Welcome to another riveting episode of As the Newsroom Turns.

[aruan]

The office is in utter chaos tonight. One of the copy editors quit this past weekend, and they haven't found anyone to come in to cover tonight, so it's two of us working on a sizeable paper with Staci, a staff writer, bravely stepping up to pinch hit. It was fun to train her in using the headline writing program and the mechanics of writing them.

Tomorrow's paper will be interesting. We have an ex-president of the Interfraternity Council tearing the organization apart for our guest column, an item about a Disney worker squished by a float in front of who knows how many tourists, and because Emily (who's actually a staff writer, too, but is covering for the copy desk chief tonight) loves me, I got the article about the Congressional hearings involving the FCC and, what else, the halftime show.

Because you see, it's not like we have a budget crisis or are fighting two wars; our population is gainfully employed and certainly not homeless, our children are getting a quality education, and the economy is booming like never before. So of course there's nothing more important Congress ought be doing than holding hearings on Janet Jackson's right breast and the coming apocalypse it heralds.

The lead that shocked and awed an office:

Janet Jackson's exposed breast was the talk of Capitol Hill on Wednesday, with lawmakers and regulators saying it's the latest example of all that's wrong with TV and should serve as the impetus for government to get tough with broadcasters.

*curls into a ball* There's no crying in journalism. There's no crying in journalism. *rocks back and forth*

In better news, I'm learning all kinds of new words tonight:

intransigent - adj. refusing to moderate a position, especially an extreme position; uncompromising
shibboleth - n. a word or pronunciation that distinguishes people of one group or class from those of another; a catchword.
excoriate - v. 1. To tear or wear off the skin of; abrade (see chafe) 2. To censure strongly; denounce (As in, Congress excoriated Viacom chief Mel Karmazin for more than two hours during a pair of hearings on Capitol Hill Wednesday. *snicker* I love puns, yo.)

Laura said she's going to McDonalds, and the "I'm lovin' it" rolled of my tongue shamefully fast. Damn you and your catchy jingle, too, Timberlake! *shakes fist*

I need icons for despondence, journalism, and an ever-useful 'Bitch, please.' Miranda, we'll confer later.

"What did I tell you about numbers divisible by thirteen?!"
-Debbie, production chief

Comments

[withdiamonds.livejournal.com]

I was so pissed off about the Congressional hearings, I couldn't even watch the news tonight. Between that and the gay marriage thing in Mass, I just turned the music up really loud while my husband watched.

Re:

[gjstruthseeker.livejournal.com]

I actually only know that the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that no less than equal marriage rights ought to be granted to gay and lesbian couples. Have we repealed that already? *rolls eyes* I haven't had a chance to watch the news in the past couple of days but wouldn't be surprised. I can't even read a word out of Bush's mouth on the topic. But yeah, this is absolutely outrageous. Soldiers are dying, the debt is the highest it's been in decades and only getting bigger, yada yada yada, but the politics of the infinitely subjective topic of decency is the issue of the day.

Re:

[withdiamonds.livejournal.com]

Well, because that's what the court ruled, all the marriage "protection" people are up in arms. So it's going to be ugly before it's over.

People like Congresspersons and network shirts and NFL blowhards just like to hear themselves talk. Maybe they'll tire themselves out soon.