Two jobs: SE and Sports Copy Editor, Marietta Daily Journal

Actually, I'm an alum of the only other "non-Neighbor" in the chain (the Cherokee Tribune). At the time I was there, it only came out two days a week. I believe it's a daily now. I still remember dragging my butt into the MDJ's neighbor newsroom at all hours of the night in a desperate attempt to get everything done. Turned in my notice after four weeks when something marginally better came along, but stayed another two to make sure the football tab got out.

Not much good came of the experience, but I can still raise some eyebrows when I tell people who aren't in the business that my first full-time job out of college paid a whopping $270 a week.

 

With respect to whoever currently holds this position and whoever his successor is, this thread really needs to be stickied. It's not just urban legend that the MDJ has had somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 SEs in the past 10 years, (and I quit counting after they went through five in a two-year period in the late 1990s). If you cannot bring yourself to stay away from these two jobs, at least go in with your eyes open. A suit of chain mail might be nice, too.

 

Are we to inquire that we might want to wear a faceplate of sorts to avoid the fire-breathing dragons we'll have to slay?

 

This thread never gets old.
I was there six years -- worked for six sports editors. This job is perfect for someone right out of college because it will A.) Send you screaming right back to school; or B.) make you really appreciate the good job when it comes along.
If you've been in the business and see the SE job at the ol' MDJ come up yet again ... keep on walking. It ain't worth your time, because you ain't worth theirs.

 

The last sports editor change was made back in April when the previous SE resigned after around 5 years with the company (a little over a year at the helm). I think whoever takes over the position now will make 6 in 6 years.

The sports staff covers both MDJ and Cherokee Tribune, with one writer designated to Cherokee and all writers contributing in cross-coverage situations. The TCT writer covers five schools and the remaining 3 or 4 writers cover Cobb's 19 schools. There's also a sports copy desk guy.

On the plus side, there are good people to work with both in the sports and other departments. Outside of the office, Cobb has some top-notch teams across the board and pretty much all of the coaches are good to deal with.

Coverage-wise, other than Kennesaw State, a little Southern Poly and some features on former prep athletes playing on the collegiate level, there is no in-house college coverage. The paper does, however, have every high school football game in Cobb and Cherokee covered each Friday and you can do the math to figure out what the spring is like (24 teams in two counties... baseball, soccer, track, tennis, lacrosse & golf).

As for what so many others have hit on time and time again on this board in regards to management, that is where the biggest problems hit home for employees. While Boots tries to put it off on unqualified "kids" in the SE position that have led to the turnover, it's more about grown men not willing to constantly deal with the BS that management dishes out.

The working environment is crap and upper management either does not realize, does not care, is in complete denial or a little each. It starts at the top and works it way down, and each along the way bitches about how their superior treats them, only to treat others the same... pretty ironic. And if any upper management has an opinion or idea, plan on kissing the ass of that opinion/idea or be prepared to have the entire sports staff belittled.

But as I mentioned before, you do get to work with some good people.

 

There will be no slaying in this job. Guarantee it.

 

Why don't you inquire about top management's racial views? I doubt you'd have much love for them if you did.

 

This must be a piece of shit job. From the looks of journalismjobs.com, they appoint an SE of the Month every Month.

 

I was there five months after graduating from college. Hated just about every second of it, except when our sports editor bought us dinner on Friday nights. I've never, ever heard any alumni say anything nice about this place.

 

From what I understand, the racial views of the MDJ aren't much different from any other suburban Atlanta paper.

 

I've never heard of any other paper's publisher telling his news staff not to run photos of black people on the front page. Don't know if that's still the rule at the MDJ, but it was in my time there many moons ago.

 

Wow. That's like Bizarro-world Gannett.