DISCIPLINE: LETTER OF REPRIMAND Employee _David Schick Date 11/3/2015 Supervisors Department:_News nre purpose o/rnr's letter a] reprimand is to bring to your attention defltienties in your condutt and/or performance. The intent is to define [or you the seriousness of the situation This letter will be placed in your personnel file, REASON FOR Atler you and edrtor_ drsagreed over a DIause In your news story about school hoard member- -(see excerpt baluw, clause highlighted), -In me as supervrsor made a that the dense should come out oh the story was completed and marked "cuny"' ready Inr Izynm Vnu first asked the producer to Iel you pack rn the story Atter he declmed, you caned page desrgher- - on Saturday and asked herto restore the DIause As I knuw' you not teu her thatyour edrtor had that cIause Instead, you went hemnd the pack nIymtr edrtor to make a change that you shouId have known you not have the authonty to make Not omy you rghore your edrtor's decrsron, you duped anotheredrtor the process The reporter-edrtor rs [1th on trust and muluaI respect Yuu aoused thattrust If you feIt so straneg apout cIause, you shDuId have appea'ed-'s decrsron to the execulwe edrtor It Is rmportaht that a record oftms eprsode and that you are aware onhe sermusness transgressmn It rs not unusuaI Inr ah edrtor and reporter to drsagree HeaImy drsagreement rn most newsrooms In Ims case though you oypassed a reasunsze - seekrng another opmmn -- and took matters mto your own hands If reporters that as a matter of routrne, IthuId campIeler undennme the reporteredrtor Ielter serves as an omdax repnmand denouhcmg your actrons and vle be pIaced In your personneI we Because you are \eavrng--, you may duestroh aclmn rs hemg takeh Having a record rs rmportant put yust as rs rmportant rs the remmder that oetween supervrsors ahd emnInyees and emnIDyees ahd therr coueagues shouId never me undermmed ADDENDUM story Excerpt ohe Izsl December' Sue Srpe cnuIdn't sIeen Chemotherapy had begun takrng ton She crawIed out of ped and headed downstarrs to st py her tree 'What rt I'm not here next she thought Atter on the tree's she stared up atthe gIDwmg angeI on top and IaIked to rt Without award the angeI gave her snIace November(4,(2015( ( To(Whom(It(May(Concern:( ( ( I(fully(accept,(and(agree,(with(the(letter(of(reprimand(I(received(on(Nov.(3,( 2015.(I(would(like(to(offer(my(formal(apology(to(Andy(Drury,(the(editor(I( undermined,(to(Oby(Brown,(my(head(editor,(and(Sherrie(Marshall,(my(executive( editor.( ( I(do(not(wish(to(dismiss(any(of(my(insubordination,(but(I’d(like(to(explain(—( for(the(record(—(the(context(that(led(to(my(actions.( ( ( After(the(disagreement(with(Andy(on(Oct.(23(over(an(edited(sentence(in(my( feature(story(about(a(Bibb(County(school(board(member’s(battle(with(breast(cancer,( I(took(it(upon(myself(to(go(“behind(the(back(of(my(supervising(editor,”(call(the(copy( desk(over(the(weekend,(and(change(the(sentence(back(to(its(original(format.( ( While(I(realize(it(was(wrong(to(undermine(Andy,(it’s(not(an(editor’s(name(that( goes(on(my(story.(In(that(sense,(I(have(to(be(comfortable(with(what(gets(published( with(my(name(on(it(—(and(I(am(meticulous(in(my(word(choices.(That(selectiveness,(I( believe,(is(what(makes(me(the(reporter(I(am.(It’s(the(reason(why(I(became(the( education(reporter(The$Telegraph(hired.( ( ( To(briefly(address(why(I(didn’t(appeal(to(the(executive(editor:( ( There(were(a(couple(of(reasons(why(I(did(not(take(the(steps(to(walk(through( the(chain(of(command(by(going(to(my(head(editor(and/or(the(executive(editor.( ( First,(both(my(head(editor(and(the(executive(editor(were(out(on(vacation(the( day(of(the(disagreement(I(had(with(Andy.(Despite(my(strong(feelings(regarding(the( paramount(necessity(of(the(three(words(I(added,(it(was(hard(for(me(to(reconcile( bothering(a(top(editor(with(this(problem(while(he/she(was(on(vacation.( ( Second,(in(another(instance(in(late(August(2015,(I(was(asked(by(Andy(to( cover(the(Houston(County(school(superintendent(at(a(chamber(of(commerce( function.(After(reviewing(the(advanced(press(release(explaining(what(was(going(to( be(discussed,(I(did(not(feel(this(story(rose(to(the(level(of(being(newsworthy.( ( I(went(to(my(executive(editor(and(was(told,(“I(don’t(get(involved(in(those( types(of(decisions.”( ( If(the(potential(newsworthiness(of(a(story(was(a(decision(that(my(executive( editor(was(inclined(to(not(be(involved(in,(then(I(wondered(whether(disagreement( over(three(words(was(worth(taking(up(valuable(labor(time(from(anyone(in(the( newsroom.( ( Lastly,(if(I(had(gone(the(traditional(route(to(change(the(story,(it(would’ve(still( caused(a(similar(rift(of(trust(between(Andy(and(myself.(Regardless(of(the(top(editor’s( decision(—(whether(for(or(against(adding(the(three(words(—(either(Andy(or(I( would’ve(inevitably(felt(our(mutual(respect(slighted(by(the(cacophony(of(newsroom( authority.( ( ( ( With(that(being(said,(I(know(it’s(important(to(choose(one’s(battles(wisely.(To( me,(this(was(a(battle(worth(having,(but(I(apologize(in(the(manner(and(venue(in( which(I(chose(to(fight(it.(And(I(apologize,(once(again,(to(all(involved(—(Andy,(Oby,( and(Sherrie.(It(was(not(my(place(to(do(what(I(did.(I(know(it(was(wrong.(And(my( action(to(override(an(editor’s(edits(is(never(something(I(would(do(“as(a(matter(of( routine.”(( ( ( I(understand(why(it’s(“important(that(a(record(of(this(episode(exists,”(which( is(also(why(I(felt(it(necessary(to(explain(the(context(of(my(actions(for(the(record.( ( ( ( ( With(apologies,( ( ( ( ( ( (