I went to this Moral Revival event last night, and it was AMAZING. Many speakers, capped by Rev. William Barber, who tore the roof off, as you might imagine if you saw his DNC speech. Part of what I really loved was how smart they are about symbols and rhetoric -- you can see the standing image that on TV screens around the sanctuary at the link, but it's an American flag superimposed on a map with the words "Time for a Moral Revolution of Values." I cannot express how much I love the idea of taking back that kind of language and symbolism.

My boss told me to give the difficult princess authors of the editorial "what they want", and I had to clarify with her -- she was out yesterday -- to be SURE she means that I should revert the editorial to its unedited state and run it (because what Princess #2 said was "I cannot endorse any of these changes."). Surely she can't mean that.

It's too damn early for this shit.

Nope, she meant that. Man, this makes me so angry. Not at my boss, but at the fact that there's precedent that we roll over for authors who lose their minds over the fact that we do what we said we would do (i.e., goddamn edit your article, which is not as well written as you think it is, you special fucking snowflake).

Literally, I am reverting the editorial back to its entirely unedited state and moving it along in the production schedule. Fucking ridiculous.

I hope the executive managing editor rips it apart at issue review and they object, because no one -- and I mean NO ONE -- ever wins when they go up against the executive managing editor. She's been pleasant the 2 times I've met her in person, but she is apparently an unholy terror when it comes to maintaining our standards.

That's awful, Tep. I hope the executive managing editor chews up that article.

Jesse, I can't believe I hadn't heard about the Moral Revival. I'm sorry I missed it.

Yeah, I feel like it hasn't gotten a lot of press up here, or the Moral Mondays protests, which maybe have gotten a little more?

I've seen some press on Moral Monday, but not a lot.

That's awful, Tep. I hope the executive managing editor chews up that article.

Indeed!

I have been reading and hearing discussion that Trump's master plan is a Trump TV cable network, replacing or competing with Fox News. At the moment I don't have an issue with this notion because I can envision it crashing and burning and taking Fox along for the ride.

Ah, Moral Mondays I have heard of.

Laura, that makes a lot of sense (and yes, what you said).

I wrote the most passive-aggresive letter to the authors that I could get away with while still maintaining plausible professionalism. Asses.

Jesse, I can't believe I hadn't heard about the Moral Revival. I'm sorry I missed it.

I think he's in Milwaukee soon. Maybe I'll try to get up there.

In a way it might be better, Steph (though not less frustrating) that your boss is going black and white, edited or unedited, on this? At least that way it'll jump out to the executive editor and be clearer, I would think, that she's seeing raw copy, not that you or someone in the chain just missed some things. And at least you don't have to go back to author and argue each point.

Still aggravating as fuck though.

Now that's a revival I could cheerfully go to meeting.

Go, executive managing editor! Eat 'em up.