Reporter canned over (lack of) byline

I understand your idealism. I really do. But the reporter is wrong here. No judge will side with him. That's the way it is. It's black and white.

 

I agree on that. Employment is usually at-will, unless there's a contract. They can fire the guy at any time, and the employees can walk out at any time.

Neither of which, in this case, resolved the situation.

 

Why do you think that?

Insubordination is a firing offense. At least I believe the state will see it that way.

 

What was the insubordinate act? Asking that his byline be removed? Remember, that was APPROVED by his immediate superior, the city editor ... and if the editor and publisher were so gung-ho about the byline being on there, they could have told the city editor to put it back on ... sounds like that didn't happen ...

 

On a side note, I find it amusing that some editors don't want quotes from an anonymous source because it's BS if they can't put their name on it....and then use items bylined as "Staff Report."

 

1. I'm impressed as hell the city editor stood up for the original reporter and quit.

2. After reading the story copperpot linked, I'm more curious than ever about the whole pledge thing. I find it bizarre that the council member would do it sometimes, but not all, and why he wouldn't bother standing when he decided not to partake.

If you don't believe it or don't want to recite it, that's one thing. But to do it sometimes and then not bother sometimes? That's just weird.

 

1. As did two of his fellow reporters ... that right there tells me the reporter that got canned wasn't a prima donna, wasn't someone who just pitched a fit over the littlest and most insignificant things, and someone that actually knew what he was doing ...

 

Whoever suggested Angelina Jolie play Paula Broadwell was dead-on. Jolie is much sexier, obviously, but Bob Woodward didn't look like Robert Redford.

 

I am not arguing that he didn't know what he was doing.

I am just pointing out that I don't think he's got any kind of makings of a lawsuit.

 

The mere fact that people with editorial decision-making powers so routinely consider frivolous horseshit like "An alderman didn't stand for the pledge!" to be more important news than budget issues goes a good deal toward explaining why 1. No one trusts the media anymore and 2. How our country ended up in such a fucked-up financial situation. Carry on.

 

When I see a budget story, my eyes glaze over.

Just sayin'.

 

Sadly, I agree with both of these posts.