What's A Guy To Do? Help, Please?

Doesn't management feel incredibly stupid for not having you on the beat? God how stupid can they be? You obviously were doing a great job. Oh I forgot. That doesn't matter anymore.

 

Once upon a time, reporters competed with their stablemates, so to speak, just as much as they did with anyone else. Either the story gets told and the other guy gets his feelings hurt, or the story doesn't get told. Up to you and your managers which one.

 

I wondered about this. I mean, if someone calls me up and tells me about a murder or drug deal, I'm going to pass it up? No way.

 

I'm curious why the person who replaced you is being resentful and grumpy if he's being handed good stories?

Was he, too, moved from a job he preferred to the one he has now? What was your relationship with him like previously?

And, why is he being allowed to get away with this at all? I mean, who is he to do that and have everyone (except you, apparently) be OK with it?

 

I'm curious why your management won't deal with it.

No one likes confrontations. But management should nip this in the bud to get all resources working together if possible or send Stinky McGrumpybutt on the highway.

 

My previous post notwithstanding -- it sounds like the replacement guy's approach to things definitely needs to be addressed -- this is easy to say but not always easy to deal with when actually faced with a tough or touchy story or situation.

There are stories that people -- even the best reporters -- would hesitate to touch with a 10-foot pole if they didn't have to do it, or if they didn't have good, hard evidence/source-able information.

That said, if there are difficulties/concerns for the replacement guy in dealing with the stories you are bringing to his attention, then they should be being discussed and addressed by editors, and the stories handled appropriately from there.

 

There's definitely some insight missing as to your replacement, Pete.

If I'd been him, I'd have been all over you from the very first day, using your expertise and contacts and understanding that, if you were so inclined, you could only help him. You seem like the kind of guy who would have been gracious enough to make the best of that terrible situation.

My guess is that he didn't (guy thing), that he decided either to "forge his own trail" or mistakenly figured he was going to be so good at it in some fit of superiority that he'd make people forget you toot suite.

Now, you're making him look bad, without trying, because of the circumstances. And it's kinda too late for him to go back on it and take advantage of the tremendous resource he had.

Am I close?

Maybe the best thing that could happen is that they switch you back to your old job, and put him on the news desk. You never know. Someone in management might have a 40-watt bulb go on and have a brilliant idea.

I know, rose-colo(u)red glasses here.

 

Keep doing what you are doing. Though, I wonder what the other guy is thinking. Whenever I took over a beat, I always made sure to keep the former person on the beat in the loop if at all possible. They usually had good contacts and could help me nudge a source if needed. That being said some people handled it better than others. I remember one person I took over for who was not happy to be leaving the beat tried to make my life a living hell. She would take every scoop directly to the ME and tell them I was missing stories and not doing the beat properly.

 

Couldn't you pass the story on to the new guy on the beat with suggestions as to who he should call to best tell the story? Sure he'll be pissed, he'll think you're babysitting, but it's also a way to make it clear to both him and the contacts on your former beat that you're passing the torch and he's the guy to deal with now.
Tell the people who think it should be YOU telling the story that you're flattered, that as much as you'd like to, you have your own job to do."The New Guy is handling that, he's a good reporter and do what you can to help him out, please>'
Would that work?
On breaking stuff, if you're missing stories rather than getting them in the paper, then by all means, the responsibility is to get it done. But on stuff where there's no time element -- point them to the new guy. It's the new reality. Can't imagine it's fun or productive for you to be doing your new job and his too.

 

Huntsie, I'm dealing with a guy who has "been here 25 years!" and "no one tells (him) how to do (his) job!"

That's probably the biggest problem in all this.

He'd rather not do the story and pretend it's not newsworthy because I passed it onto him. I kid you not.

 

Pete, I've been you and, unfortunately, I've been "that" guy.

All you can do is offer your assistance. If he declines, mention it to your ME and then you do the story. Do it well. The higher-ups will notice.

 

I've been in this situation before, not being replaced by a guy who has been there a long time, but I still get the scoops for my old job even when I moved to another paper in the chain - and I know it can't be easy for the other guy to get a call from me telling him something I was given.

You just have to be honest and upfront with everyone as much as possible, and take it as a compliment that your sources think highly enough of you even after you're gone to come back to you.