I know we live in an era where being a huge jerk is an essential qualification for higher office. But I want to dwell for a moment here on why it’s a good idea not to be a jerk when you work for a good cause these days.
When you care, it can be tempting to make that clear with your demeanor. But you must be careful. As a former news reporter I know how that feels. You have a scoop. You need to edit it. I once lost my temper with an editor because he wanted to capitalize the name of a man beaten by the police. The guy, who was African American, had insisted we spell his name in lowercase letters. It was a political thing for him and the price of his story. The editor went to his boss who had a word with me the next morning. I explained what had happened and the three of us had a sit-down. We moved on. I’m not sorry for standing up for the source, but I do regret having lost my temper. It cost me credibility in the newsroom. Sometimes I can be a bit snappy when I’m under pressure. I’ve learned to be careful and most of the time I get it right these days. I also take pride in executing things fast. Being that guy means you need to know how to watch your tone under pressure. It’s especially important when you’re managing people.
The Columbia Journalism Review fired its editor last week. It sounds like he cared a lot, but that he didn’t get the jerk thing right. Here’s the former digital editor’s side of things:
I’ll open this account with a piece of dialogue.
“SIT CLOSER SIT CLOSER”
“Sewell, I’m right here. I’m just leaning back in my chair.”
“SIT CLOSER SIT CLOSER”
“You don’t have to shout. I understand you’re under pressure, but it’s not going to help us”
“COME CLOSER”
It was October 23, 2024. I was the digital editor at the Columbia Journalism Review. Sewell Chan had officially been the full-time executive editor for a month or so. And he had landed a story he considered a huge scoop – about presidential endorsements at the Los Angeles Times.
I knew this because he had stood in his office, about 20 feet from mine, and screamed my name at the top of his lungs several times over until I jogged over to figure out what was happening.
He was in a state of profound agitation. Near violence. He insisted I sit extremely close to him as he wrote his story. Afterwards, as I edited it, he stood nearby and just screamed “UP UP UP UP” repeatedly, which I took to mean he wanted the story published quickly.
After the story was done, I asked him politely to act with courtesy and professionalism in the office in future. That it was not OK by me to be yelled at, no matter the story at issue.
Wow. In years past, this kind of interaction would have stayed private. The digital editor wouldn’t have posted about it on substack. But the editor—Sewll Chan—who got fired has acted with umbrage ever since in a way that suggests he doesn’t grok the new rules. These days it’s not enough to care about a good cause. You’ve got to show care for your colleagues’ feelings (even if you find them to be irritating, perhaps especially then) and be careful not to be a jerk.
I’m not going to side with the Trump administration on this one. I do think it’s important to create workplaces with positive cultures that value all. I don’t subscribe to the “brilliant jerks get a pass” theory, and we should all act with kindness. Personally, I think it was probably the right call to fire Mr. Chan. Not gonna make me popular but that whole “UP UP UP UP” thing is too much.
What do you think? I’ve made a poll on LinkedIn if you’d like to weigh in!
Thanks for reading, as always. Please share this email with anybody you feel might appreciate it.
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Matt Davis is a strategic communications consultant in Manhattan.
