Tad Vezner's Blog, page 2

Conflicting Stereotypes

So a unique conundrum at the jail. Apparently, prisoners that are brought in who want to go to the bathroom need to be watched. Legally, by a same-sex cop.
We're talking temporary holding, not real jail.In walks a person named Kai."I usually can tell the trannies," says the female officer that has to watch. "I honestly can't tell if she's... he's a boy or a girl."They still don't know. Kai: No help. Shaved head with earrings, no makeup, no bra, and none apparently needed. Still no help. Wore b...

Crime and Politics

You kinda have to cover both at night, but given a choice, I'll take crime every time. Honestly, I'd much rather cover the aftermath of a bloody shooting than listen to some blowhard city council members take rhetorical swings. You see the pure consequences of bad actions when you go to a crime scene. With politics, on the other hand…

So I went to a suburban meeting recently where they seem to love screaming at each other. This city has been qualified by a local weekly as the most...

Immersion Reporting

So to get closer to my work, I decided to have somebody break into my house last week. Well, it wasn't really my decision, but subconsciously I might've brought it on. It'll definitely help out with interviews: "Oh, I know man, I just got broken into last night... So how did it feel when you got beaten up/stabbed/shot/robbed/stalked/spat upon?"
You know how people always tell you that it feels like your home isn't your home anymore after it gets "violated?" Didn't happen. Maybe I have a high v...

Screw it, they said it

Intensely personal stuff. Ever feel the unprofessional urge to grab someone by the shoulders, shake them and yell, STOP TALKING!? People who tell you waaaay too much and you know you're absolutely going to use it and they're probably going to catch some crap -- you know this because you've read way too many online comments sections over the years.

But they said it. Case and point: Double murder suicide and this married couple's priest tells me all about all the problems they were having, how t...

On your deathbed, will you Google yourself?

I was kinda wondering that lately. Everybody in America googles themselves. I myself am surprised by what comes up. Really random things. I play-tested a board game my brother published, and he gave me a credit. I can't seem to shake that from the top ten.
It's really surprising because even my top e-mailed stories, my Sunday centerpieces – and my paper has hundreds of thousands of readers – never seem to come up. Instead, I get an obituary for an old appliance salesman I wrote really late...

Crashes

Crashes suck. In a big city they happen every day, and you try to care, but they're like wallpaper. Lots of tragedy you've seen time and again.

So I'll never stop being shocked that they're the most e-mailed story of the day. For reporters, they're a chore.

Online rubbernecking – never understood it. I mean, you can download the most perverted porn or violent videos. 

You could conclude that people are genuinely worried, wondering whether it's somebody they knew. Seriously, what are the...

Watching

Believe it or not, a lot of people suck at watching. Even reporters.

Especially the T.V. guys – they just kinda gaggle around, looking where people point. Talking to people that don't know anything. Kinda lose-lose there.

Sometimes reporters get assigned to just stand in a spot. I remember going to a fire, and there were three reporters from a competing (crap) paper, each designated to a spot. News tip: their story sucked. I heard one dude on his phone, begging to go home.
So watching...