That Buzzfeed's Ben Smith can't use his own name at his new job, due to his "exit agreement" with his last employer, Politico, is hysterical. Get a grip! Also making the rounds: digital media jobs in "journalism" that require a drug test. How crazy are these people? (But yes, if you want to work at Gannett or NBC or what have you, be prepared to be degraded and give up your rights.) Drug-testing is maybe—maybe!—for people who operate forklifts or drive trucks, so they don't kill us all while baked. Even then, though.... Well, drug-testing is a real bad look for organizations that want independent, American-minded employees. Anyway, even pettier is that Politico won't link to Buzzfeed in his bio on their site, for his weekly columns. GOOD STUFF.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
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I drive a dump truck and operate power tools for my job and I didn't have to take no stinking drug test. I did have to show a clean driver's license and no arrest record so I suppose having a drug-related arrest would've been a bar to employment. Just putting this out there as I'm not sure how many Awl readers work "blue collar" jobs.
If he can't think up a clever pen name then he's even dumber than everyone says he is.
Osama ben Smith
Politisaurus Rex
WKRP in Cincinnatus
The Political Reporter Formerly Known as REDACTED
Cabana Boy
I once went on a date with a guy who worked for a company that sold employee drug testing services to companies. Once he found out where I worked he said, "We tried to work them, but they told us they'd have to fire all the editorial staff if they started drug testing." Which isn't entirely true, but true enough.
Politico just seems like the absolute worst place on Earth, doesn't it?
@freetzy I don't know anyone with a newspaper job who didn't have to get a drug test done beforehand. (Which I realize doesn't refute your point, really, but still.)
@katherine man, that shit wouldn't fly in Canada (where I am sitting now... otherwise, why would I mention that?). I don't know any journos who've had drug tests.
No, no, no, I can totally see how it's like driving an airplane. Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V are so close together that it takes a sharp mind not to drop in multiple paragraphs of unattributed source material. It's all common sense, really.
Can you imagine how long it would take to kill everyone with a forklift?
@C_Webb
Obviously the answer is to pack them into an elevator or other small enclosed space first. Chasing everyone with a forklift is a non-starter.
@C_Webb Maybe if the fork lift was attached to a nuclear device?
@C_Webb can i ever
I can think of a few journalists who might be better if they toked up a few joints.