Columns axed by our publisher

Too many of every kind of story in most papers are layered thusly.

 

I really like dog's post on this subject.

I was in a situation very similar to clever username's in my last stop. We had three writers on staff, all of us penned a column a week and quite honestly, none of us did it right very often. Mine was probably the closest to a true column because I had some time to work on it (I did more desk than the other two guys, who were too busy scrambling around to events, etc.). But there were plenty of times that I got to Saturday at 3 p.m. and had nothing and had to churn out a hunk of bullshit. This was at an 11K.

My current stop (app. 40K) used to have columns, but the publisher put the nix on them once readers got annoyed with one columnist's take on one of our big colleges. The rationale: If the readers disagree with the opinion, then we're wrong.

Uh, no.

Anyway, I have no problems with smaller papers running occasional "national" columns. They need to be informed and well reported, even if the (second-hand) reporting comes off the internet. In my market, we are the paper of record. People don't pick up the big metros from two or three hours away. We're their predominant printed news source. It was much different in my last stop, where we competed against a huge statewide daily and were really in the "give them something the big boy can't" situation.

 

You better ax somebody ...

 

I used to work at a shit rag where the publisher had to OK a column before it ran.

A stringer in the sports staff got a column on the religion page about 9/11 being our fault because the moral decay of the country forced God to let it happen. ... My thing on Ohio State needing to include smaller college, like Youngstown State, head coaches to replace John Cooper? A no go.

 

Chad,

Had you considered a column saying God wanted Ohio State to consider coaches from successful smaller schools? Bet that would have made it.

 

In my paper it's the opposite - trying to get in a sports column in everyday. NFL, fishing, area golfing, fantasy football, local sports happenings - you name it. We have a good group of guys and it seems to work with the variety.

 

I imagine if I had said it after Pat "Mr. Olympia" Robertson and Bill O'Fucknut, it would have been golden.

My problem was originality.

Of course, had I said God wants Ohio State to consider Jim Tressel at least it would have been in line with what people think of him now.

 

if mr publisher asslick had to "grant" my opinion as valid, i'd probably stop having one until i found another job.

 

God, there's so many semantical straw men in this thread, it's ridiculous.

When it comes to assessing column topics, it's simple -- write columns that your readers are going to care about. God damn, it just isn't that hard, folks.

National, local, if you know your readership well enough to gage it, I have no problem with either topic.

The biggest response I got from a column I wrote this year was on a local subject.

Second? When I slammed NASCAR's Chase system. I cover very little NASCAR in person, but I know my readers are very interested, and so long as you do the research necessary to back opinions up, or, write the column in a way that attracts readers to it, there's not a damn thing wrong with writing about it.

Now, if I wrote about the Stanley Cup -- which I like, but no readers in my area give two shits about? That's when the "writing national" thing goes from serving a reader interest to serving YOUR selfish interest.

And let's not kid ourselves ... there's plenty of local columns that offer very little interest to readers too. That's the mistake of too many short-sighted managers, you slap the tag LOCAL on it, and they automatically think it's going to bring in readers like rats to the Pied Piper. It's never that simple.

 

Bless you, Bubbler. Do you think you can speak to my publisher for me?

And here I thought this thread, which I started and stopped looking at, had died. Guess not.

 

Readers everywhere are just dying to read columns on junior varsity girls soccer.

 

fuck man, that's brilliant.