During one scene of Coming to America, the reality TV show starring Victoria Beckham, the former Spice Girl sees an unflattering portrait of herself on Perez Hilton. Instead of sitting around whining about it, she gets in her car (hair stylist in tow) and confronts the blogger at his coffeshop/office. She and Hilton get along famously, and Beckham leaves when the blogging star replaces the offending picture with one in which she’s wearing a crown.
This is the kind of take-charge attitude that mediabistro.com CEO Laurel Touby and hundreds of other executives and managers around the country would love. Beckham doesn’t attack Hilton, she simply asks him why he posted what he did. She’s respectful yet forceful, reasonable yet in charge, and Hilton responds. Her behaviour (spelling in her honour) provides an excellent lesson when dealing with editors. If you feel slighted, confront him or her and explain your feelings honestly and plainly. They will respond accordingly, and you’ll stand a greater chance of working with them in the future. We all make mistakes (yes, even us infallible editors), but bitching and moaning about them helps no one. Explain your position and act accordingly. If this tactic swayed the Queen of All Media, it will work for you too.