4got2white
Member
I know you all have had this kind of day, so sorry for venting... but here it goes. I'm out with a reporter in a live truck, and it's 4:00 pm. We get the call that there is a horrible accident involving a semi and 9 cars with at least 1 fatal. Now this is the third time our story has changed in the last 2 hours, but it's breaking news, so away we go.
I get to the scene, and with the help of the highway patrol, I'm able to drive on the wrong side of the freeway to access this very bad accident. It is now 5:00 pm and they want a live shot before the end of the show. Mind you, I had to drive 20 miles through a major trafic backup to get there, as well as wait for DPS to clear me onto the highway. So I'm on scene I get the shot up, do the live shot, shoot plenty of b-roll, witnesses, PIO and the whole nine yards. I also do a live picture at 6. Now comes the fun part.
I call the desk and ask if they need anything else. I tell them what we have, and they say that is good enough, you are clear. The reporter and I leave. I gas up the truck and put it away, and as I walk into the newsroom, I'm told they are pissed off that we left. The producer lays into me about how I should have known this was a big story and I should have called him personally to let him know what was going on out there. I should have known this was going to be the lead at 10, why did I come back, blah, blah, blah.
I told him that I DID call and was told by the desk it was okay to clear, and that it was not my fault that the newsroom does not communicate. I also asked him why he did not call me sometime during the 2 1/2 hours I was up there and ask me to stay and wait to be relieved. Clearly this was a big story during the early evening shows, enough so that we did several hits from the ground and helicopter. So why am I getting bitched at so long after the fact.
It is very frustrating because I busted my ass trying to do all the right things. How can I be blamed for leaving when I asked to do so and was told to clear. It is a prime example of too many chefs in the kitchen. These producers and assignment desk people at our shop don't talk to each other, so the left hand never knows what the right hand is doing. But who gets the blame when things go wrong? Why is it that the person who did all the work is getting the ass chewing?
I know this is long, so thanks for letting me vent. This is why you get grumpy photogs. We deal with people who never set foot outside the building other than for lunch, and they have no idea what the word communication means. And it is always the fault of the field crew regardless of their own complete incompetence. The good thing is that my boss is totally behind me on this, and told me I did exactly what I was supposed to do. But there is nothing like a good bitching at the end of a very long day!
I get to the scene, and with the help of the highway patrol, I'm able to drive on the wrong side of the freeway to access this very bad accident. It is now 5:00 pm and they want a live shot before the end of the show. Mind you, I had to drive 20 miles through a major trafic backup to get there, as well as wait for DPS to clear me onto the highway. So I'm on scene I get the shot up, do the live shot, shoot plenty of b-roll, witnesses, PIO and the whole nine yards. I also do a live picture at 6. Now comes the fun part.
I call the desk and ask if they need anything else. I tell them what we have, and they say that is good enough, you are clear. The reporter and I leave. I gas up the truck and put it away, and as I walk into the newsroom, I'm told they are pissed off that we left. The producer lays into me about how I should have known this was a big story and I should have called him personally to let him know what was going on out there. I should have known this was going to be the lead at 10, why did I come back, blah, blah, blah.
I told him that I DID call and was told by the desk it was okay to clear, and that it was not my fault that the newsroom does not communicate. I also asked him why he did not call me sometime during the 2 1/2 hours I was up there and ask me to stay and wait to be relieved. Clearly this was a big story during the early evening shows, enough so that we did several hits from the ground and helicopter. So why am I getting bitched at so long after the fact.
It is very frustrating because I busted my ass trying to do all the right things. How can I be blamed for leaving when I asked to do so and was told to clear. It is a prime example of too many chefs in the kitchen. These producers and assignment desk people at our shop don't talk to each other, so the left hand never knows what the right hand is doing. But who gets the blame when things go wrong? Why is it that the person who did all the work is getting the ass chewing?
I know this is long, so thanks for letting me vent. This is why you get grumpy photogs. We deal with people who never set foot outside the building other than for lunch, and they have no idea what the word communication means. And it is always the fault of the field crew regardless of their own complete incompetence. The good thing is that my boss is totally behind me on this, and told me I did exactly what I was supposed to do. But there is nothing like a good bitching at the end of a very long day!
