A Love of Newsrooms

I once applied for a job that asked me to describe my perfect work environment.

It wasn’t as hard as the employer thought it would be. I just described a newsroom.

That was a lifetime ago. But I’m reminded of why I love the newsroom everytime somebody leaves it for good.

See, we need it. We thrive in it. It comforts us.

But it goes on without us.

The newsroom is awesome because it puts the paper out daily whether I’m here or not.

Stories get written, edited, rimmed, slotted, proofed and dropped regardless of who is here.

Yes, the people drive the newsroom. But it also drives us.

So take comfort in that as you watch your friends leave or a new set of bosses come in.

New policies and practices will be created and the new crew will pretend to reinvent this thing of ours.

But the newsroom knows. And it will continue to spit out the news of the day, regardless of how much we try to stop it.

A decade of change

Much can change in 10 years. It doesn’t matter during which decade really. Be it the 1800s or 2000s, 10 years will usher in a crapload of change.

But I think it’s accurate to say that this past decade really sent this thing of ours for a loop. I’m not talking about the recent batch of widespread cutbacks.

I thinking about the crater the decade left after impact. Just about everything about our business has changed.

If you are a journalist, think about where we are now and compare it to where we were in 2000.

Freaking change.

So I can’t help but wonder how much the next 10 years will change what we do. What the hell will our news product look like?

And wilI I still be a part of it? Doubtful.

Tiger Woods coverage

I’m not going to write about if the Tiger Woods saga should get coverage.

He’s a public figure. Done deal.

But I did start thinking about the type and amount of coverage his cheatng ass is getting. Is it too much, or too overblown?

Who cares? But what does upset me is the sudden cry for privacy in an otherwise public world. Have people just now started to pay attention to celeb news?

We live in a society where a rich, ditzy blond girl is a superstar because she’s rich and ditzy.

Some jackass on the latest reality show can’t walk down the street without getting mobbed.

So how is it surprising to anybody that arguably the most famous active athlete in the world gets major coverage?

Deal with it people. Public figures are fair game regardless of the topic. It might not be the best system in the world. But it is the one we all helped create.