Dyslexia...I mean...aixelsyD

[ISTHISTHINGON?]

Have you ever had a poor writer(one who makes Journalism 101 errors daily)claim their problem is because they are Dyslexic? I'm just curious if this is a justifiable reason for someone to keep their job or not be re-positioned?

[!]

Have you ever had a poor writer(one who makes Journalism 101 errors daily)claim their problem is because they are Dyslexic? I'm just curious if this is a justifiable reason for someone to keep their job or not be re-positioned?
Sounds like a legal minefield.

[cameragod]

I’m dyslexic. Not much of a problem for a cameraman you’d think, just don’t ask me to label a tape/disk.
I have work arounds to help me cope, I write everything in Word and cut and paste but still I get stuck and sometimes even Word can’t work out what I’m trying to spell.
I can’t read an autocue. One word after another is just beyond me. So I have a healthy respect for those who can (pay them more I say.)
That said I can read fast, a paragraph at a time but sometimes I get a word totally wrong and it puts what I read in the wrong context.
As a kid I though there was a GossipHall Church, a shop for Shoplifters and sign that read ‘we buy horses.’
Gospel, Shopfitters and Houses in case you wondered.
I’m constantly re-reading for what I wrote for content, and taking notes is cruel and unusual punishment as far as I’m concerned.
The biggest thing for me is I can’t remember names. I blank on people I’ve known all my life. Being from New Zealand the word ‘mate’ is my saviour.
The thing is most people I tell I’m dyslexic are surprised. I do my job without them noticing. I have written professionally for newspapers and TV comedy shows, I have several short stories published but I only work on projects with long deadlines.
Writing the above took me about 30min… I use min because I can’t spell minits close enough for even spellcheck to find it and I know from experience that it takes me about 5min to work it out.
Could dyslexia be slowing down you reporter? You bet but basic journalistic mistakes… sounds like they have other issues.

[F4 Fan]

I use to work with an anchor that had dyslexia. Nicest guy in the world, funny loved to hang out with the crew, was uncanny how fast he could remember names – and he seemed to know everybody around the set. When we were laid off he was working towards getting a pilot’s license.

He wasn’t a journalist, just a reader/talent/pitchman. He would get his scripts a good 2 hours ahead of show time and disappear off into a dark corner of the studio and memorize his lines. The teleprompter didn’t really help him much, but you’d never know by watching the show.

I have a nephew with dyslexia and everything is hard for him, math, reading, and writing. He is a bright, polite kid, with lots of interests who’s been in classes for students with learning disabilities since about the second grade. These schools really don’t seem to have helped him all that much. We really worry about how he is gong to adapt to high school.

Just goes to show that if you have perseverance, these situations can be overcome.

[The Mockingbird]

By the way, if your child is dyslexic, you might consider having him take up Chinese. Studies have been shown that people who are dyslexic in a Romanized language have absolutely no problems in the Sino-Tibetan branch of written languages, and vice-versa.

[Another side]

I’m dyslexic. Not much of a problem for a cameraman you’d think, just don’t ask me to label a tape/disk.
I have work arounds to help me cope, I write everything in Word and cut and paste but still I get stuck and sometimes even Word can’t work out what I’m trying to spell.
I can’t read an autocue. One word after another is just beyond me. So I have a healthy respect for those who can (pay them more I say.)
That said I can read fast, a paragraph at a time but sometimes I get a word totally wrong and it puts what I read in the wrong context.
As a kid I though there was a GossipHall Church, a shop for Shoplifters and sign that read ‘we buy horses.’
Gospel, Shopfitters and Houses in case you wondered.
I’m constantly re-reading for what I wrote for content, and taking notes is cruel and unusual punishment as far as I’m concerned.
The biggest thing for me is I can’t remember names. I blank on people I’ve known all my life. Being from New Zealand the word ‘mate’ is my saviour.
The thing is most people I tell I’m dyslexic are surprised. I do my job without them noticing. I have written professionally for newspapers and TV comedy shows, I have several short stories published but I only work on projects with long deadlines.
Writing the above took me about 30min… I use min because I can’t spell minits close enough for even spellcheck to find it and I know from experience that it takes me about 5min to work it out.
Could dyslexia be slowing down you reporter? You bet but basic journalistic mistakes… sounds like they have other issues.

Interesting post. But pardon my ignorance for a minute ... why is taking notes difficult for you? It would seem as long as you know what the notes intend to say, that should be enough.

[Mighty Dyckerson]

I used to work with an anorexic dyslexic. She would eat a ton of food and then puke it up backwards.

