fear of no...I agree with two factors mention above: fear of not being able to replace the incompetent (something is better than nothing, right?) and pity. My boss said he didn't want to see someone kicked to the curb. Nice sentiment, but very unfair to the hard workers who actually work their 40-plus hours per day instead of this part-time employee who gets paid a full-time salary.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-46372847579607977732009-08-08T03:14:54.505-04:002009-08-08T03:14:54.505-04:00I'm struck that no one in here touched on guil...I'm struck that no one in here touched on guilds. What a monumental problem they are. You want to talk about protecting incompetents. Most managers at guild papers -- gee, I'm one -- know that it's not worth the headaches and hours of their lives they'll never recover to try to "document" a crappy copy editor's crappiness in order to fire him or her safely. And then the guild will file a grievance anyway. Guilds, and for that matter many "old guard" newsroom leaders, somehow still believe that seniority is the fair way to handle layoffs. No better way to protect incompetent dinosaurs than that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-58951555900698239262009-08-08T01:54:09.217-04:002009-08-08T01:54:09.217-04:00Clearly none of you has ever worked for public bro...Clearly none of you has ever worked for public broadcasting. Now there is a hotbed of incompetence, on and off air, and all at the taxpayer's expense. It's just about time for NPR to reveal another of its antics, re-organize everything, cancel some of their programs and roll a few heads down Massachusetts Avenue.Patricia the Tersenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-25295085842423747822009-08-07T17:22:48.326-04:002009-08-07T17:22:48.326-04:00Listen: Start a blog where you collect awful stori...Listen: Start a blog where you collect awful stories from long-time (and short-time) employees of daily newspapers. Think of the traffic potential! Are you kidding me! I am serious. We all did it, many of us did great work, the working conditions just SUCKED and reading about it is somehow a fabulous joy! Just a thought.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-35782218872272864102009-08-07T13:20:11.930-04:002009-08-07T13:20:11.930-04:00Ditto the person who mentioned the "newsroom ...Ditto the person who mentioned the "newsroom workhorses." With all these layoffs, the people in the middle are left carrying the paper, with workloads bigger than ever, paycuts and not so much as a thank you from "management."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-66334007382187241752009-08-06T14:49:38.415-04:002009-08-06T14:49:38.415-04:00I've found reading this post and comments very...I've found reading this post and comments very instructive. I've moved around quite a bit and have found myself sometimes a star, and sometimes the hard worker in the middle of the pack. My last job, and current job, have really puzzled me in that I've run into bullying bosses. Both hired me directly, and they seem to value my work, which gets noticed outside of my department. But they also work hard at keeping me under the thumb. It's a tough place to be emotionally, and I'm getting too old for this. My boss blew up at me a couple of weeks ago, actually lost her temper, over a simple misunderstanding.<br /><br />I do tend to point out what's not working in my department -- the obvious problems, as one commentator put it. That comment opened my eyes. Maybe if I stopped speaking my mind, I could dodge some of the denigration. That may sound cowardly, but I really just want a decent work environment -- even if it means the bullies win.<br /><br />I'm sure some of the tension has to do with the terrible financial position of newspapers now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-3140883336594724852009-08-06T00:03:50.639-04:002009-08-06T00:03:50.639-04:00I thought, never having actually worked in journal...I thought, never having actually worked in journalism (all my editing and proofreading experience was "other duties as assigned" in other industries), that I would have anything to contribute to this discussion. Sadly, I am wrong. The user of Excel who didn't know it does calculations is not alone. As a temp many years ago, I reported to someone who used the same calculator technique. Maybe I could have been more tactful, but she too got pushed out of shape when I pointed out that the application does the math for you. I'm presuming, of course, that Anonymous #22 and I are not speaking of the same person.<br /><br />I won't bore the group with my "bottomless cup" of computer war stories, but rest assured that we technology trainers have a million of 'em.Robinhttp://sarahspade.livejournal.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-18792914089406700492009-08-05T23:10:28.333-04:002009-08-05T23:10:28.333-04:00Thumb-suckers I have heard of, but goat-chokers ar...Thumb-suckers I have heard of, but goat-chokers are new to me. Are there any similar jargon terms for other kinds of less than compelling stories?John Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452247999156925669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-9806007068767230132009-08-05T22:05:24.204-04:002009-08-05T22:05:24.204-04:00Curious if others have observed pretty young thing...Curious if others have observed pretty young things falling into the protected class.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-11159996773589727402009-08-05T20:12:03.723-04:002009-08-05T20:12:03.723-04:00I would suggest that white women, in each key deci...I would suggest that white women, in each key decision-making newsroom position, can be just as ineffective as old white men. I have seen it at two newspapers -- one midsize, one metro, one on the East Coast, one on the West Coast. Has no one else run into this? Isn't it just that such "cliques" find going outside their comfort zones, dealing with other opinions, perhaps, too much of a strain?