No red flags Aug. 22, 2012

 

The owner ordered me into his office to complain about a story I hadn’t yet published dealing with a hospital that is our biggest advertiser.

He seemed confused, definitely agitated and more than a little annoyed. Yet, I got the feeling the story was only an excuse to call me on the carpet.

He waved away my excuses, telling me “People are on my back about it.”

He, however, was one of my excuses since he dragged me away from my usual beat to have me do a controversial story from another town.

The writer from that town had left, and while the owner would not give me that beat, he assigned stories from it that prevented me from doing the job in my own town.

But again, I got the feeling his anger was not about the job at all.

Last Friday, one of the staff called me at the satellite office to inform me the owner was looking into the computer I use in the main office, a repeat of what he did a few weeks ago in the satellite office, searching for something he suspects might help him build a case for firing me.

Was he being egged on? Or did he have regrets about not accepting my resignation back when he and his partner met me over the accusations of stalking?

Something is driving the owner, and he clearly has fixated on me.

Some others at the main office have noticed how “off” the owner has been lately, and how critical he is of me.

I was almost tempted to ask him directly what his real problem is, but I’m scared to.

You don’t wave a red flag in front of a raging bull.

Fortunately, he backed down when I stressed the fact that I’m doing work for him in a town that isn’t mine to cover, and that he’s the one who refused to assign the town to me as a beat.

But I suspect, this won’t be the end of it. If he’s looking to make trouble for me, he’ll find other things to complain about.

The question is why is he doing this to me? Why is he acting so weird?

 

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