corrente

Okay, this is from the cross-town/cross-river rival, but I don't think they just made this shit up. And the PP is a Newspaper Guild paper too! Imagine what would have happened to these reporters if they didn't have even that weak and feeble union:

(via Mpls Star-Tribune)

The St. Paul Pioneer Press suspended two reporters for attending the recent "Vote for Change" political fundraising concert and now faces a union grievance.

Several newspapers around the country had asked staff members not to attend the series of concerts held in Minnesota and other "battleground" states earlier this month. That's because ticket sales benefited an affiliate of the liberal group MoveOn, which would compromise the politically neutral stance expected of journalists.

However, the Pioneer Press appears to be the only newspaper to suspend reporters for going.

Gowler issued a memo Sept. 27 advising staff that "our ethics policy prevents you from engaging in activities that would be a conflict with your employment," including "concerts that are held as political fundraisers."

She said that a union steward approved the memo and that some staffers talked with her and received permission to attend the concerts.

The story describes the reporters in question as members of the 'investigative team' but doesn't say what they investigate. They were not there to cover the event for the paper in any case, they went on what used to be known as "their own time."

I blame beepers, which started this trend that there is no such thing as "your own time," your employer has a right to intrude on you at any hour of the day or night. The rule back in the day was "we don't care if you fuck elephants just as long as you're not on the circus beat."

A NOTE: Blogger is behaving poorly today, a trend I fear is likely to keep up through the election and very possibly beyond. I guess we really shouldn't bitch about it considering what it costs or mention that its programmers reek of elderberries but it reminds me of plumbing that has to be plungered every other time it's flushed. Multiple posts, if they appear, will be corrected as quickly as practicable.