Thursday, May 25, 2006

There is no such thing as a perfect week of reporting...

I pursue a dream, a lofty, unreachable dream. A dream made impossible by uncooperative people, hurried editors and the fact that one page of copy goes through five or six different hands before it goes to print, and inevitably something gets changed somewhere.
It will be a day of great rejoicing should I get a paper out with all my work perfect, with no angry phonecalls, or even worse, the people who call not to yell, but to "helpfully" point out all your mistakes. Like today:
Lady on phone: "My dear, I'm sure it's not your fault, but you referred to Ms. Jones as " a school librarian" in your article. I just called to correct you because Ms. Jones is not, in fact, the "school librarian", but is the "assistant school librarian". She only checks out the books, she doesn't organize any of the programs. But, I saw that you were very young, you must still be learning... Do you think it would be possible to run the whole article again, with that correction?"
It's difficult not to reply with the following:
"A school librarian implies that there are more than one persons in that position, not that Ms. Jones is the only one who works there. But thank you for nit-picking. I'm sure everyone was horrified to find that I may have given Ms. Jones credit for doing anything other than checking out books. Your helpful comments have certainly helped me to learn, since I am so young and inexperienced. It's difficult to handle the pressures of reporting for an elementary school after only having three years of experience in criminal reporting. And sure, we'll take a whole page next week, to correct that glaring error and just hold the story on the town council's decision to do away with random drug testing for town employees (including themselves) for another edition. NO PROBLEM! Have a nice day, you old grizzle-hag!

Now, I will go running at the gym for a year and a half, follow that by drowning in a strawberry sundae and end my day with equal torture to being a reporter: plucking stray eyebrow hairs!!

Why doesn't anyone ever call about the good work I do?? at janeh928@yahoo.com

2 Comments:

Blogger The Lumberjack said...

People are just insane! Does everyone think the world revolves around them?! It's like patients at the hospital who think the only thing you are there for is to serve them hand & foot. Tell grizzle hag that you are sending over your Scottish boyfriend from Canada to kick her butt!

11:46 PM  
Blogger kittybrunette said...

Thanks, you guys!
I ended up having a great evening, quite possibly due to all the supportive vibes sent my way by my two fans!
I ran for half an hour.
I had a salad from QUIZNOS (they've got a pepper barrrr!)
I went to see "Lucky Number Sleven" with my sista, the Artiste.
I sent a text to the Scotsman, telling him not to forget my present from Canada.
I went to bed.

1:22 PM  

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