[cameragod]

Interesting post. But pardon my ignorance for a minute ... why is taking notes difficult for you? It would seem as long as you know what the notes intend to say, that should be enough.

No worries.

Often I can’t read my own notes. I think I’ve written down a whole word but when I go back and look it’s a mess, even a simple word like ‘the’ will just be ‘te’ or ‘e’ and bigger words could be any combination of random seeming letters that seemed to make sense at the time.
If I strive for accuracy then I go really slowly and it still may make little sense at the end.

I’m writing a book at the moment and even with spell check I spend more time re-reading to make sure it say’s what I meant when I wrote it than I do writing. Sometimes even spell check can't work out a word and I have to think of an alternative way of saying what I meant. I get there in the end but it takes time.

[Another side]

No worries.

Often I can’t read my own notes. I think I’ve written down a whole word but when I go back and look it’s a mess, even a simple word like ‘the’ will just be ‘te’ or ‘e’ and bigger words could be any combination of random seeming letters that seemed to make sense at the time.
If I strive for accuracy then I go really slowly and it still may make little sense at the end.

I’m writing a book at the moment and even with spell check I spend more time re-reading to make sure it say’s what I meant when I wrote it than I do writing. Sometimes even spell check can't work out a word and I have to think of an alternative way of saying what I meant. I get there in the end but it takes time.

Wow. I admire you. Writing under any circumstances can be a long, painful ordeal sometimes. I understand editing and self-editing but I can't imagine trying to reflect back to my state of mind at the time a certain sentence or sentences were composed and trying to dupicate it. You must be a very patient man.

[Another OMB]

Sounds like we could use more info, ISTHSTHINGON, about what mistakes this person is making. If it's getting a word wrong for a lower-third graphic, or incorrect spelling for the teleprompter, that could obviously be dyslexia. But I'm guessing you knew that, so I'm wondering about the mistakes this person is making.

[cameragod]

One of the other side affects of dyslexia for some people, like me, is the inability to retain names. Once when my wife Fiona and I were walking by Harrods in Knightsbridge I saw a very, very familiar famous face walking toward us. I recognized him instantly but couldn’t coax the name from my brain to my mouth. Struggling to remember but not wanting Fiona to miss a chance to see who it was I started “Fiona that’s umm… that’s umm…”
“Ringo Star.” Said Ringo Star, leaning over to tell me with a rye grin. He kept on walking and I stood there dying of embarrassment. That’s dyslexia for you.

Over the years successive New Zealand governments have refused to acknowledge dyslexia. The argument is that if you name something it can lead to children being 'labeled' as dyslexic. They were obviously right. I was much better off being called “lazy” and having “not trying” on my school reports...
not that I'm bitter.

[ISTHISTHINGON?]

Sounds like we could use more info, ISTHSTHINGON, about what mistakes this person is making. If it's getting a word wrong for a lower-third graphic, or incorrect spelling for the teleprompter, that could obviously be dyslexia. But I'm guessing you knew that, so I'm wondering about the mistakes this person is making.
Mistakes include, but not limited to...
-words missing(sentence incomplete)
-incorrect spelling in virtually every script.
-factual errors
This is daily. My thoughts are this person has no such thing as dyslexia...just an inability to proof-read. I've heard the giggle and "Haven't I told you I'm dyslexic?" so many times....I'm just wondering why this person is still employed or moved to a non-writing position.
You have to understand, we're talking a year and a half of this so far. The smart ones in the newsroom just delete entire scripts and start over, as it's easier than tracking down this persons facts or correcting the writing. Is this a case where a Station is just scared of getting sued because of the Dyslexia claim? I just don't see why you can't fire/reposition a person who can't write when it's their job to write.
For those with Dyslexia, I honestly mean no ill will....but
1)I think this person is lying
2)If that's all it takes to protect one's job...why couldn't anyone claim such a situation and be bulletproof to the Firing gun.

[cameragod]

There is a test that they can take to tell if they are dyslexic, which type and to what degree. If they haven’t had the test done then they do not know if they really have dyslexia.

Last year my daughter was tested, I did the test along with her, she showed 4 dyslexic indicators and I had 18… but at lest now we have a plan to help her, what areas she needs specialized tutoring… I feel it’s a bit late for me :)

Next time they giggle ‘I’m dyslectic’ ask to see the test results. If nothing else it will let you know what areas they truly have problems with. I can't see where factual errors could be caused by Dyslexia. If they haven’t done the test then officially they are not Dyslexic… so fire at will.

