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THE A-Z OF FAILURES
How to Be a Failure (Part J)
Making the mistakes so you don’t have to
“I don’t believe in failure. I’m perseverant — I believe in failing.” ― Bauvard
[NOTE: If you have come for the humour, my apologies. I have failed. I do like to mix things up sometimes. Before you click away, why not scroll quickly to the bottom and click on the motorcycle story instead?]
For those who are staying . . .
Join me for the 10th episode of my A-Z of Failures:
Journalism
OK, I’m exaggerating again. Let’s get a bit more honest:
Junior reporter on a regional evening newspaper in the Midlands, UK.
It is hard to get a job on a newspaper when you have no experience and have lied about your ability to do shorthand. But I succeeded. I should have realised the only place to go was down.
My first failure occurred because I had been instructed to use the word “elderly” next to a victim whenever possible. A young man getting into a fight was not considered newsworthy; an elderly person getting mugged was.
I was only 19 when I started work there, so anyone over 40 seemed elderly to me, but I opted for 55 as my cut-off point to be on the safe…
