Song lyrics, reality TV keep job fun
Though the purpose of this column is to give readers explanations and insight into the behind-the-scenes working of a newspaper, it sometimes seems to turn into a personal whine about my job.
For that I apologize.
It gets some sympathy from callers, who sometimes, though they have called to complain, also readily acknowledge that they wouldn’t have my job for a million dollars.
That only tells part of the story. This job, like most things in life, has both negatives and positives.
Parenting is a good example: If everyone spent their time pondering sleepless nights, dirty diapers, runny noses and teenage hormones, nobody would have children. But as every parent will tell you, the rewards far outweigh the sacrifices.
Since I don’t want to pay them to let me work here, I wouldn’t go quite that far in describing my job, but sometimes, it can be fun and/or rewarding — and it keeps me on my toes.
Such was the case when a recent caller, a grandmother of young adults, called to say she was puzzled about something and didn’t know who else to call.
What, she said, was this “pants on the floor” thing all about?
Though I’d heard the phrase and knew bits and pieces — like that it had “gone viral” on the Internet — my information wasn’t authoritative enough to pass along without first doing some fact-checking.
After some quick online research, I filled the caller in on the phrase and its origins:
• Though some sources said the work was not original, the words are part of the lyrics of a song by 62-year-old veteran Larry Platt who performed it at the Atlanta auditions of “American Idol.”
• The lyrics include: “Pants on the ground/Pants on the ground/Lookin’ like a fool with your pants on the ground/ . . . Call yourself a cool cat/Looking like a fool/Walk around town with your pants on the ground.”
• He was voted off the television show, but Platt was an instant Internet success and has been imitated by both late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon and Vikings quarterback Brett Favre.
• Platt performed the song for members of the Atlanta City Council, who gave him a standing ovation.
In seeking an answer to her question, I had a little fun myself, made a very grateful reader very happy and updated my small talk repertoire a bit.
Is chasing down such information actually my job?
Not really. My boss will be the first to tell you (and me) that I have more important things to do with my time — and I do.
But sometimes, in the midst of the serious business of newspapering, a little diversion, especially in the interest of reader satisfaction, is worth the few minutes it takes.
• • •
A correction in today’s paper generated an interesting discussion.
With today’s fast-paced news environment, isn’t news worth sharing the moment it becomes available?
In most cases, the answer would be an emphatic yes.
Last Friday, because it was available to them, The Associated Press moved a story about Sunday night’s premiere episode of “The Amazing Race.”
We put it in Saturday’s paper. After our deadlines, The Associated Press issued a recall on that story and embargoed it or set a release time after 7 p.m. Sunday.
Basically, the story about who got eliminated from the show was not supposed to run before the television show aired.
For some of our readers, we ruined the surprise.
Undoubtedly, if anyone had wanted to know the outcome of the show, which was filmed weeks (or months) ago, an Internet search could have provided that information.
Though the credibility of the information might have been in question, it’s out there.
More traditional media, like the newspaper, or The Associated Press, get that information in advance in exchange for agreeing not to release it until a set time.
The question, as discussed, is should we agree to that? Should we hold news that we already know about? If we aren’t going to, should we at least provide a “spoiler alert” for our readers who don’t want to know all the answers?
The bottom line is, for the time being, we will. But it’s just one more thing to pay attention to as the business continues to evolve and compete in this ever-changing news climate.
For that I apologize.
It gets some sympathy from callers, who sometimes, though they have called to complain, also readily acknowledge that they wouldn’t have my job for a million dollars.
That only tells part of the story. This job, like most things in life, has both negatives and positives.
Parenting is a good example: If everyone spent their time pondering sleepless nights, dirty diapers, runny noses and teenage hormones, nobody would have children. But as every parent will tell you, the rewards far outweigh the sacrifices.
Since I don’t want to pay them to let me work here, I wouldn’t go quite that far in describing my job, but sometimes, it can be fun and/or rewarding — and it keeps me on my toes.
Such was the case when a recent caller, a grandmother of young adults, called to say she was puzzled about something and didn’t know who else to call.
What, she said, was this “pants on the floor” thing all about?
Though I’d heard the phrase and knew bits and pieces — like that it had “gone viral” on the Internet — my information wasn’t authoritative enough to pass along without first doing some fact-checking.
After some quick online research, I filled the caller in on the phrase and its origins:
• Though some sources said the work was not original, the words are part of the lyrics of a song by 62-year-old veteran Larry Platt who performed it at the Atlanta auditions of “American Idol.”
• The lyrics include: “Pants on the ground/Pants on the ground/Lookin’ like a fool with your pants on the ground/ . . . Call yourself a cool cat/Looking like a fool/Walk around town with your pants on the ground.”
• He was voted off the television show, but Platt was an instant Internet success and has been imitated by both late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon and Vikings quarterback Brett Favre.
• Platt performed the song for members of the Atlanta City Council, who gave him a standing ovation.
In seeking an answer to her question, I had a little fun myself, made a very grateful reader very happy and updated my small talk repertoire a bit.
Is chasing down such information actually my job?
Not really. My boss will be the first to tell you (and me) that I have more important things to do with my time — and I do.
But sometimes, in the midst of the serious business of newspapering, a little diversion, especially in the interest of reader satisfaction, is worth the few minutes it takes.
• • •
A correction in today’s paper generated an interesting discussion.
With today’s fast-paced news environment, isn’t news worth sharing the moment it becomes available?
In most cases, the answer would be an emphatic yes.
Last Friday, because it was available to them, The Associated Press moved a story about Sunday night’s premiere episode of “The Amazing Race.”
We put it in Saturday’s paper. After our deadlines, The Associated Press issued a recall on that story and embargoed it or set a release time after 7 p.m. Sunday.
Basically, the story about who got eliminated from the show was not supposed to run before the television show aired.
For some of our readers, we ruined the surprise.
Undoubtedly, if anyone had wanted to know the outcome of the show, which was filmed weeks (or months) ago, an Internet search could have provided that information.
Though the credibility of the information might have been in question, it’s out there.
More traditional media, like the newspaper, or The Associated Press, get that information in advance in exchange for agreeing not to release it until a set time.
The question, as discussed, is should we agree to that? Should we hold news that we already know about? If we aren’t going to, should we at least provide a “spoiler alert” for our readers who don’t want to know all the answers?
The bottom line is, for the time being, we will. But it’s just one more thing to pay attention to as the business continues to evolve and compete in this ever-changing news climate.
posted by Sheila Friedeck at 2:31 PM
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