When to keep your mouth shut

 How do you handle touchy situations with a boss who is doing something unethical?

 

There is the right way and the wrong way.

 

First the right way: When I was the Associated Press correspondent in Las Vegas, one of AP’s very top executives came to town for a convention.  He met me at the casino where it was held.

 

We got near a craps table. “Show me how it is played,” he said.  I explained it as we watched some gamblers toss the dice and shell out cash or rake it in.

 

 The next day, he told me he had lost all his money at the craps table and asked if there was a bureau fund. I said no, but I could lend him $100. I eagerly went to the bank, deciding that this was a really good investment. If Mr. Big owes you money, it it gives you a lot of leverage. 

 

When I brought the cash to him, he told me he had second thoughts and got his wife to wire him some money. 

 

When I told the Reno correspondent about it, he said, “This story really made my day. But I think we should keep this to ourselves.” Our little secret! No problem, nothing happened.

 

Then here is the wrong way!

 

After our Saturday shift in Washington, D.C., a colleague and I visited a bar nearby. My friend and I were chatting with the attractive barmaid, when we told her we both worked for Associated Press. “Oh?” she said. “I have an interview here to work for AP an hour from now.” 

 

My friend and I looked at each other in disbelief. Saturday night at a bar? She must be putting us on, we thought. We couldn’t resist hanging around for another hour to see what happened. Big mistake. 

 

At the appointed hour, one of my bosses walked in with a high-ranking executive from New York, who was staying in the hotel across the street. They recognized us and my boss had the look of a deer in the headlights. Still, we all greeted each other with meaningless chatter. Sensing their mood, we decided to beat a retreat.

 

 My friend said to keep quiet about it, but I just couldn’t resist telling one of my friends at AP. I swore him to secrecy, but of course he spread it all over the office. 

 

The Washington boss confronted me days later and said, “Everyone thinks I am having an affair. I’m not!” I refused to believe this incident was the reason for my demotion several months later. 

 

It turns out the barmaid was hired, and I ran across her months later at the AP bureau in New York, where she launched a very successful career.

 

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Some more thoughts:

 

Wasn’t the Sixth and Main band great at the Harvest Festival? It’s amazing that they could play a four-hour set.

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Why don’t they just abolish the kickoff return in pro football now that the rules have changed? Oh, I know: they can have more commercials!

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The coldest place in South Boston is the produce section at the supermarket.

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My dentist used to tell me after filling a tooth: “Yes, you may have dinner, but it must be an elegant dinner.”