Do you share your work space with another person?

wordygurdy · **Posted:** Fri Aug 27, 2004 6:07 pm

I'm just curious how many newspaper copy editors have their own desks/cubes/computers, none of which they have to share with another copy editor on a different shift.For example, a friend of mine who's a nighttime copy editor at a major metro daily shares her computer and cube with a daytime person.[ August 27, 2004: Message edited by: wordygurdy ]

Lee · **Posted:** Fri Aug 27, 2004 6:21 pm

I don't have to share. I have my own space - lots of it; I even have a "guest chair" for when editors come with briefings. My computer was bought specially for me and has software that my colleagues on the copy desk don't have and don't know how to use. A former production editor once called me "a spoiled brat who has too many toys".
:)

EMorse · **Posted:** Fri Aug 27, 2004 7:26 pm

All permanent desk staffers at my paper have their own desks and computers, but on days off, your desk will be commandeered by a floater, someone on loan from another desk, an intern or a tryout. That person will change all of the display settings on your computer, the angle of your monitor, and the height of your chair and your keyboard tray, and he or she will leave food crumbs, scattered sections of newspaper, and half-consumed bottles of soda all over your desk. He or she will also use all of your reference books and desk supplies and put them back in the wrong places.

CopyMonkey · **Posted:** Fri Aug 27, 2004 11:33 pm

None of us on the copy desk have our own designated spaces. We have a few terminals lined up on a long desk, and though we sometimes sit in the same spots by habit, they're also used by the day people, they're not ours.

Biggdbo · **Posted:** Sat Aug 28, 2004 1:45 am

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by EMorse:
All permanent desk staffers at my paper have their own desks and computers, but on days off, your desk will be commandeered by a floater, someone on loan from another desk, an intern or a tryout. That person will change all of the display settings on your computer, the angle of your monitor, and the height of your chair and your keyboard tray, and he or she will leave food crumbs, scattered sections of newspaper, and half-consumed bottles of soda all over your desk. He or she will also use all of your reference books and desk supplies and put them back in the wrong places.<hr></blockquote>Exactly. Our interns lighten the load for the reporters, but cause me (and others) to waste time fixing settings and such. They're nice kids and all. I just think that if I was in there position, trying to do my best and make a good impression, I'd be a little more respectful of other people's workspaces. It's really not a major issue, just a pet peeve ... especially sicne one of my desk decorations was broken ...

SusanV · **Posted:** Sat Aug 28, 2004 9:17 am

Ahhhh, another benefit of the magazine world. Each of us has our own desk, and there is no necessity to share. There's even an open spot that accommodates an intern.

Oeditpus Rex · **Posted:** Sat Aug 28, 2004 12:48 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by EMorse:
That person will change all of the display settings on your computer, the angle of your monitor, and the height of your chair and your keyboard tray<hr></blockquote>We had an intern one summer who used the sports guy's desk in the a.m. (very small newsroom). One day he "messed it up" -- moved a pile of papers, as I recall -- angering the sports guy. Intern's mom called a bit later. Sports guy answered the phone, said, "No, he's dead," and hung up.

wordygurdy · **Posted:** Sat Aug 28, 2004 3:51 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by Oeditpus Rex:
We had an intern one summer who used the sports guy's desk in the a.m. (very small newsroom). One day he "messed it up" -- moved a pile of papers, as I recall -- angering the sports guy. Intern's mom called a bit later. Sports guy answered the phone, said, "No, he's dead," and hung up.<hr></blockquote>I'm ashamed to say I laughed at that.

EMorse · **Posted:** Sat Aug 28, 2004 5:02 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by wordygurdy:
I'm ashamed to say I laughed at that.<hr></blockquote>** Me too, although I didn't really mean to slag on interns. Ours have been pretty good overall; I actually tend to have more workspace-trashing problems with full-timers from other departments.This is getting a little off topic, but Oed's post reminded me of something that happened at a paper where I used to work. We took on a kid as a summer intern (he was the son of a high-ranking elected official in the county where the paper was based); he showed up the first day to get oriented and seemed eager and ready to go. Then we never saw him again. The ME, who'd hired him, wondered aloud what happened but didn't bother calling the kid because he figured there was a good reason why he'd backed out. One day several weeks later, the phone rang in the newsroom and I happened to pick it up. The conversation went like this:
Caller: Is (vanished intern's name) there?
Me: Um ... he's not here; he actually hasn't been working here at all.
Caller: (pause) That's not possible. This is his father. I dropped him off outside your building this morning. I drop him off there every morning ...
Me: I'm sorry. We haven't seen him since the first day he came in.
Caller: I see. Thank you.Dad called back later and spoke with ME; apparently the kid decided he didn't want to do the internship but didn't have the guts to tell dad, so after being dropped off every day, he waited until dad drove off, then walked to a friend's house and spent the day hanging out.... at least he didn't mess up anyone's desk.[ August 28, 2004: Message edited by: EMorse ]

Testy Copy Editors

Do you share your work space with another person?

Who is online

What They're Saying

Useful Links