[Another OMB]

Since cameragod is dyslexic, he knows a lot more about it than I do. But I was going to say exactly what he did--I don't see how factual errors have anything to do with dyslexia. Misspelled words, okay. And I can see it if the factual errors are writing "the vote was 64 to 13" when it was actually 46 to 31.

But if the factual errors are things like writing "supporters say it was the best political speech since Washington gave the Gettysburg Address during World War II" or something like that, I think this is an inept, unqualified person making excuses.

[Produce man]

Maybe this person is just a dumbass?

[ISTHISTHINGON?]

Maybe this person is just a dumbass?
This is the overall thought from the majority...but this person is untouchable. That's what has me wondering about management scared this person will file suit. I can't fathom how this writer had a producing job for a week and a half, much less a year and a half. Not to mention using a 'condition' as an excuse when you don't have it(though I can't prove it)is an embarrassment in itself. Thanks for the insight though guys.

[Another side]

My gut tells me the original poster has a more personal reason for disliking this particular coworker.

[News Is Broken]

I used to work with an anorexic dyslexic. She would eat a ton of food and then puke it up backwards.

Alright now damn it, that was funny. :worship:

[Mighty Dyckerson]

Alright now damn it, that was funny. :worship:

I'm glad somebody appreciates my intellectual humor.

[JoinUsForCake]

Maybe this person is just a dumbass?
Wow, what compassionate conservatism. You are such a little punk.

One of my best friends has dyslexia. Sometimes he sends me text messages that make very little sense but he can get the point across. Now in regards to the original post, I believe the person in question can have his dyslexia confirmed by a doctor. Without seeing the scripts in question, it's difficult to know if this writer is 'faking' or really is dyslexic. Sounds like a touchy situation that hopefully is handled carefully & deliberately which unfortunately seems like a lot to ask in many shops these days.

[ISTHISTHINGON?]

My gut tells me the original poster has a more personal reason for disliking this particular coworker.
Well of course. When you are at the mercy of someone like this during LIVE tv...it's a little unnerving to not be able to trust a producer. Sure, before the show I have time to correct and proofread...but during the show....and after being burned on LIVE tv....you take it personal. When the boss says they understand the frustration but can't do anything right now....you take it personal. If I screwed up on-air every other day...I'd venture to say my job would be in severe jeopardy. If someone who writes does the same, it should be the same. I simply want colleagues who care about their work....and am confused on how claiming a disability secures a job/puts others in danger. And if the person HAS the disablity....I am still curious when you draw the line with too many mistakes?

[News Is Broken]

Dyslexia is nothing. You should try working with severe A.D.D. Why just the other day I...

[Mighty Dyckerson]

One of my best friends has dyslexia. Sometimes he sends me text messages that make very little sense...

None of Douchey's posts make any sense. I wonder what his excuse is.

[Another side]

OK ... Maybe I'm the "Dumbass" on this thread, but ...Mistakes include, but not limited to...
-words missing(sentence incomplete)
-incorrect spelling in virtually every script.
-factual errors
I can't believe there's an ND, Assistant ND or EP on this planet that would put up with that sort of ineptitude on a daily basis ... for 18 months ... without moving the person to a spot where he would have a better chance to succeed, or letting him go, altogether.

This is daily. My thoughts are this person has no such thing as dyslexia...just an inability to proof-read. I've heard the giggle and "Haven't I told you I'm dyslexic?" so many times....I'm just wondering why this person is still employed or moved to a non-writing position. It's a fair question. My hunch is, you're blowing it out of proportion. But let's say I'm right, that you're exaggerating ... it still doesn't matter if the person is dyslexic or not, management does not have to put up with employees who place their station in legal or financial jeporady through repeated publication of factual errors. Management would be fool to.

You have to understand, we're talking a year and a half of this so far. The smart ones in the newsroom just delete entire scripts and start over, as it's easier than tracking down this persons facts or correcting the writing. This is the paragraph where I started to think there's more to the story. If this is even close to true -- if other reporters and anchors are truly "delet(ing) entire scripts and start(ing) over" on a daily basis because of the inaccuracy of the person's "facts" or poor writing -- you're either working for the most detached news director in America or the allegedly dyslexic employee is a major stockholder in the corporation that owns your shop.

Is this a case where a Station is just scared of getting sued because of the Dyslexia claim? I just don't see why you can't fire/reposition a person who can't write when it's their job to write. You can. It's not even close. Taking your accusations at face value, your station faces far more serious consequences by allowing factual errors (especially if it can be shown management knew of the propensity of the employee to commit factual errors daily) than it does from a civil rights or wrongful discharge suit filed by someone unable to competently do his or her job. I have a hard time believing the situation is as dire as you insist. It just doesn't make sense.

