While I'm at it ...

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Tue Dec 03, 2002 8:22 am

... I fail to understand the purpose of "Al's Morning Meeting" (here) on the Poynter site. Today, for instance, a TV reporter tells "Al" about a stupid story in the local paper about how people keep those white crates that the post office uses to deliver large amounts of mail (what a surprise!). "Al" links to the story and summarizes it.
What's the point? Are editors and reporters supposed to be inspired to see what the situation is in their local post offices? Can we expect a deluge of reports from all over the country on this important and interesting topic? Will we then get a long-overdue update on exactly what people are doing with all those plastic milk crates? And what about shopping carts?[ December 03, 2002: Message edited by: blanp ]

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Tue Dec 10, 2002 5:09 pm

"Al" has another great story idea today: The "Notch Baby" Social Security controversy (here).Now there's a story that hasn't been done in about a half-hour.[ December 10, 2002: Message edited by: blanp ]

Bumfketeer · **Posted:** Tue Dec 10, 2002 6:30 pm

Thank you, Blanp, for pointing out this amazing repository of stupidity.
How 'bout those notch babies? In a prior lifetime I was an editorial writer, and I did one 20 years ago in an attempt to debunk the bullshit myth of "notch babies." I guess this one sort of has a life of its own. Every year, more people get old enough to start paying attention to Social Security issues and get sucked in by this. And each year, all those born in the notch years get even older and forget that less than 12 months ago they were shown that it's all a bunch of crap.Rinse, repeat...[ December 10, 2002: Message edited by: Bumfketeer ]

jmcg · **Posted:** Tue Dec 10, 2002 6:52 pm

Anyone else think it's time blanp gets
weaned off this Poynter shit?

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Tue Dec 10, 2002 6:57 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by jmcg:
Anyone else think it's time blanp gets
weaned off this Poynter shit?<hr></blockquote>If you don't like it, pal, start your own Web site. A lot of people who don't know any better take Poynter seriously.[ December 10, 2002: Message edited by: blanp ]

vtuss · **Posted:** Wed Dec 11, 2002 3:22 am

Worse, on Thursday, one of the local TV stations picked some national filler story on the white crates. What hath God wrought.

Guest · **Posted:** Wed Dec 11, 2002 6:45 pm

(NOTE: I screwed this up and erased the original message. Thomsen asked me to summarize what my problem is with Poynter.--PB)
I think everyone should make up his own mind about exactly what's wrong with poynter.org. The enterprise is so thoroughly wrongheaded it would be unfair to pick out individual problems, except for the examples presented here.[ December 11, 2002: Message edited by: blanp ]

Guest · **Posted:** Wed Dec 11, 2002 7:31 pm

Better yet, let Poynter hang itself with its own words ....A Poynter essay on copy editing: Web page*** That's Poynter in a nutshell. It doesn't exist in a world any of us recognize.[ December 11, 2002: Message edited by: blanp ]

Bumfketeer · **Posted:** Wed Dec 11, 2002 7:39 pm

Well, there does appear to be a lot of totally insincere verbiage there.My favorite part, however, is how it leads into showing how copy editors matter...and then holds as an exemplar of these "artists" a woman with the title of assistant managing editor for copy, whatever the hell that is. I would daresay both her job and paycheck are far removed from that of a copy editor.

Finn DeSiecle · **Posted:** Thu Dec 12, 2002 5:32 am

If you've got easy access to a bottle of aspirin, read the "student" essays too. How is it that almost all of these copy editors' essays need ... copy editing?And on a complete tangent: One essay that's even worse than Dunlap's -- the one by Kelly Carson -- advises: "After a few years (as a reporter) slip away, you will feel in your gut that it's time to move to the desk. You will have earned the right and privilege of becoming a copy editor." Setting aside the weird concept that editing is a reward for industrious reporting, rather than a set of skills, I have yet to hear a reporter tell me, "I feel in my gut that it's time for me to become a copy editor." In fact, it's been many years since I last met a reporter who wanted to become a copy editor. Those who change jobs all seem to want to join the city desk, become a bureau chief or take some such position that offers better hours or a clearer shot at career advancement than night copy editing.Is anyone in here still seeing reporters apply for copy editing jobs?

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Thu Dec 12, 2002 6:23 am

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by Finn DeSiecle:

Is anyone in here still seeing reporters apply for copy editing jobs?<hr></blockquote>One of my favorite young journalists, who shall remain unidentified but lives in Mysterious Montana, was a reporter. She sought and received a copy-editing job.

Wayne Countryman · **Posted:** Thu Dec 12, 2002 5:07 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by blanp:
One of my favorite young journalists, who shall remain unidentified but lives in Mysterious Montana, was a reporter. She sought and received a copy-editing job.<hr></blockquote>i can't imagine many reporters being turned down for copy-editing jobs, given the surplus of reporters and shortage of copy editors.glad to hear that good ones are among those coming over to our dark side.

jmcg · **Posted:** Thu Dec 12, 2002 7:36 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by blanp:
If you don't like it, pal, start your own Web site. A lot of people who don't know any better take Poynter seriously.[ December 10, 2002: Message edited by: blanp ]<hr></blockquote>A lot of people who don't know better ram AP (and other news/wires services) copy into papers without another thought. That should be addressed -- as you do so well. I'd still like
to think Poynter would go away if otherwise ignored. Kind of like Nehru jackets and ragged left type.[ December 12, 2002: Message edited by: blanp ]

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