Dear dimwit on the phone

I would but I was shooting with a 300 mm lens so I would have had to have them back up a ton and I was already crunching time because I could only shoot the first half of the college football game before heading out to the HS game I had to cover.

Namely, I didn't have time to waste time and normally I wouldn't have minded but these guys were douches.

 

Dear dude who reads my paper's Twitter feed,
I'm sorry if you feel cross country is getting overlooked in our (my posts). It is, however, still football season -- and I told you I only post results from the meets I cover.

And contrary to your belief, I do not cover every XC meet each weekend. But thanks for reading and writing.

KY

 

I would get that all the time during my TV days, even when I was on the news side and out at a murder scene or something, some kid would come along and say "put me on TV." usually all it took was me to point the camera at them and say "OK, now do something" and they suddenly shut up.

see, I think if they're hot chicks, you have to take the photo

 

Absolutely. But these were two 30-40 year old guys wearing regular clothes. Absolutely nothing of interest there.

 

We have a new phone system at work. My favorite is when the people who have called in ask which button to press to get to the extension they just got to. I must always repress the urge to tell them, whatever you just used worked, so just do it again. Instead I tell them I haven't listened to the message, so if they just listen to it next time they call in, it will tell them.

 

Dear magazine subscriber:

Yes, we will be more than happy to send you copies of back issues again, since once again you aren't receiving them. That's even after you've given us a change of address two different times.

I'm glad that I was able to help solve the problem as we changed your address yet again. Since your address is for an apartment building, you finally have given us your apartment number. Thank you for taking care of that.

 

Dumb soccer parent

Parent - I'm mad that you guys didn't cover the Podunk High soccer sectional championship game against Roadkill High.
JF - We have the story as our lead on today's sports page.
Parent - No you don't, I just read the sports page and it isn't there.
JF - Can you check the date on top of your sports page?
Parent - Oh, this is yesterday's paper, but you guys don't do a good job covering soccer.

 

That's how the conversation should have finished.

 

I would have pursued that...assuming of course the parent didn't get their jab in and hang up.

"So you're saying we don't cover soccer well, but we do have the story you're complaining about as our lead in today's paper...can you explain?"

 

Saying "No" and moving on is quicker than stopping to click the photo.

 

I was polite and simply retorted to my standby "Maybe later" line and they responded "Come on, man!".

I then politely told them I can't, that I have to get my press pass and they gave me a pissed off look, scoffed and walked away.

They're lucky I didn't take their photo, print it out and post it around town with a sign saying "If you see these two guys, call the police. They're suspected child diddlers."

 

Came into work today to this voicemail:

"I don't subscribe to your paper, I just read it at work, and I'm very upset with how you're covering Podunk High School. You never..."

I hit the delete button. This school, 15 miles away in a small town, has one of the top small-school football teams in the state, and we've covered three of their five home games, we'll staff their playoff game Wednesday night, and we'll cover them throughout the playoffs. They have one of the top volleyball teams in the state, and we've been at all of their key matches, including all of their regional tournament matches, and we'll cover them until they're eliminated. So a.) I don't want to hear that we've ignored them and b.) I sure as hell am not going to listen to a message from someone who doesn't even pay for the paper.