Why Do We Hear About Bad Bosses but Not Good Bosses?
A story about good bosses would be wonderful. There are many out there and others could learn from them but, sadly, good bosses are not going to become news. Why? Because if they can't be made to seem funny or spectacular, some media outlets decide for their audiences that this kind of story is boring. How do I know? Here's one of many examples I'll share with you:
After being interviewed for one hour by a reporter from a well-regarded media enterprise about the book "Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Boss? 13 Types and How to Survive Them," the reporter called back to tell me the story would not be used because:
"…they [editors] want a bit more humor; after all, bad bosses are inherently funny."
Yes, that's an exact quote. Does it alarm you, too?
Anyone who's ever reported to a bad boss can tell you there's nothing funny about the kind of abuse and oppression they've suffered, yet this media enterprise wants to make a joke of these experiences. Rather than using their power to inform their audience, they chose to turn villains into entertainment and ignore the victims. I doubt there's anything that can be made to seem funny about good bosses, so it's unlikely you'll read or hear about them in the news.
Are reporters eligible for Oscars, Emmys and Commies now? Or do you think it's possible they might have bad bosses, too?
If we can't look to respected media enterprises to inform us about serious topics, where can we look?
UPDATE 8-26-06
There's hope! Check out the 8-26-06 blog: Bad Bosses at the Top? Take a Lesson from Macy's CEO
After being interviewed for one hour by a reporter from a well-regarded media enterprise about the book "Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Boss? 13 Types and How to Survive Them," the reporter called back to tell me the story would not be used because:
"…they [editors] want a bit more humor; after all, bad bosses are inherently funny."
Yes, that's an exact quote. Does it alarm you, too?
Anyone who's ever reported to a bad boss can tell you there's nothing funny about the kind of abuse and oppression they've suffered, yet this media enterprise wants to make a joke of these experiences. Rather than using their power to inform their audience, they chose to turn villains into entertainment and ignore the victims. I doubt there's anything that can be made to seem funny about good bosses, so it's unlikely you'll read or hear about them in the news.
Are reporters eligible for Oscars, Emmys and Commies now? Or do you think it's possible they might have bad bosses, too?
If we can't look to respected media enterprises to inform us about serious topics, where can we look?
UPDATE 8-26-06
There's hope! Check out the 8-26-06 blog: Bad Bosses at the Top? Take a Lesson from Macy's CEO
