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Frustrated Reporter Quits After Slow News Day

Posted by samzenpus on from the take-this-job-and-shove-it dept.

Norwegian radio journalist Pia Beathe Pedersen quit on the air complaining that her bosses were making her read news on a day when "nothing important has happened." Pedersen claimed that broadcaster NRK put too much pressure on the staff and that she "wanted to be able to eat properly again and be able to breathe," during her nearly two-minute on-air resignation.

6 of 178 comments (clear)

  1. Not as clear cut as that by R_Growler · · Score: 5, Interesting

    According to her, and the workers unions, NRK is screwing and abusing their temp workers (which she was) royally.
    In Norway the law says that if you are a temp for 4 years you will be granted the benefits and protection of a regular employee. NRK (which is government owned and run) will let a temp work for *almost* 4 years then leave them high and dry.
    Before your four years are up they will not let you have any say in any matters, expect you to work un"bob"like hours, and keep your mouth shut while not on the air. She basically just had enough and gained a lot of sympathy for it in Norway, where the workers unions have been complaining about these practices by our state owned broadcaster for years.

    But rebelling on the air.. Well, ballsy, but not the brightest of moves.

    -RG.

    1. Re:Not as clear cut as that by tixxit · · Score: 2, Interesting

      A large store near the University I went to had an agreement with the University student council. They agreed to hire mostly students from the U to work there, but the students could only work for 2 terms (8 months), then they got canned. Most of the time, this was seen as a win-win. Lots of students got some cash and some work experience they could put on a resume and the store got cheap labour. During my time at school though, the student workers "went on strike" over this practice, claiming it was unfair, etc. The irony is that they wouldn't have gotten the job in the first place if their predecessors hadn't been canned first.

      I like to think that most people go into these types of work environments knowing what'll happen in X amount of time. The idea is to use that time wisely, gain some experience, and get out before you get canned. My wife was at a similar job right out of University. Instead of waiting out her 3 years and complaining at the end of it, she excelled at her job and got to know people in the department she wanted to work in. Within a year she had moved to that department (and got a hefty raise with it), and shortly after that was hired full-time.

  2. Re:CA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Of course, the "properly motivated, investigative news team" is as mythical as the jabberwock and bandersnatch.

    I don't know, George Seldes did a hell of a job, practically alone for eighty years. Through his career he managed to publish all kinds of stories no one else would touch, and piss off virtually every crooked faction in the USA. I mean, the guy was reporting on the solid medical evidence of a link between cigarettes and cancer back in the 1940's.

      There was a documentary about his life, aptly titled "Tell the Truth and Run!" Good viewing.

  3. Re:Great! Move On. Spend More Time w/ Family by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Yeah, and all those heart surgeons that complain about the long hours should go and work in a butchers shop.

  4. Re:Slow news day. by darthdavid · · Score: 2, Interesting

    All these puns make me want to go odin the back yard and shoot myself.

  5. Audio with translation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D06b7qdywYo

    Translation (by SiekanPijak, from youtube comments):

    Good morning..My name is Pia Beathe Pedersen What I am about to do now is really scary.I am being disobedient and I might get a serious bollocking, but I can't see any other alternative way of doing this. This is above all a message to Hans Tore Bjerkås. My chief executive. A fellow I see as cool. I trust him and see him as a man with integrity. Hans Tore you must help.. your employees are not okey. Certainly not here in østlandssendingen. I have written my opinions on østlandssendingen and NRK and that I just published on our website. I have been thinking about how to do this for a couple of days. I considerd sending Bjerkås an email or publish something in the newspaper, but then I thought the only way to make sure its published is to write a blog. Then I was told that it was me to read the news today. For a couple of days I then considered what to do. I concluded that this is the best way. I asked one person that i completly trust if he thought I should do what I am doing this way. He said no. emh. I am doing this on my own initiative and is fully responsible. I am just doing the best I can do. I am so sick of being angry and upset. I just dont wont my stomach to hurt anymore. I want to be able to eat properly and to be able to breathe again. I realized that its me that is most important in my life. I have understood that I can['t] expect other people to look after me. I have to do that myself. Thats why I decided to do this. I got nothing to loose. I hope NRK will listen. I hope this will lead to so mething good. The news will not be read but I can tell you that nothing important happend. I hereby resign and leave the premises. Thanks and good bye.

    Now somebody please fix the typos and paste it into a subtitles tool.