too picky?

Sounds like she applied to be editor at The Daily Podunk and was instead offered a position at East Podunk Weekly, in line with her experience.

 

I don't care if it's a weekly or not, I would have taken the job if it meant I'd be making $25K.

 

Point taken, but why is she applying for a job at "a small afternoon daily" where txsportscribe works, if she is "good enough" to work at the DMN? I am just sick of kids coming out of college - and I'm only 26 - and expecting to get jobs at the biggest papers in America. Get use to the fact that if you don't already have a job lined up at one of them, then you won't be working there for a while. So go earn your stripes at mid-size papers and quit bitching.

 

If she had no intention of working for a weekly, she shouldn't have applied. I'd be scratching my head too at her 'tude.

 

In my humble opinion, you're an asshole.

 

Well, there are some pretty interesting characters at weeklies. I know of one guy who has been at the same weekly for years and is just incredibly lazy. On the occasion he writes long features or enterprise about non-high school stuff, he just finds quotes on the internet about his topic from a variety of experts and uses them with no attribution or note that he didn't interview them.

And these are high-profile, often famous people he's quoting. I've also noticed him ripping off info from prep stories that there is no way he could have gotten unless he was there or read the story -- and he wasn't there. I don't see the need to call him out, but it is unprofessional to say the least, and I can't believe no one there ever calls him out on it.

Nothing wrong with getting your start at a weekly if you have to, but the people who stay for years are often, um, colorful.

 

Sad, but hilarious. That shouldn't be funny, yet it is.

 

It kind of amuses me up too, actually -- something about eggregious malpractice.

 

Regardless of whether or not she should have taken the job, I'm wondering if it's wise to thumb your nose at a potential employer? Why not just respectfully decline and quit reinforcing the pretentious stereotype that plagues the rest of us recent grads out there?

Best,

Humble recent grad

 

Sorry, got to call you out about that. I could rattle off a long list of good people I worked with at a couple of Virginia weeklies who have gone on to bigger and better ... they were there for good reasons given the arc of their careers and their family circumstances and then they moved on.

I think you're bringing a bad attitude to the table. I think the woman in question did, too.

 

It was pointed out to me by another poster that not all people at weeklies are hacks, and I shouldn't have made a blanket statement. Just the people I've run into at weeklies aren't the greatest. But come to think of it I do know of two people who came from a weekly that are quality writers/editors. But I still don't blame the girl for turning it down. It's easier to make the jump from a small daily to a larger daily than from a weekly--again in my humble opinion. And yes BYH I am an asshole.

 

I started out at a small daily from college, but wouldn't have turned down a weekly job.

Writing for weeklies could be viewed as magazine writer-in-training. But I'm an optimist.