In news this week

Vin Diesel is coming to Rockingham.
Yes, you read correctly.
The star of Fast and the Furious, Pitch Black and XXX will make an appearance at the Vibe Nightclub in Rockingham on September 22.
Apparently he's being paid $30,000 for the appearance - so at least he's got a decent excuse to be coming down this way.
That's not the main reason for this post.
The sales rep who is sorting it out waltzed into my office just then and asked me to do an editorial piece on it.
Which of course I would normally be happy to do, mainly because we are apparently getting exlusive editorial access and I will get a chance to interview Vin himself.
She could have left it at that, but no, as she walked away from my desk she chose her parting comment to be: "Make sure you do it or you won't get a ticket."

Excuse me??

Apart from the fact that that goes against every media ethics lesson I was ever taught, where does she get off telling me what to put in the paper.
I took the business card she handed to me, put it back on her desk and told her that I do not do editorial under duress/bribery/blackmail/whatever.

Later, she walked up to me, shoved the card at me again and said "Just do your job."

Now, I like Vin Diesel. I'd even consider going to this place if I was protected by a group of work friends who knew the area.

But telling a journalist they "have to" write an article is like telling an indie band they "have to" write pop songs - it just doesn't happen that way.
So I am writing nothing until said sales rep rethinks the way she speaks to me. And I've told her so.
Mark one down for Dave.