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Topic: Stickysituation!Paperwantsmeforstoryonrivaleditors
| Author | Message |
| DCAflyer | Posted – 9/2/2008 4:23:48 PM | show profile | email poster Sorry, that i didn't observe proper grammer by spacing out my characters in the first line, but i wanted to express what my post was about in the title, so anyway: Here's the deal. I live in a metropolitan area where there's this one paper that goes by the name city pages or paper (i'm trying to keep it vague). They are the most prestigious publisher of freelance writing in the city short for young people, short of the major dailies. I have written for 2 tv networks in their nightlife/scene sections. One was without pay and the other (a branch of metromix) was with pay but they didn't give me any articles after the first month and underpaid me. I don't hold a grudge against the former one. The second one I might be guilty of holding a slight grudge but I'm grateful that they gave me some money at all because that's hard to come by, and i'm grateful that i can put that on my resume. For some reason, the biggest paper in town interviewed me about my experience with these two papers. It was from one of the two editors who serves as a columnist and was writing about the emergence of these two nightlife-based web sites and didn't tell me her slant. I've rarely ever been a source for a story before but as a reporter, I generally feel that sources are doing a service to the spirit of journalism, if they cooperate with the editor and not try to control the content of the story. And I know that a reporter isn't supposed to let the source have access to the story too much. So I told them about my experiences. I thought about a couple hidden motives in my answers later on: I did tell her before we did the interview that I had tried to submit to city paper before and have some good clips but that they're always getting massively piled up in their inbox and i never get through to them. She told me we could address that after the article comes out, so I felt that there was opportunity to me in this interview. I also felt like it could help my advancement with these two new organizations i write for in different ways. perhaps, if i mentioned some of the problems with how nbc runs their operation, that it might bring light to how it could be improved. But, my big question is: do i have an obligation to report this to my editors? i technically might still work for both, and i'm sure i still work for one. |
| Louisewasnothalfbad | Posted – 9/2/2008 4:50:18 PM | show profile Are you named? Do you think there's even the slightest chance that your editor won't find out? Did you think maybe you might have bounced it off that editor before you gave the interview? If you think NBC is going to pay attention to the experiences of a rookie contributor, you've got a lot to learn. |
| DCAflyer | Posted – 9/2/2008 5:02:24 PM | show profile so.... notify both editors as soon as possible? |
| DCAflyer | Posted – 9/2/2008 5:02:25 PM | show profile so.... notify both editors as soon as possible? |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 9/2/2008 5:31:32 PM | show profile If it were me, I'd drop an email to the two editors and say something like: Hey, I wanted to tell you that John Smith from the city paper gave me a call and asked a few questions about your guys for a story he's working on, such as ---------------- and --------------. I gave him positive answers, since I've had just a good experience with you guys. |
| DCAflyer | Posted – 9/3/2008 12:15:44 AM | show profile hmmm that would be true if i said entirely good things about either of them. i said good and bad things, and answered it honestly. i noted overall that i was thankful for the exposure they both gave me. |
| DCAflyer | Posted – 9/3/2008 12:38:23 AM | show profile one other question should i inform the reporter and ask if she's contacted my editors or inform my own editors first? |
| Louisewasnothalfbad | Posted – 9/3/2008 10:42:01 AM | show profile Orrin, Orrin, Orrin. This isn't useful exposure. If you're incredibly lucky, no one will read the piece. Don't say anything more. Don't contact the reporter. Let this be a lesson--don't talk about your employers to a reporter. Not if you have only good things to say, not if you want to expose them for the soul-sucking scum that they may be. If you want to stay employed and/or contributing, don't talk. To quote Woody Allen--"Don't speak." |
| abqwriter | Posted – 9/3/2008 11:06:49 AM | show profile The reporter's comments about "we'll talk about that after the piece comes out" should have been a warning bell. This did not get your foot in the door; it probably burned a bridge or two. And, yes, I'd tell the editors. Be prepared to deal with the fall-out and take the responsibility squarely on your shoulders for whatever happens. They may or may not use you again, but they'll never use you again if they discover an article trashing themselves in any way and you are quoted in it. You're much better off fessing up and apologizing ahead of time. |
| epenthesis | Posted – 9/8/2008 1:02:48 PM | show profile This is unlikely to be really harmful to your career unless you went beyond mild constructive criticism. But it certainly doesn't do you any good, either with these clients, with other potential clients who might be reading, or, ironically, even with this paper. The columnist must have been delighted to find an active freelancer who was actually willing to speak honestly about his or her current clients--but do you think this is a trait they're looking for in their freelancers? You would probably not speak freely about your employer if you were salaried. The situation is no different--this was indiscreet. Don't speak publicly about your business relationships if you don't have anonymity. |
