Reporter fired for reporting

[Tarheel316]

I'm old enough to remember when guys got into hot water for staying home "covering" the state basketball tournament by listening to the local radio broadcast and filing a story as if they were there when they were supposed to be there.

Some guy with the San Francisco Chronicle pulled that for a Giants game. It was a long time ago. Can't remember what year.

 

[Bud_Bundy]

We had a guy covering a NASCAR race at Talledega many years ago. This was back in the day before cell phones and the like. Reporters called in collect to a central switchboard for the newspaper, the operator accepted the call, then transferred the reporter to sports. The kicker was the operator had a book where they wrote down the phone numbers of the collect calls, so they could match up charges to calls. Turns out the guy went about halfway, a decent drive in itself, got a hotel room and covered the race from TV. He wasn't around much after that and it's been so long ago I don't remember any discipline.

When we had a PM competitor to our AM, the PM decided to expand out in its high school football coverage one fall. There was a fringe team that was a state power and this one reporter for the PM always covered that team. Turns out, we found out after he left, that he never went to a game. He arranged with the coach to call him early Saturday morning, get the info on the game and put a story together with the coach's quote. He did put in for expenses, though.

 

[rtse11]

A long-time ago an ink-stained wretch who served at The Youngstown Vindicator told me of the time Roger Staubach came to town with Pensacola Air Station (a few years after he won the Heisman) to play Youngstown University and the sports editor had him sit in the corner of the newsroom with a radio and write the gamer from that. The stadium was less than a mile from the office.

 

[Driftwood]

We had a guy covering a NASCAR race at Talledega many years ago. This was back in the day before cell phones and the like. Reporters called in collect to a central switchboard for the newspaper, the operator accepted the call, then transferred the reporter to sports. The kicker was the operator had a book where they wrote down the phone numbers of the collect calls, so they could match up charges to calls. Turns out the guy went about halfway, a decent drive in itself, got a hotel room and covered the race from TV. He wasn't around much after that and it's been so long ago I don't remember any discipline.

When we had a PM competitor to our AM, the PM decided to expand out in its high school football coverage one fall. There was a fringe team that was a state power and this one reporter for the PM always covered that team. Turns out, we found out after he left, that he never went to a game. He arranged with the coach to call him early Saturday morning, get the info on the game and put a story together with the coach's quote. He did put in for expenses, though.

That's how the guy I referenced got busted. He was supposed to be 4 hours away covering the state tournament. He filed his story then called in to verify everything. The guy on the desk said, "Uhhhhh, you aren't there. We've got your home number on Caller ID."

 

[Equalizer]

I learned in my last few years as an SE that a.) you pick your battles and b.) never give management a chance to say "no." According to his tweets, they offered to pay his mileage each day, but he showed them that it wouldn't save them much money, so they decided to just kill everything. As someone noted, just take the mileage and bunk with the friend, or do the round trip every day (it's a two-hour drive each way, according to Google Maps). Figure out a way to make it work if it's important.

At my former shop, our publisher always had our ad people sell ads to go along with the coverage. Most of the time, the trips were paid for by that, and more than a few times we actually came out with a profit. Sadly, I'm not sure most of these places even have ad reps anymore.

Still, as I said earlier, I don't think it's fireable, unless this was the final straw in a much bigger battle.

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

According to his tweets, they offered to pay his mileage each day, but he showed them that it wouldn't save them much money, so they decided to just kill everything.

Not sure his tweets said that. He said all hotel stays need approval, mileage does not, and not that they offered to pay his mileage each day (unless I'm misreading it horribly). They told him to write it up remotely, he made his case, they told him again to write it up remotely, he made his own decision and made the trip.

I think hours could be a factor in this, too. Covering a full day track meet in person is, what, a good 8-9 hours? Writing it up from results and making 2-3 phone calls can be done in a couple of hours.

Covering it in person makes for a better story, but for the first 2 days of state track, is it worth it?

Sure as shirt isn't worth losing your job over.

 

[tapintoamerica]

Not sure his tweets said that. He said all hotel stays need approval, mileage does not, and not that they offered to pay his mileage each day (unless I'm misreading it horribly). They told him to write it up remotely, he made his case, they told him again to write it up remotely, he made his own decision and made the trip.

I think hours could be a factor in this, too. Covering a full day track meet in person is, what, a good 8-9 hours? Writing it up from results and making 2-3 phone calls can be done in a couple of hours.

Covering it in person makes for a better story, but for the first 2 days of state track, is it worth it?

Sure as shirt isn't worth losing your job over.

Or your career.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Our state splits the state meet into two days. The private school association does field events on Friday and running events on Saturday. The public school association does three of the six classifications on Friday and the other three on Saturday. The two meets are at schools about 10 minutes apart, which has led me to run some races of my own to try and leave one and get back to the other in time for an event. There aren't any preliminaries in either association, just eight finalists in each event that were determined during a couple of rounds of postseason meets.

I wonder if this guy was fired for an overtime situation. Track meets, especially state meets, are notoriously long and while it's nice to be there (especially for pictures) it's not wholly necessary. Even if you're efficient and productive, the whole endeavor can be a giant time suck.
I can see them telling him not to go because they didn't want him to spend half of a 40-hour week driving a couple of hours to the meet and then sitting around doing nothing, when he could spend one or two hours at the office gathering the same information, making a few phone calls for quotes, and getting other work done. Then he goes anyway and turns in a 60-hour timecard that they're obligated to pay hundreds of dollars in overtime for.

Well, at least we know this guy is not Fredrick.

 

[SixToe]

WTF is going on with people not doing what the boss says, getting in trouble and then whining on social media about it?

Grow the fork up and do what you're asked to do, or told to do, unless it's something illegal. If it's against your moral prinicples, either hold your nose and do your job or GTFO and find another one. If it's something going against union agreements, talk to your rep or whatever union people do.

"Whaaaaa! I was told to cover this remotely but I went anyway and got my wee-wee smacked by the bad bossman! Whaaaaaa!"

forking kids.

 

[Slacker]

If you're gonna fight management,
fight management the American way.

 

[Sports Barf]

WTF is going on with people not doing what the boss says, getting in trouble and then whining on social media about it?

Grow the fork up and do what you're asked to do, or told to do, unless it's something illegal. If it's against your moral prinicples, either hold your nose and do your job or GTFO and find another one. If it's something going against union agreements, talk to your rep or whatever union people do.

"Whaaaaa! I was told to cover this remotely but I went anyway and got my wee-wee smacked by the bad bossman! Whaaaaaa!"

forking kids.

Actually if your boss smacks your wee-wee you could probably take him to court for enough $$$ to bankrupt the newspaper

 

[HanSenSE]

Actually if your boss smacks your wee-wee you could probably take him to court for enough $$$ to bankrupt the newspaper

It's a newspaper. How much could it have?