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-33659681689418971262009-08-05T19:30:54.859-04:002009-08-05T19:30:54.859-04:00Unfortunately this situation is something too many...Unfortunately this situation is something too many people in the industry can relate to. In our newsroom we certainly had our share of stars and incompetents. And it doesn't just apply to reporters; designers and other production staff often experienced the same frustrating issues. <br />The only consolation was that when the incompetents moved on, they later lamented leaving because they were suddenly being held accountable for their actual job performance, or lack there of. For the record: we counted a couple women among our stars and several white men among the incompetents. And I don't know when Affirmative Action actually influenced our hiring process at all. In the nine years I worked there, you could count on one hand the number of black employees that came and went in that newsroom (and sports) and of those persons, only two were women.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-68084114071220256502009-08-05T19:28:51.265-04:002009-08-05T19:28:51.265-04:00After 15 years on the desk I got out, mainly becau...After 15 years on the desk I got out, mainly because I couldn't take the favoritism any more. If ever there was a culture where suckup-ism is valued, it's in newspapers. Why do you think we chase awards every year? Hell, I did, and it benefitted my career for a while. But I realize now none of it meant squat to the readers, and it never will. <br /><br />The profession has become a mile wide and an inch deep. The last vestiges holler "Look at us! Look at how important we are!" And the more they do, the less important and more pompous they become. Instead of chasing Pulitzer or SND, they should be working harder than ever to make clear, concise reporting of the events in the community. <br /><br />My last boss actually wrote in one of my infrequent reviews that I should get up from my desk every now and then and walk around. I thought, jaw on floor, "Umm, are you trying to get me to be less productive?"<br /><br />Stangely, in the real world, my productivity is valued. I am SO glad I got out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-19670647436055705562009-08-05T17:19:11.841-04:002009-08-05T17:19:11.841-04:00Any manager who gets to the point of wanting to ge...Any manager who gets to the point of wanting to get rid of an underperforming employee and doesn't have documentation is a failure at her job. That was the FIRST major act I had to do in management, and if I could do it as a totally green supervisor, no one has an excuse.<br /><br />When I walk into the newsroom at night I see almost all white men, some white women, two or three people of color. We cover a city that is majority African-American. Layoffs definitely affected nonwhites and women more.<br /><br />I think there may also be a pity factor. Let's say I know that Jane Smith has the skills to get another job, while Joe Brown doesn't. I would rather see Jane land on her feet elsewhere than hear that Joe is still out of work a year later. It can be hard to overcome the resultant feeling of guilt when firing Joe, especially in a tough job market. <br /><br />The manager is supposed to consider what is best for his employer and his customers, not what is best for everyone. And one could argue that it is not best for Mr./Ms. Incompetent to keep a job thinking he's doing all right. Eventually the hammer may come down, and if it's when s/he's 56 years old with a feeling of entitlement based on years of bullshit positive yearly reviews, s/he's not going to do well in the job market.<br /><br />Or maybe s/he will, if s/he can find another incompetent buddy out there with jobs to give away.<br /><br />As to the incompetent women and minorities out there -- equality isn't when the women and minorities with great talent can make it. It's when the women and minorities can be as average or even incompetent as the white males without anyone attributing their incompetence to their race or sex. <br /><br />http://www.xkcd.com/385Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-29443266536271458512009-08-05T16:14:09.025-04:002009-08-05T16:14:09.025-04:00In my relatively short stint as a manager here, my...In my relatively short stint as a manager here, my department was often the dumping ground for misfits, very young people and some of the "minority hires." The higher-ups actually approved the hiring of a 30-something minority male who never went to college... somehow he ended up as a reporter, with sometimes OK results and other times, well... Fortunately, I am great at rewriting things. He actually begged me to do an evaluation so he knew where he stood. I wasn't permitted to do one, as my manager advised against writing down the truth. Not sure why. Oh well, he eventually left: That's how we tried to resolve things back then. After a few years of spinning my wheels, I stupidly spitted out to my bosses that I "hated" my job, and I somehow managed to fall back into the arms of the union and some semblance of job security and sanity. My former department has been largely phased out, since we no longer hire ANYONE and because, get this, none of the middle-aged folk remaining WANT to work there. So the work, important as it was, doesn't get done, though I hear a few misfits like me might be coerced into throwing something together once again. One person doing the work formerly done by, oh, seven or eight people. SIGH.SausageMakernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-44682563681531109832009-08-05T15:48:59.434-04:002009-08-05T15:48:59.434-04:00The unheralded class here seems to be "the ne...The unheralded class here seems to be "the newsroom workhorses." These are the folks in that middle ground you refer to, but they're not gaining by any of this. They are the ones who are writing 5 to 8 dailies, a Sunday feature with sidebars and art, filing a couple of features for the zoned sections on Thursdays, and pulling desk duty covering night cops one or two nights every other week. They have 300 bylines a year and uncounted shorties and briefs. They get the calls/texts/e-mails whenever something has to be done quick and well, and there is never an option of pleading busy or passing. They just add the new assignment onto their load. And get it done. These are the people who are filling the paper consistently, but they are not the ones with guest shot on local TV news, free reign to follow their passions, or free passes to screw up early and often.