Cursing in the newsroom

[KG]

Depending on how long I can try to cool off, there's going to be some cussing in the KG house. I'm on a warpath now. Y'all can have my sweet card (but I'd like it back when it's over please).

 

[HeinekenMan]

I can and will curse with the best of them. And here's my philosophy on cursing in the newsroom: Don't. There's no need for it. If there is, don't curse at someone. Cursing to them is one thing, at them is another altogether. I don't tolerate that well.

What if you're bumping uglies in the library at 2 a.m.? Then can you curse at them.

 

[Write-brained]

I can and will curse with the best of them. And here's my philosophy on cursing in the newsroom: Don't. There's no need for it. If there is, don't curse at someone. Cursing to them is one thing, at them is another altogether. I don't tolerate that well.

What if you're bumping uglies in the library at 2 a.m.? Then can you curse at them.

Um. Wow.

 

[outofplace]

Funny this should come up now.
In my newsroom, not only is cursing not OK, any sort of loudness is not allowed.
Last week, all four of the sports people were told by the EIC that we had gotten so out of hand that some of the news reporters wouldn't come into the office at night on our account. I guess they complained it was a little too distracting. We were all threatened with being suspended for a day without pay if there were any further problems.

Since when are the forking news reporters in the gosh darn newsroom at night?

At our paper, election night. And they act like it's some big forking sacrifice. Then they complain when sports people start eating the pizza brought in to atone for this huge inconvenience.

Nothing cracks me up more than news reporters (not all, just some) who have never had to write a story on deadline at night and to watch them freak out.
Plus, this thread may be my favorite thread ever. Great stories.

I know we've gone into that crap on past threads.

Election night? Try that shirt for pretty much EVERY high school football Friday Night.

Much as I respect many of the news reporters I have met and worked with, some of them just don't get what we put up with regarding deadlines in sports and never will.

 

[Write-brained]

Funny this should come up now.
In my newsroom, not only is cursing not OK, any sort of loudness is not allowed.
Last week, all four of the sports people were told by the EIC that we had gotten so out of hand that some of the news reporters wouldn't come into the office at night on our account. I guess they complained it was a little too distracting. We were all threatened with being suspended for a day without pay if there were any further problems.

Since when are the forking news reporters in the gosh darn newsroom at night?

At our paper, election night. And they act like it's some big forking sacrifice. Then they complain when sports people start eating the pizza brought in to atone for this huge inconvenience.

Nothing cracks me up more than news reporters (not all, just some) who have never had to write a story on deadline at night and to watch them freak out.
Plus, this thread may be my favorite thread ever. Great stories.

I know we've gone into that crap on past threads.

Election night? Try that shirt for pretty much EVERY high school football Friday Night.

Much as I respect many of the news reporters I have met and worked with, some of them just don't get what we put up with regarding deadlines in sports and never will.

Pimpin' ain't easy whether you're writing sports or news.

Cover a 7 p.m. meeting that goes into executive session at 7:30 and comes out at 9:15 to take a bunch of action you were there to write about and then try to sort out whether they violated FOIA laws when, guess what, your deadline is 9:30.

Try getting a story in by the 11:30 1A deadline while standing outside the scene of a double-homicide at 10:50 with a bunch of TV folks waiting for the sheriff, chief, pio anyone to stop chatting up the female deputy coroner and give you their statement.

Try sitting at your desk at 11 p.m. after a 14-hour day calling people, anyone, who will double-confirm a hot news item you found about hours earlier but can't run without a second source and you can't go home because your competition may have it.

 

[wickedwritah]

The bulk of news reporters aren't on those types of beats, though.

A lot of them are working secondary government beats in small towns where if they don't get it by 8 p.m., they can forget about it, since the top pol goes to bed by 8:30 so he can work the fields/run the mechanic shop in the AM.

At the top of the fray, yes, news reporters suffer the late deadlines, too. But not all of them, and not as often.

 

[Write-brained]

The bulk of news reporters aren't on those types of beats, though.

A lot of them are working secondary government beats in small towns where if they don't get it by 8 p.m., they can forget about it, since the top pol goes to bed by 8:30 so he can work the fields/run the mechanic shop in the AM.

At the top of the fray, yes, news reporters suffer the late deadlines, too. But not all of them, and not as often.

Maybe all the news reporters you know. That's a pretty sweeping generality. I've worked at tiny papers and at 100,000 (hardly top of the fray) and I've never had an 8 p.m. deadline. Night meetings always get in the next day - that's why they call it news.

 

[boots]

In sports, every night is election night so cursing should be permitted.

 

[friend of a friend]

I believe I set a personal record last night.

 

[boots]

I believe I set a personal record last night.

I broke it today!

 

[wickedwritah]

Maybe all the news reporters you know. That's a pretty sweeping generality. I've worked at tiny papers and at 100,000 (hardly top of the fray) and I've never had an 8 p.m. deadline. Night meetings always get in the next day - that's why they call it news.

Well, yes, when you cover three meetings a month, sure. And I've been a news reporter at a 15k, I know how it works.

When a high schools guy is covering four games each week during basketball season, he's seeing a lot more deadline time than a news reporter would be.

 

[Write-brained]

At least one night meeting a week for me. And let me tell you, the toughest deadline for me is making sure I have all my stuff done by 5:30 p.m. a couple of times a week so I can pick up little Write-brained from pre-school. If you don't think that's deadline pressure, you haven't met Mrs. Write-brained.