For those with Dyslexia, I honestly mean no ill will....but
1)I think this person is lying
2)If that's all it takes to protect one's job...why couldn't anyone claim such a situation and be bulletproof to the Firing gun.

1. The person may or may not be lying. Doesn't matter. Management does not have to keep proveably inept people, particularly if that person is exposing the station to legal or financial problems.

2. See response 1.

[ISTHISTHINGON?]

So from what I understand...there is no legal action for firing someone who is dslexic(assuming they are) if they have ritual mistakes? That's pretty much what I'm asking.
I mean, if an employee had to enter say, rehab, on the company's tab....my thoughts are you walk a sketchy line getting rid of them when they get back. Under that thinking, that's why I pose the question about dyslexia....I don't know, maybe the person in question is a friend of the family of the hire/fire person.;) It just sux to have to deal with this on a daily basis when I'm sure there are quite a few writers who'd love a shot a this job. In the end, I'm just one of the delete and rewrite guys for my own safety. I got tired of the giggling "Didn't you know..." comments a while back.:doh:

[The Mockingbird]

If you fire someone for spelling mistakes brought about by their dyslexia, that's probably a lawsuit.

If you fire someone for the appearance of spelling mistakes brought about by their dyslexia, that's probably also a lawsuit. And you'd probably lose.

Let's just say I'm a rabid, litigious ambulance chaser looking to right corporate wrongs. That is your dream case, because it's easy to win. Or at least get a nice, easy settlement.

Juries think TV reporters make crap tons of money. When they find out your 50-hour a week worker was really making, they will kick your ass nine ways to Sunday, just because people hate big corporations.

Here's what I'd do. I'd subpoena every script you put into a prompter on air for the last 12 months. I'd then show all the typos and mistakes your deaf viewers have been seeing, and how you didn't fire all the people who made those, but instead singled out the plaintiff.

You want to get rid of someone, don't renew when their contract is up for renewal.

[Another side]

If you fire someone for spelling mistakes brought about by their dyslexia, that's probably a lawsuit.

If you fire someone for the appearance of spelling mistakes brought about by their dyslexia, that's probably also a lawsuit. And you'd probably lose.

Let's just say I'm a rabid, litigious ambulance chaser looking to right corporate wrongs. That is your dream case, because it's easy to win. Or at least get a nice, easy settlement.

Juries think TV reporters make crap tons of money. When they find out your 50-hour a week worker was really making, they will kick your ass nine ways to Sunday, just because people hate big corporations.

Here's what I'd do. I'd subpoena every script you put into a prompter on air for the last 12 months. I'd then show all the typos and mistakes your deaf viewers have been seeing, and how you didn't fire all the people who made those, but instead singled out the plaintiff.

You want to get rid of someone, don't renew when their contract is up for renewal.

You make a good point about what typical audience members believe about TV reporters' pay. And we all know juries in civil cases are unpredictable.

But, again, management does not have to keep employees in the same position or even on staff who, for whatever reason, cannot competently perform their duties.

And if you've got one repeatedly making "factual errors" as it's alleged hear, then you tell the attorney representing the discharged employee, "File your suit."

There's really no other way to go ... and you certainly can't wait until the employee's contract expires ... that's evidence that -- if you knew of the problem -- you allowed it to continue.

By the way ... what do you mean by the "appearance" of spelling mistakes?

[The Mockingbird]

And if you've got one repeatedly making "factual errors" as it's alleged hear, then you tell the attorney representing the discharged employee, "File your suit."

You just made a spelling mistake. It's pretty easy to do when typing. especially working in a run and gun situation. A good lawyer is going to find hundreds of these, run-on sentences, all sorts of things that pop up in a prompter all the time.

He or she is going to flash those up on the screen in a giant PowerPoint presentation. Your station will likely look foolish, and it will become apparently obvious to your more educated jury members that you do not, in fact, actually discipline people for typos, given their commonality.

So, at this point, even if you demote the reporter for other reasons, it's going to look like you singled that person out, and unfairly.

That's what I meant by If you fire someone for the appearance of spelling mistakes brought about by their dyslexia. It's not for the appearance of spelling mistakes; it's for the appearance of spelling mistakes brought about dyslexia.

I wouldn't touch this particular HR situation with a ten foot pole, personally.

