Is there a Derek Jeter in your newsroom?

During yesterday's Mets-Yankees game, the announcers brought up the fact that Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter had been voted the most overrated player in baseball. Now despite the fact that I'm a Mets fan and therefore hate the Yankees, I must admit that if I needed one player to get a big hit, it would be Jeter. He isn't called "Captain Clutch" for nothing.

So why did so many contend that he's overrated?

Well, let's see. He's a Hall-of-Fame baseball player, the world's toughest out in the postseason, he dives into the stands and comes up bloodied going after foul balls, he's good looking, rich and dates supermodels. What's not to hate?

You got it, chalk this poll up to jealousy.

How does this apply to newsrooms? Well, let's just say that news people, though conditioned to weigh the facts when doing a story, will often judge a book by its cover. I can't tell you how many calls I get from clients who, having spent just a few days in a new station, tell me, "Everyone hates me and I don't know why." Usually these people are attractive and talented. Again, what's not to hate?

I remember being a young reporter and making instant judgments about people when I arrived at a station. The stereotypes have always been there: the Ken-Doll is a crash dummy and doesn't deserve the anchor job, the reporter from the rich family is lazy, the pageant queen is high maintenance, the blonde is a ditz, and the child of the famous anchor won't pay dues. Every station has plenty of people to shut out before you even get to know them.

While I've run into my share of people who had no business being in the business, I can think of a few people I worked with who exploded those myths. One, a pageant veteran, turned out to be an terrific reporter who was first in line to work stories that got her hands dirty. Another, a child of a household name, outworked everyone in the newsroom and turned out to be one of my best people. The "covers" on these books may have been glitzy, but the pages inside were pure substance.

We've talked about jealousy on this forum before. While it may be natural to be jealous of those who may have hit genetic lotto, as a journalist you owe it to yourself to sort out the facts before you come to a conclusion. You also need to keep in mind the fact that these people are part of your news team. It's funny... so many stations spend a fortune on consulting, graphics and sets when the most important facet of any news team is something you can't buy. Chemistry. And you don't get it by treating certain people in your newsroom like pariahs. Keep it up and someday you'll be saying, "I wish I'd been nicer to her" when that anchor you hated hits the network. You might have had a connection.

Find the Derek Jeter in your station and chances are you'll find someone who needs a friend. You might also find there's more beneath the surface.