Poynter recently ran a story entitled “Losing Your Lunch — Whatever happened to the midday meal?” that discusses the loss of lunch in today’s news cycle. What they’re talking about is the disappearance of the midday meal and our ever-increasing reliance on working through lunch.
Well, really, the article is talking about the time demands on reporters. But those of us in PR know that these things apply to us as well.
How did we ever get things done back in the early 1970s, when I was a cub reporter? We had none of today’s technical support.
[snip]
But for all we lacked back then, we had something that few journalists seem to enjoy today.
We had lunch.
Lunch, remember it? Real lunch.
I’m talking the sit-down-in-a-restaurant-and-order lunch.
[snip]
Why is it that with all the technological advances we enjoy in newsrooms, we have less down-time than ever before? And why have we lost our lunch, so to speak?
Blame the 24/7 news cycle.
Blame the corporations who ask us to do more with less — and like it.
Blame the onslaught of inquiries and info we now must approach like triage medics: immediate attention here, a slightly delayed response here, delegation there.
One of the first things I had to learn when I jumped into a media relations position was how to work a 10-hour day without taking a lunch break. In fact, I so seldom actually got out of the office for lunch, that I started meeting friends for breakfast or only on weekends. And, by the way, breakfast means 6 a.m. hotcakes & coffee.
Maybe that should be a class in college: “Surviving the day on caffeine and sugar.”