[cameragod]

Rather than guessing you need more info.
Right now I’d fake interest in the persons ‘condition.’
Tell them something like “I have a cousin who thinks they have dyslexia, what’s the best test to take? Which one did you do? Did it help? Did you get any tutoring?... if so did you get the money back cause you still suck!!!”
...maybe not the last one ;)

[ISTHISTHINGON?]

Rather than guessing you need more info.
Right now I’d fake interest in the persons ‘condition.’
Tell them something like “I have a cousin who thinks they have dyslexia, what’s the best test to take? Which one did you do? Did it help? Did you get any tutoring?... if so did you get the money back cause you still suck!!!”
...maybe not the last one ;)
Funny you say that...because we have local police work security for us in the evenings. One of the officers is dyslexic, and heard the comment from person in question. After the person was clear...the cop got visually upset saying the excuses used were b.s. :frustrated: :bs: Oh well. Maybe it's as simple as said person is doin' the boss. :shifty:

[News Is Broken]

He or she is going to flash those up on the screen in a giant PowerPoint presentation. Your station will likely look foolish, and it will become apparently obvious to your more educated jury members that you do not, in fact, actually discipline people for typos, given their commonality.

True, but if I was the station's attorney I'd just counter this by stating that the problem was not this employee typing "their" when they should be typing "there" - it was a repeated case of misreporting facts, shoddy research, and complete ineptitude that damaged the credibility of the station, lowered the ratings and caused financial harm to the station. I'd then borrow the giant projector (you don't mind, do you?) and put up actual scripts with the glaring factual errors highlighted in bright yellow. A few slidefuls of mostly yellow scripts could certainly sway the jury back in my favor, could it not? I'd then ask the jury members this: If THEY turned in such sloppy work on a regular basis, what would they expect? A raise? A promotion? No. They'd be fired. And rightfully so.

[The Mockingbird]

Remember, the only thing that makes your case anything but a "he said, she said" is the facts you can present to a jury.

A buried lead isn't going to be as obvious to a juror as a typo or misspelled word. Something blatantly negiligent, like accidentally convicting a suspect of murder, might be different, but you'd probably need a pattern. Catching the reporter making up facts would work, also.

Smugly going to the front of the courtroom and arguing that the Plaintiff screwed up more is probably not going to work with the jury, and usually, will send you the other way.

There's going to be lots of testimony about all the overtime hours the Plaintiff put in (free or otherwise), how he was doing the work of two or more people because the station was trying to save money.

Understand - I've seen one of these trials happen. The reporter was absolutely awful on air, the work was unbelievably horrible. Guess who won?

[Another side]

You just made a spelling mistake. It's pretty easy to do when typing. especially working in a run and gun situation. A good lawyer is going to find hundreds of these, run-on sentences, all sorts of things that pop up in a prompter all the time.

He or she is going to flash those up on the screen in a giant PowerPoint presentation. Your station will likely look foolish, and it will become apparently obvious to your more educated jury members that you do not, in fact, actually discipline people for typos, given their commonality.

I agree. Spelling mistakes, typos, grammatical errors -- all within reason -- are not fireable offenses. Combined with factual errors and poor research ... and it's another matter.

So, at this point, even if you demote the reporter for other reasons, it's going to look like you singled that person out, and unfairly.

True again ... and you have to be able to prove your case. You have to admit up front the dyslexia was behind the incompetence and then substantiate it. You can't pretend it had no bearing on the demotion or firing when (if so) it clearly did. But you have to prove it ... and you SHOULD have to prove it.

[my moniker]

I want to point out that if this person actually suffers from dyslexia - no wonder they giggle uncomfortably every time they are asked about it. You'd be self-concious too if someone pointed out your major weakness in front of everyone in the newsroom.

I've never been diagnosed with dyslexia - but I do display some symptoms. Usually when writing longhand - I skip words or letters in the way CameraGod describes. Remarkably - I always leave a space for exactly what is missing!

The hardest part when I worked as a reporter was sorting things out in my head. I often create word-associations - so I can remember what name goes with which building or landmark.

I firmly believe my last ND decided I was an idiot when I mistakenly called one landmark/organization by the other landmark / organization's name.

Fact was... I had created a word association to remember the names... The name of the Air Force Base in proximity with the last city I lived in - and the Airport in the new city started with the same vowel. To add to the mix, the Air Force Base associated with the new city also started with a vowel - creating one hell of a word association tumble in my head.

In my effort to answer quickly, I cut my word-association cycle short and blurted out the wrong name. The man never trusted me again. And this was in a story meeting... not on air!!!!

I could only think... if you knew how hard I have to work inside my head - to do what the rest of you do without thinking - you'd declare me a fricking genius!!!