On the News Desk

I was accused of not believing in the freedom of information by an upset caller today.  I wasn’t surprised by his outburst because he started off the conversation very abrasive.  This was a new accusation though.  I’ve been called many things over the phone while on the news desk, but my belief in freedom of information has never been questioned before today.

 

Me: CBS4 News this is Misty

 

Caller:  Yes, I’d like to know why I can’t find the phone numbers of all the stations in Denver...

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I heard someone say the other day that he never hears the term multitasking anymore because now with all that we do, and how often we stay connected, multitasking is just what we do.  It isn’t something to brag about on resume.  Okay, he has a good point and no, I personally wouldn’t point out and claim to be good at multitasking on a resume.  I wouldn’t have to because more often than not Assignment Editor is a synonym for multitasking.

 

One afternoon last week during the afternoon ed...

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I’ve been off the news desk for two weeks due to medical leave.  It’s always daunting to go back to work after just a few days off of work.  News never stops.  The job never stops.  Often hours off the desk leave you running around trying to catch up on all that has happened and all of what you need to do to continue the news coverage.  Just earlier this summer when I returned from speaking at a conference it felt like I had walked into the middle of a dance and had no rhythm.

 

Today (so...

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"I NEED ALL THE INTERNS IN THIS NEWSROOM TO ANSWER THE PHONES!!!!"

I'd cupped my hands around my mouth to amplify my voice and shouted out into the newsroom in a very stern voice.

I didn't even think.  I just yelled.  The entire newsroom went quiet.  Then a couple of the producers chimed in, "Please. Please help answer the phones." 

The phones were ringing constantly and the afternoon storms were just starting to cause havoc.  My coworker on the desk and I were working to gather information and...

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Drove back from Vegas this morning. Rushed to work. Walked into a newsroom that was buzzing with urgency of covering tornadoes. I've been gone for a week. Almost every day that I was gone there was severe weather coverage. (Many have joked tornado alley moved, but actually I believe this is more traditional to Colorado weather patterns and what's been out of the ordinary is the lack of such weather.)

It was obvious this dance had been done quite recently and people were in auto-mode; which doe...
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Friday night, 9:58pm: I hear the producer say over the RTS "Misty - Somebody tell Jennifer Zeppelin we're less than a minute away from the show!"

My head snaps up and I see Jennifer McRae half-way between me and the weather center. "Jennifer! Go tell Jennifer Zeppelin we're less than a minute away!"

Jennifer looks at Jennifer Miller standing across the producer pod from her. "Jennifer! You've got less than a minute! RUN!"

Me: "NO! Wrong Jennifer! Jennifer Zeppelin, ZEPPELIN!"

I'm not heard becaus...
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Yesterday I took a call from a woman so upset I knew she was shaking from head to toe to yell at me. She and a man in the background were furious that the newscast used a statement from a local abortion doctor, Dr. Warren Hern, and his picture. The statement was released to the media by the local doctor himself on his reaction to the fatal shooting of Kansas abortion doctor, Dr. George Tiller.

The caller truly believed our phones were "ringing off the hook" with furious complaint calls like he...
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I've mentioned this before and will mention it again: we received HUNDREDS of emails DAILY from PR professionals, viewers, and Public Information Officers. To handle all of the emails we have one email address that goes to all of us on the news desk as well as all of the producers. The more eyes that can see what is sent to us, the better the chance something isn't overlooked.

This is exactly what happened today. A police department sent out additional information to a situation we'd covered t...
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I have the Nuggets playoff game on the TV to my right and I actually have the volume up just enough so I can make out what is being said, but it's no louder than any one of the 11 scanners that surround me. This is rare. I have so much else to pay attention to I rarely pay any attention to the TVs. Same goes for the producers and writers doing their job to get ready for the newscasts. Unless we're watching another station's news lead or breaking news coverage, the TVs get little attention.

Ju...
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It's as silent as it ever gets in the newsroom. I only hear background noise of scanners, keyboard keys clicking and a far off television. My shift is only half over but I feel spent for a job that is relatively sedentary.

I'm spent because from the moment I walk in the door until about this time every night it's go go go time. I may walk off the desk to track down photographers, editors, engineers, producers, etc., but I'm mostly confined to the news desk where everything comes at me. Constan...
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