Dear dimwit on the phone

If someone was in witness protection though, I imagine they'd probably have a new name. Besides, most schools will ask you politely not to take pictures of certain students if you're invited in for an event (i.e. "come take pictures at an assembly"), but I don't think it would apply to a sporting event, where you don't really have any expectation of privacy.

 

Our office has been closed since Hurricane Sandy. Phone calls are being diverted to a sister paper with an automated switchboard.

I can only imagine what the various dimwits have said before hanging up on the recording.

 

A lot of the elementary schools I have dealt with have "Do Not Shoot" lists of kids whose parents have signed a form saying they do not want the kids in the paper (divorces, custody, etc.).

Fewer in high school, and I think by competing publicly, they give up that protection.

 

Dear XC mom,
Congrats on getting your kids to meet Allyson Felix. I'm sure they were excited, and I'm sure a good time was had by all. But we are not your personal scrapbook, so we will not be running any of the four (!!!) photos you sent.

Yours Truly,
KY

 

But it's COMMUNITY JOURNALISM at its finest! You bastard!

 

I have repeatedly been told the rules regarding personal privacy do not apply to student-athletes around here. You're on a team, your family gives consent to your name and photo being in the paper. I believe that waiver is part of the preseason paperwork every athlete has to submit to his or her high school.

If the kid chooses not to speak to the paper, that's another matter entirely. But s/he can't prevent us from including the name and the art.

Events within the school building, like an assembly or class, are different. So are special-needs programs, where it seems like every family has an individual standard of what's acceptable publicity.

 

Dear overrated athlete,

If you want to be an ass, take a number and get in line. The world is full of them. Five years from now, no one will remember who the heck you were anyway.

I will go about my job whether you want to talk to me or not. If you have a problem with something I/we do, contact me and I will listen to your objection. But if you think I am losing sleep over your silence, you are beyond crazy.

 

For sure. If you want privacy, don't play sports or walk down a public street.

 

Had that problem a lot when I was on newsside in Arizona, hardly at all in Calif. One time in AZ, school reporter went out to do a story on a class and the first thing the teacher did was hand her all the kids' permission slips to be photographed. Happy newsie.

 

Interesting enough, this exact kid's parent emailed last week (on my personal Facebook, no less).

I'm sorry, ma'am. Your son does a fabulous job at quarterback. He's led his team to an admirable 6.7 points per game this season (through 10 games). I'm sorry I broke his spirits, but maybe if his team scored a few more points this year, then I wouldn't report the bad facts. After all, that's all there is to report.

Mind you, this team scored a total of 67 points this season. This is a 5A school in a county of four total schools. They won 3 games (all against the other, much smaller, county schools...you can see how bad football is around here) and scored 48 of those 67 points against them... They're pathetic. I can't even sugar-coat to make this team sound any better...

 

When I was in high school, the football team went 2-25 in our senior class' three years (junior high system back then). Our class didn't win a home game and the two wins came over a team which probably had a record similar to ours.

So we crapped all over the sports editor one time when the photo he ran was that of the quarterback fumbling the ball against Big Rival High.

When I looked back at that shortly after I became a sports editor myself, I realized that that photo was probably one of the best he could have run from that game. We lost 65-0 or something in that area and our coach had no clue about offense.

 

I don't think he had a clue about defense, either.