Babel

The editors here had an interesting excuse for why they don't hold daily story briefings or regular story-planning meetings. Meetings here are not what YOU think of as meetings, one editor told me. Everyone talks at once, no one listens, if one person makes a point everyone else has to speak too even if they just repeat the same point. It goes on forever.

Sounded like Thanksgiving Day dinner at the Armaos, so I wasn't afraid. We called a meeting.

And oh my God, the editor wasn't exaggerating. It was mayhem. There was no order, no decorum. They jumped from one topic to another before the first was concluded. People held side debates while others had the floor. They argued, they talked over each other, they didn't take notes, but just flailed away. I've never seen anything like it. They didn't stop -- or maybe didn't even hear -- when suddenly, pounding hammering reverberated through the conference room. Then an electric drill began roaring through a wall. Workmen were installing a new AC in the next room. The reporters just argued louder.

Nadir, our poor translator was blabbing non-stop trying to keep up as speakers flung about Arabic and French. When my colleague tried to get an English word in edgewise, Nadir began translating that too, repeating Del word for word. "Nadir," I yelled, "What are you doing? It's English already." We broke out laughing.

After a 90 minute meeting, nothing was accomplished.

Which raises the ironic question of what the hell I'm doing promoting meetings? Meetings in US newsrooms were mostly decorous, orderly, polite, organized and quiet, but I remember complaining pretty often that they didn't accomplish much either.