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Frustrated Reporter Quits After Slow News Day

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.

22 of 178 comments (clear)

  1. Slow news day. by camperdave · · Score: 5, Funny

    Seems to be a slow news day here as well

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    1. Re:Slow news day. by The+Clockwork+Troll · · Score: 5, Funny

      Slashdot can afjord it.

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    2. Re:Slow news day. by guyminuslife · · Score: 3, Funny

      Wjell, yjou jjust add an extrja "j" aftjer a cjonsjnjant and bjefjore a spjokjen vjowjel, and yjou are spjeakjing Njorwjegjian.

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    3. Re:Slow news day. by morcego · · Score: 4, Funny

      A møøse once bit my sister...

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  2. In other news... by O('_')O_Bush · · Score: 4, Funny

    Slashdot hires Norwegian radio journalist as story aggregator.

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  3. Frustrated /. reader switches homepage to FOX by cullenfluffyjennings · · Score: 4, Funny

    Ok, not really, even no news on slashdot is better than what they call news on some of those other sites. Seriously, credit to the Pia for making the point that saying nothing is better than just talking when you have nothing to say. Where was I again, yes, rambling on

  4. Great! Move On. Spend More Time w/ Family by RobotRunAmok · · Score: 4, Funny

    There's plenty of out-of-work journalists available to fill your spot. Immediately. Better. And for less money.

  5. Re:Some things go without saying.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Well naturally - after all, if they knew something _that_ interesting was going to happen, they would have had it on her teleprompter instead of the fluff bits they were filling time with.

  6. She should just take a cue from /. ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    and learn how to make the right headline for her non-stories:

    "Could journalist's resignation mean the death of traditional news media?"

    Her summary could then include several irrelevant opinions and speculations about Linux on the desktop, the unquestionably evil M$, and various private corporations and gov't agencies plotting to steal our rights. Throw in an opening for robotic overlord/insensitive clod/Netcraft/???...Profit! jokes and bask in the glow of nerd worship!

    Only downside, it's kinda hard to breathe and eat properly when you never leave the basement.

    1. Re:She should just take a cue from /. ... by Sprouticus · · Score: 3, Funny

      The irony of someone bitching about /. memes ending withone is delicious.

  7. Re:Great! Move On. Spend More Time w/ Family by theshowmecanuck · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I wish there were a way that we could take actors, news-people, and sports figures with good gigs who insist on complaining, and have them work at a real job for a couple of years. Take anything you see on the show 'Dirty Jobs' and have them do that for a couple years. Then tell them if they insist on telling the world how hard they have it once back at their easy job, permanently install them in the real world with the rest of us.

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  8. Check the tags... by Notquitecajun · · Score: 3, Funny

    This one is labeled "story." About a journalist quitting because she can't find any.

  9. 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 arth1 · · Score: 4, Informative

      What are the negative consequences for her?

      She's pretty much unemployable. She used national radio without permission to vent her frustration with the leadership. Any future prospective employer will keep that track record in mind -- how do they know she won't do similar when employed for them?

      Anyhow, yes, the Norwegian Broadcorping Castration needs to change things -- having more than a third of your permanent work force hired as "temps" and "interns" isn't kosher (or whatever the Norwegian term is -- lutefisk?). But that doesn't make this lady's actions any more palatable; she abused her position and used a publicly funded service for her own purpose.

      Will her former employer sue her?

      As I understand it, her resignation was not legal because public radio broadcast isn't a valid way to deliver one's resignation. So she was fired with prejudice. If I understand this correctly, Norway has two levels of firing someone -- "oppsigelse", which is a regular dismissal, and "avskjed", a "dismissal with prejudice" which can only be done if an employee actively and willfully harms a company. In the latter, the dismissed person loses all termination rights, including leave of notice, termination pay, accrued holidays and private pensions, but the company has to be able to back up the decision in court. Which they undoubtedly can here, as she presented the evidence over the air.

  10. Re:No News? Make Up Some by TheLink · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Uh, she just did.

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  11. Follow the example of the old BBC by oggiejnr · · Score: 4, Insightful
    On the 18th April 1930 Listeners to the 6:30pm radio news were informed (paraphrased) "There is no news today, here is some music"

    http://www.historic-newspapers.co.uk/Old-Newspapers/1930-Newspapers

  12. Re:Great! Move On. Spend More Time w/ Family by Hatta · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Actors, newscasters, athletes, they don't really need to know what real life is like. Lets take the Senate and make them work the fishing boats and oil rigs. It might give them some perspective. Shit, my Senator even admitted to never having used an ATM. These are people who would really benefit from seeing things from the other side.

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  13. Re:Great! Move On. Spend More Time w/ Family by Ephemeriis · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I wish there were a way that we could take actors, news-people, and sports figures with good gigs who insist on complaining, and have them work at a real job for a couple of years. Take anything you see on the show 'Dirty Jobs' and have them do that for a couple years. Then tell them if they insist on telling the world how hard they have it once back at their easy job, permanently install them in the real world with the rest of us.

    Except that they're already in the real world with the rest of us.

    It's all relative.

    Sure, I can sit here and watch Myth Busters and think that's the greatest job in the world... But I bet they have shitty days too. I bet they've got folks on staff that they can't stand working with. I bet they've got bosses telling them to do stupid things. I bet they have days when they really don't want to wake up and go in to work. I bet they have days when they just can't wait to get home and relax. I bet there's stretches where they don't know if they'll be doing another season, and don't know if they're going to have a reliable paycheck.

    Just because you aren't sweating and getting dirty doesn't mean you've got it easy. Just because you are sweating and getting dirty doesn't mean you've got it hard.

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  14. Re:Great! Move On. Spend More Time w/ Family by Klinky · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The day someone can't quit their job because of the working conditions aren't as bad as someone else's job is the day we all become slaves. Ever quit a really shitty job in the USA? Well you're a pussy, you should go clean 3rd world sewers in India while stuck in a repressive caste system with no chance of ever doing something meaningful or maybe you can go build iPods for 16 hours a day in China. That would teach you to respect that burger flipping job or mind numbing office work...

    If we're going to race ourselves to the bottom like that then no one should ever quit their job because they are unhappy with it. The warm thoughts that someone has it a hundred times worse than you should be all the motivation you ever need.

  15. Set Time for News by geoffrobinson · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Anytime you have a set amount of time you have to fill or a set amount of time on-air, you'll get a bunch of "news" that isn't newsworthy.

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  16. Re:Audio with translation by Terje+Mathisen · · Score: 3, Informative

    That's actually a very good translation!

    The key message she had was that she was sick & tired of the way NRK have been abusing their temp worker setup:

    Call them in with very short notice, at any time of day or night, for the maximum time period allowed before a temp worker automatically gains full employment (i.e. 4 years), then fire them.

    Terje
    (from Oslo, Norway)

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