Gannett announces furloughs

It doesn’t surprise me when I hear stories like this. It reaffirms my long-standing belief that there are real idiots running some newspapers.

I’ve been fortunate to have very good editors. They understand the value of being out of the office, making connections, building relationships and finding stories you simply cannot uncover sitting at a desk.

Still, I’ll admit, I’ve wasted too much time going into my office for the sake of being seen every so often, because I’m certain there have been people in my office who thought I wasn’t there enough, despite me working 50-60 hours a week.

 

One of the worst thing about newspapers is the managers are chosen for the wrong reasons, to keep the reporters in check. It would be OK you coming into the office a few times IF you were being paid for it. But it's all unpaid overtime for you.

 

I hope she chokes on that fucking 4.8 mill

 

I've posted this elsewhere on the site in the past, but one year one of the news editors got the bright idea that the sports department should be excluded from the pizza or whatever was ordered for election night because we weren't working hard that night. To his credit, the SE informed people if that held, he was ordering food every Friday and Saturday nights for his crew. We ate that election night.

We also had one Super Bowl Sunday night when a team we covered was involved. This was back in the day when newspapers had money. Anyway, somebody happened to mention what we were facing that night to somebody in HR and danged if we didn't get a feast brought in for us. Yes, we invited the news desk to enjoy, too, because we could't eat all that was brought in.

 

Newsside can't help itself. They simply have no clue. Those election nights are always awkward because they usually don't bring enough pizza and sportswriters feel guilty wandering over there to get a slice. Most sportswriters I know pass on the free pizza cause of the dirty looks from news. The sportswriters told to write corona stuff ... I'd love to see the look on the news editors faces when they realize the sportswriters are much better than the newsies and not prima donnas counting their hours.

 

So do I. It’s sickening.

 

FIFY.

 

With deadlines being what they are - and election returns seeming to go slower with every go-round - do papers even bother with election night coverage except for a general piece, a couple fotos of candidates, and a refer to the website? I'm guessing you stick around for the web after the print deadline - but really - the days of complete coverage in the next day's paper are probably gone.

 

We always have a fair number of local races that can be called right after the polls close, so we have that for news. And turnout is always light for local races in our area anyway. It's how we get dipshits like our current local mayor, who won by 10 points. We did the math and 14 percent of the total registered voters actually cast a ballot for him.

 

Tell Fredrick the town and I'll come there and run for mayor. Fredrick for Mayor!

 

I remember when our Gannett shop went to the 5 pm print deadlines, with "of course!" assurances that elections and the biggest night sports stories would get an extension for the print deadline.

Then the first election came about, and when an extension was brought up, the answer was quite a bit different. So it was photos of people voting, a story about the turnout and lots of refers to online coverage.

The saddest part was, there wasn't even much of a reader outcry. Same with none of the State U. basketball games being in print until 2 days later. Just acceptance that it was the new normal.