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-41797935959309957452009-08-05T15:23:35.085-04:002009-08-05T15:23:35.085-04:00This culture is true of pretty much every office I...This culture is true of pretty much every office I've worked in. I think it's just a human phenomenon - and unfortunately humans are incredibly flawed. At my current company (not in publishing), the most incompetent person gets the easiest, most plum assignment because he can't be trusted to do anything else. <br /><br />And when it comes times for layoffs, it's the most arbitrary things - not about productivity or who's doing the best work, it's solely determined by who's got a friend (benefactor) in the company. It's heartbreaking.JCHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-67212999638549958982009-08-05T14:42:56.986-04:002009-08-05T14:42:56.986-04:00In deciding on layoffs, supervisors usually resort...In deciding on layoffs, supervisors usually resort to picking the people least likely to cause a confrontation. They are afraid of bullies.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-6652338270771749972009-08-05T14:40:13.262-04:002009-08-05T14:40:13.262-04:00Good comment, Mr. McIntyre! It seems to me that wh...Good comment, Mr. McIntyre! It seems to me that white men have enjoyed job protection for several millennia.<br /><br />Back to the point of the column, it struck a chord. We've all worked with those people who attained protected star status--some through talent, but many others through shameless self-promotion and sucking up to bosses. Some people are better at selling their stories than writing them.Copy editor TRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-15885645553182919552009-08-05T14:37:29.509-04:002009-08-05T14:37:29.509-04:00Then there are the incompetents of other varieties...Then there are the incompetents of other varieties. <br /><br />Part of my job as the editor was to check the numbers in reports. I noticed that one writer never seemed to have correct totals in her tables. This was especially curious because she was supposed to be getting her tables from Excel (which does the math for you). I went on with the business of simply correcting her totals for quite a long while, until one day I happened to be walking by her office while she had an Excel sheet open and I realized what she was doing. She was typing furiously into a solar-powered hand calculator on her desk and then typing the results into the cells in the spreadsheet! I was stunned, but I also knew she would not take advice from me, so I let our boss know so he could approach her. Without mentioning this odd habit I'd reported, he gently and casually offered her a tutorial in "advanced" use of Excel. She blew up, claiming she knew how to use it. At some point in the future, somehow, someone finally got her to understand what a spreadsheet was and how to use its basic functions. But she was never hired as an employee.<br /><br />Then there was the brilliant young man who blew my employers away in the interview. I wondered why it was taking him so long to complete work that others would have whipped out in less than a third the time. I walked by his office one day and realized he didn't know how to type! (two fingers, hunt and peck). This was not that many years ago. Again, I was stunned that anyone could get out of school without ever learning this. My employers did not even think to ask (who would?)<br /><br />Then there was the woman who complained her computer wouldn't start and asked me to come help. She said she'd been hitting the power key repeatedly and hard. I looked at the keyboard (which had been switched out by IT the previous night) and saw that it wasn't connecting to anything--the cords were all quite obviously hanging down the front of the desk right where her knees were. She also asked me if there were a "better" way to turn her computer off in the evenings. I asked her "Better than what? How have you been turning it off?" She said "I pull the plug out of the wall before I go home." I just about lost my lunch, thinking all of what she could have had open, unsaved, not backed up by the autobackup at night, etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-54316880296866259082009-08-05T14:25:08.759-04:002009-08-05T14:25:08.759-04:00You forgot to mention the most recent dynamic prev...You forgot to mention the most recent dynamic preventing managers from terminating incompetent staffers: the knowledge that positions will not be refilled. It's hard to weed the garden when you know there is no money for more plants. My guess is many managers are forced to decide between having an incompetent staffer or no staffer at all, and both situations are liabilities.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-24200880639865479412009-08-05T14:20:57.266-04:002009-08-05T14:20:57.266-04:00Silly me, after 30 years working at a variety of n...Silly me, after 30 years working at a variety of newspapers, I was thinking I'll miss a lot of the truly talented, hardworking people that have come to define this business.Mary Shanklinhttp://twitter.com/maryshanklinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-51524156248111602782009-08-05T14:18:58.743-04:002009-08-05T14:18:58.743-04:00One advantage of lazy reporters is that they seldo...One advantage of lazy reporters is that they seldom force editors into difficult decisions, the way hard-driving reporters do. Thus lazy reporters are perfect for lazy editors.<br /><br />A few decades ago, the Wichita Beacon had two young reporters, one ambitious and one lazy. The publisher had their faces reversed in his mind. On the rare occasions that the publisher entered the newsroom, the ambitious reporter would holler at the lazy one, "Look busy."Patrick K Lackeynoreply@blogger.com