The Transition

"Hi, my name is Mike Jones and I'm with the Observer-errrr... a freelancer for the Trib."

I've caught myself saying that sentence a few times now that I'm back on the beat with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Reporting is the same, regardless of which paper employs your services. The AP Style Book reads the same and a lead still is supposed to grab the reader, right? The trouble is remembering the paper for which you actually work.

After the Observer-Reporter rolled off my tongue for nearly three years, it's a little tough to transition into the new phrase/phase. The same thing happened for a couple of weeks when I left the Charleston Daily Mail for the O-R in November 2006. But with the phone cradled on my shoulder and curled cord practically wrapped around my body, it soon became natural to deliver the new spiel, which I am now trying equally hard to break.

The real question is: Which company name will I be blurting out next week?

(The above photo of an eager and intrepid reporter was taken by Scott Beveridge in the O-R newsroom)