Thursday, January 18, 2007

In a spirit of adding a bit of memory to add interest to your PD alumni blog, Richard Ellers offer this tidbit:
When you can't readily find a memento in the likely place, you begin looking in least likely places.
Which is why, shivering in our attic recently, I came across this clip of a piece written by one of the all time great wits of the PD city room.
Thoughts
by Robert Stock
PD Magazine, June 1970
.By the time you read this, the Press Club of Cleveland will have picked its news media award winners, and they deserve a lot of credit, but I would like to suggest some additional award categories, all in the newspaper
section.
As follows:
1. Best news story written while intoxicated.
2. Snottiest remark by assistant city editor to male reporter under 40.
3. Snottiest remark to assistant city editor by reporter (male or female) over 55. ,
4. Best feature story by reporter sticking his nose into somebody else's beat.
5. Neatest copy boy. (Repeated efforts to revive this category have failed for lack of competition, but it is worth one more try .)
6. Most imaginative expense account by reporter working under deadline pressure.
("How was I to know they had another hotel in Chicago")
7 .Tallest copy editor who graduated from a Big Ten college.
8. Best sports story written in longhand.
9. Most attractive wig worn by a society editor who does not have a private office.
10. Most incisive quotes composed by reporter writing without help of notes.
11. Best editorial written without nagging fear of facts.
12. longest hook shot into city room wastebasket. (Separate competitions for Plain Dealer and Press due to higher ceiling at Press.)
13. Best sports story written in high German under deadline pressure.
14. Most vicious memo by reporter who is sure of obtaining employment elsewhere. -
15. Most vicious memo by reporter who is not sure of obtaining employment elsewhere.
16. Any sports story which gives the score in the first paragraph.
16A. Headline least related to story .
17. Neatest locker .

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