It seems the more I apply myself to this godforsaken newspaper, the less that those around me care about the thing. Save for our news editor (who always works his butt off) not one other member appears to even give a damn any more. And while I’m sure they’ll deny that very fact, I know for certain they individually have regressed in all aspects of editorship: proofreading skills, managing their section’s writers/photographers and what really chaps my ass, a total mental implosion concerning all things Adobe InDesign.
This latest issue may have been the worst all year. No, it was.
Ironically, though, I feel we produced the greatest front page North Idaho College has ever known (it helped that our women’s basketball team won the regional tournament for the first time in 12 years. And we have but TWO amazing photographers, Nik and Tim):
But the meat and potatoes inside were lackluster, to say the least. Design? Shoddy. Article content? More like a middle school than the prestigious non-daily paper we claim to be. Timeliness? Not a single writer or photographer hit deadline, or anywhere close!
And who’s fault is that? As editor-in-chief, the blame will forever land upon my shoulders; that is to be expected. Worse yet: I can pinpoint every instance during the course of this issue where those steadfast inherent flaws reared their ugly heads. And it’s mostly due to my own newspaper neglect, as I’ve been working on multiple projects simultaneously.
Indeed, over the past two weeks I have spread myself so thin it’s starting to affect my health. What started as the sniffles along a 6-day San Diego road trip has morphed into full-blown body aches after spending 26 straight hours in the Sentinel newsroom. I felt like a dog chasing my tail all week, for whenever I finished one project an even larger one appeared.
It wasn’t just production weekend for The Sentinel. I also had to design a folder for the college relations department at school, as well as a 20-page High School All-Star Basketball Tournament program by tomorrow for our athletic department (still working on that puppy). Throw in a full day of scouting Little League tryouts, and I barely had time to blink.
So forgive me if I’m exuberant as I look forward to a five-week break from all things Sentinel. Thank God for spring break, and I cannot wait to see my girlfriend in Portland.
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1 Comment:
Maybe their lack of aspiration is a direct reflection of your constant negativity! You storm into the newsroom in a flurry of insults, jibes, and negativity. You are quick to criticize and extremely slow to encourage brilliance. Your writers and editors attempt to think outside of the box and you shoot them down so quickly that they no longer respect you, they fear you.
I’ve never seen so many journalists cower in one’s presence before, and I am quite certain your egotistical mind is quickly changing this to be a compliment, but it’s not. You need to realize that not only do these people work for you, they need to be able to respect you and learn from you. You need to be able to inspire them to achieve greater things while still making them accept responsibility for their actions.
I will agree with you that this issue was by far the worst issue that I have ever had the misfortune of seeing. But remember not all writer’s failed to meet deadline!!! But once again instead of recognizing the fact that not all are flawed, you’ve lumped them all together so they are being punished for the crimes of others. You had numerous bodies there to copy edit, but your lack of appreciation for any of them drove them away when the clock struck 12. You failed to mention to anybody that you extended production times and their loyalty towards you falters due to your cruelty.
If you want your editors and writers to have renewed passion and pleasure for what they do then you need to start leading by example. Just remember one other little tidbit… RESPECT IS A TWO WAY STREET AND IT MUST BE EARNED… it’s not something you violently verbally beat into them!!!!!!!!
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