Run-ins with reporters/editors

Since we were talking about problems with reporters and editors in class today, it reminded me of one time I had a major issue when copy editing a story. It was one of my first days interning on the copy desk at the Tribune, and I got into a seriously heated discussion with the night editor. It wasn't too bad because I had done some reporting there a few months ago, and she regularly edited my stories so we knew each other pretty well. But the issue was about a story on a teacher who has just been fired because the school found out he had been convicted of murder, but the conviction had later been overturned. In the story, a school mom gave a quote that said something along the lines of "I don't want a convicted murderer teaching my child." So that set something off in my head -- we couldn't have some random lady libeling this guy a murderer, because though he was convicted, the charge was erased from his record and could no longer be labeled that. I went to the editor about it and she told me not to worry about it, and we debated for awhile, but I ended up walking away thinking it would be fine to keep the quote in the story. But when I read it again, I was convinced it was wrong, told my boss about it, and she talked to the editor about it. My boss came away also thinking it was fine. But we discussed it further, looked up definitions for murder and agreed that it was in fact not OK. So my boss went back to talk to the editor, the editor consented and then came in to where our desks were. She ended up cursing while saying we should just come talk to her once not a million times for an issue. I was offended, but my boss told me not to worry about it and talked to her later. All in all, it was an interesting way to start out at a job, but I didn't back down from what I knew was wrong and libelous, and I ended up being right and we took the quote out of the story.