Feeling challenged

[Jake Dowling]

I am looking for guidance on how to handle a situation with a recent journalism graduate.
For some background, I'm in my first year as a news editor and have been a sports editor come four years in June. Altogether, I've been in the field for five years now.
I hired a reporter fresh out of college in May for our small (roughly 2,000-paper circulation) newspaper. As she approaches one year, the relationship with her in the newsroom has been a roller coaster.
Since she joined, she likes to throw at me and another reporter (who did not study journalism but has a year of experience in the field) what she learned in school is thethe all of answers, disreguarding our knowledge in the field.
An example would be the AP stylebook. Based on my experience in the field, I feel the stylebook is a guidlineg and newspapers have the right to interpret it anyone it sees fit. She disagrees based on what she learned in school.
How do I got about handling this situation?

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

If she is your underling, I'd recommend a closed-door meeting where some things are spelled out.

Starting with the unwise nature of trying to challenge her superiors, reiterate that the AP Stylebook is a guide that can be superceded by local style, and that being a disruption in the newsroom by disregarding and being disrespectful of co-workers and superiors is unacceptable.

I'd have cut-and-dried examples of her behavior that fits into these categories, and put it in writing, with her being made to sign and date it as understanding what has been spelled out to her.

If you have an HR person on site, they should be present and involved in it.

If this means putting her on a "Performance Improvement Plan" or whatever wording you want to use, by all means do it.

 

[WriteThinking]

You're the boss, and AP style sometimes differs, depending on the newspaper. Tell her what you, and/or the paper, would do is what applies.

 

[HanSenSE]

Like someone told me in my first gig, "Style is not what the stylebook says, it's what the editor says." For example, in that job, the editor thought the periods in a.m. and p.m. were a waste. When I left, though, it took me a while to start putting them in again.

 

[Alma]

An example would be the AP stylebook. Based on my experience in the field, I feel the stylebook is a guidlineg and newspapers have the right to interpret it anyone it sees fit. She disagrees based on what she learned in school.

What are some other examples?

 

[typefitter]

I thought I knew everything at 22. What a terrible age.

 

[CD Boogie]

• Ignoring and/or disregard editing suggestions made by the other reporter either because the other reporter did not study journalism like she did or she believes the other reporter is flat out wrong without discussion.
• She comes in with a knack for wanting to expose any kind of corruption in the area. Not that I disagree with her, but that is not and has not been the main focus of our paper nor is this the setting for that. If you want to expose corruption, either do your homework first, or go to a larger newspaper where that mantra better fits that agenda.
• She still has not adapted to a smaller community (she went to school at West Virginia and her lone experience is her daily dealings in Morgantown).
• In a newsroom of just three people, she expects me to communicate everything with her (regarding design changes or style changes, etc.) but did not communicate with me until recently that she hates her job, does not want to show up to work sometimes, does not understand everything and I am to blame for all of that, without any explanation as to why.
• And the best part, me and the other reporter are not allowed to be near her desk area without permission. It is her safe space and we cannot be around it. .

I'd advise against wearing a MAGA hat in front of her.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

• Ignoring and/or disregard editing suggestions made by the other reporter either because the other reporter did not study journalism like she did or she believes the other reporter is flat out wrong without discussion.
• She comes in with a knack for wanting to expose any kind of corruption in the area. Not that I disagree with her, but that is not and has not been the main focus of our paper nor is this the setting for that. If you want to expose corruption, either do your homework first, or go to a larger newspaper where that mantra better fits that agenda.
• She still has not adapted to a smaller community (she went to school at West Virginia and her lone experience is her daily dealings in Morgantown).
• In a newsroom of just three people, she expects me to communicate everything with her (regarding design changes or style changes, etc.) but did not communicate with me until recently that she hates her job, does not want to show up to work sometimes, does not understand everything and I am to blame for all of that, without any explanation as to why.
• And the best part, me and the other reporter are not allowed to be near her desk area without permission. It is her safe space and we cannot be around it. (We each have desks facing one direction with no private walls or cubby space.
I will say that I feel I have some responsibility in this matter for letting this fester for too long. Managing people is something I am still working on.

I'm not saying that you don't have concerns, but maybe this forum isn't the best place for you, as her boss, to be airing those concerns, at least under your real name (assuming this is your real name).

We've had multiple employees come on here to vent and using their real name. We've frequently warned them to watch what they say or to do it anonymously so that their employer doesn't find out. This is the first time I recall having to warn a supervisor. You don't want her reading this here, otherwise, you are the one who may end up in a meeting with HR.

 

[PaperClip529]

It seems like you need to put on your big boy pants and start acting like an editor and/or adult.

 

[Azrael]

Going by what I've seen on the thread so far, in the second act they'll be trapped together overnight while staking out a crooked bookkeeper at the old sawmill. In act 3 they marry.

At least that's how I'm pitching it.

 

[Bronco77]

Most of my employers went by the AP stylebook but had their own guidelines that often superseded AP. Have to make that point to her, and if she doesn't like it, too bad.

Sounds as if she came out of college full of idealism and has yet to find it's not the same in the real world.

It's good that you're pondering how to deal with this before it spirals out of control. My current shop has a situation that has some similarities to yours, and although the employee in question isn't right out of college, there are issues with a disruptive personality and lack of work ethic and competence. The people whose job it is to keep this employee in line seem to be ignoring the problems, hoping they'll go away, and it just keeps getting worse.

 

[wicked]

I thought I knew everything at 22. What a terrible age.

This is the answer. God, I was so obnoxious in my first post-college job. (And my second, and my third... wait, there's a pattern here.)