There's the Door...

And this, to me, is a clear indication you don't know what the fuck you're talking about. Two people is not small. There are many people at one-man sports desks who would kill to have another person, or even a part-time person or even a stringer. Why? So they have the privilege of being sick once in a while instead of sitting in the stands, praying to god for the volleyball match to last just three games instead of five because they have food poisoning and will soon puke on the assistant coach but if they don't cover the game, they have nothing to put in tomorrow's paper.

You worked at a weekly? That's one deadline a week. One! Try hitting deadline every single day with a one- or two-person staff. And covering a single-digit number of schools is nothing for two people, especially at a weekly. Sure, it's gonna suck sometimes, but you're too young to realize just how good you had it at that shop.

 

Hell! Come on, now, people. Hell! Let's not get on Fuh Real's bad side. Hell! With that kind of attitude (some clown in love with himself who would gladly give me $14K per year and enjoy the ass fucking he's giving me), he'll be at the top of a major chain soon, maybe replacing Jelenic at JRC, and that's when the real fucking will begin.

Hell! We should all tremble in fear, so don't fucking laugh!

 

Ding, ding, ding! Add me to that very, very long list.

 

HOORAY!!! Pho-real is back, playing as JDV!

 

Did you ever think that people kvetch about it on here precisely because it is such a difficult decision to make? Even when I've moved from job to job within this profession, it's gut-wrenching. That's because of the relationship you develop with the profession, the people and the publication you work at.

Telling people to shit or get off the pot shows a basic lack of understanding about why people are so torn.

 

I dont think its a contradiction at all. Yes, he is not in it for the money. But...Bonuses, raises, getting paid for all the extra hours put in...they are a sign of respect and a way of saying "thanks for busting your ass for us."

People want to know that what they do is being recognized...not by the readers...but by the people who are calling the shots.

They want job security and to know they wont get fired when they wake up in the morning.

 

Captzulu, among many others, has got this pegged.

In my fair city (perhaps not a major metro paper, but certainly a mid-major), the cost of living has literally doubled since 2000. But the last COL increase here came a decade ago. The profit margins, I guarantee, are still ridiculously high. But cost of benefits each year is raised at a percentage that's more than double the percentage of most people's raises.

I suppose I should be glad the raises still come (generally 3 percent, whether you're exceptional or awful). But when management's "pep" talks hinge on all of us needing to be glad just to have a job, that's not exactly win-one-for-the-Gipper material.

I, like many others, have absolutely paid my dues in nearly two decades of effort. Never looked to get rich in this business. But you can and should be able to make a living in this business, particularly at the mid- and high-level circulation papers.

And if you're getting screwed over by the fact that you actually bring a great deal of experience to the table, you should be able to vent about it, without someone who clearly doesn't have that same level nor amount of experience telling you to get the **** out of the way.

Got a spouse, fuh real? Any kids? Any reality to deal with when deciding where your next move will be? And if you really enjoy the craft of newspaper journalism, it's not as easy as saying, "This sucks, so I quit. I hope someone like fuh real can move up because of this."

I've been guided in this business by people with more experience, often a lot more experience. Some were great, some sucked, but there was something to be learned from all of them, and the only reason newspapers aren't completely fucked is because of those who have invested the time in their careers to continue caring about the product -- to the degree management will let us. You want to see the end of newspapers? Let's follow your advice -- let every damn 20-something take every job that exists in the newsroom, from top to bottom. Good luck with that.

 

It is the birthright of every American worker to complain - continuously, vigorously, obscenely - about their workplace. So we shall make no sj law abridging that right.

Nor shall we abrogate Fuh's right to complain about his colleague's complaints.

Thus is justice done. And another catjack averted.

 

All I can say is Fur Real needs to do a little time in the land of Gannett and then let's see what he has to say.

I finally bailed after 20 years in the biz because I was sick of being told I was an a$$ for saying I needed help when I was being tormented by a boss who asked me to help out on the sports desk twice a week and cover the news meeting for him while I was simultaneously responsible for a weekly 12-page special section that was filled with copy written by stringers and me. I also had to edit that section, take care of all of the photos for it, including shooting my own nearly every week. My only staff help was an artist who designed the cover and a paginator whose duties were split between my section, sports and features. And when the paginator was on vacation, I had to paginate the whole thing. Oh, yeah, I also was ordered to have a video for our website that tied into my section every week. I've done everything from edit obituaries (did that for two years) to cover high school football games and I'm not afraid of hard work, but I reached the point where I was mentally so drained at the end of every week that it was impacting my family. The boss threatened to pull me off the section at one point, and there were times I wish I had looked him in the face and said, "Go ahead."

That boss didn't want solutions. He just wanted to torture me. As he has tortured others.

 

Fuh Real, it's not that easy to just walk away. There are a lot of factors that have to be considered. I can't tell you how many people I've talked to in bad situations tell me, "Well I want to leave the business, but what else am I going to do. Writing is the only thing I know?" And if you have a family it's even a tougher position. Trust me, if editors, copy editors and reporters weren't in bad positions at their respective papers, they wouldn't leave. A lot of people love the business, but there is only so much you can take from bad upper management. The do more with less mantra is rampant in this industry, especially with the smaller circulations. Again, there is only so much you can take.

 

I spent most of my adult life as a journalist, either in the world or in the military, and I loved it. I loved the people, the work, the writing...LOVED IT.

But when reality takes over, your passion can't always sustain you. The reality of things like no pay raises for years (when I left my last paper, I was making less than when I started their four years earlier), mortgage payments, children and more all tend to take a toll.

It was never about the money, but unfortunately, you tend to need money to survive in this day and age, so it's an ugly catch-22.

There were hundreds of J-school kids ready to take my job the moment I vacated my seat? I'm sure of it. But I'm also sure that in a few years, they're going to be wondering what kind of lateral career shift they can make to survive, financially.

Your passion is appreciated but reality is going to give you a very firm kick in the ass one day.

 

Good post. I've seen hundreds of Fuh Reals come down the pike. (I will work for less than anybody! Just give me a byline!) Some of you may be able to admire their naive passion but, sorry, not me. I have no respect whatsoever for beginners who will gladly undercut the senior people in their workplace to get ahead. I hope Fuh Real and all of the other Fuh Reals out there learn the hard way some day.