I got chewed out yesterday.
It marks the first time I’ve had someone visibly angry at me in Stigler. A parent was mad that their kid wasn’t in the paper enough in their opinion, and they* let me hear about it.
Now, if I let every complaint or every person who was mad at me bring me down, I would have no chance at making it as a writer, and certainly no chance at making it in the newspaper world. No matter how hard you try or how well you might think you’re doing, there will always be some people mad at you for something.
But I must say I haven’t had someone this mad at me in a long time. The parent even refused to shake my hand when I offered my hand in an introduction and a handshake. That hasn’t happened since I ran for student body president at LMU.
I was at a basketball game when this person pointed at me, said they needed to talk (to which I agreed — I love talking to people who think I’m missing something or doing a bad job, because I really am that eager to improve my product) but then they dismissed me with a wave of a hand. When I asked for their name, they gave it, and then proceeded to tell me that I hadn’t put their kid in the paper once since I got here. Not exactly accurate, but granted the student may not have been in the paper as much as other people.
I offered to set up a time and meet anywhere, but even though the person initiated the conversation and said they wanted to talk, they refused to set up a time to meet.
It was incredibly frustrating. I experienced a range of emotions throughout the ordeal. First, I was just kind of peeved. I wanted to be like, do you have any idea how many hours I work in a given week trying to produce a decent section? The life of a journalist is typically a thankless job (though, honestly, not in Stigler — so many people have been appreciative and have thanked me, which is always nice to hear). But the people who think you’re doing a terrible job always resonate louder than those that think you’re doing a great job.
I was also mad because this person acted as if I was out to get their kid, as if I had some kind of hidden agenda. Of course I want to produce the best sports section possible; of course I want everyone to be happy. No matter how upset you are, why act as if I mean-spiritedly made a conscious decision to not put a teenager in the paper?
Then, I became self-conscious. I began to question my decisions. Maybe I really was messing this aspect of the job up. Maybe I shouldn’t choose the best photo and I should try to spread the love a bit. I mean, that thought wouldn’t even cross my mind for college athletes or pros, but maybe I did need to baby the high school athletes a little. They are only teenagers. I don’t know, it’s a possibility.
Then, I just felt bad. Regardless of who is right, it was extremely difficult to see an upset parent, fighting back tears because I had “devastated” their child.
It was the kind of moment that made me question whether or not I wanted to be a journalist. Another moment came today, when I found out one of my best friends lost her job because her newspaper had to have cutbacks due to financial reasons.
Anyway, it was a sucky moment. I almost didn’t put it in the blog, because I know some people in the town read this, and I didn’t want to call any more attention to it. It’s something I will have to deal with on my own. But it was really weighing on my mind, and I felt like I needed to say my piece to get it off my chest.
(After the encounter, I literally felt like I needed a drink. I drink socially sometimes, but not alone, so I had to think of something else. Luckily, I play cards. I went to the casino, played some hold’em and made $200. That always helps me feel a little better.)
* I’m using “they” just because I really don’t want to identify or even give any clues as to who the person is. I don’t want the kid to get embarrassed over this.
