TV News Intern Goes Off; Chases Executive Producer; Kicks In Glass Door; "I'll Mess You Up, B ——-."

First... no one was hurt in the story and the drama behind it. That's the most important thing. Now... the story. As a former TV news manager, I shake my head and think "just how crazy of a business are we in". This is a horrible story of potential workplace violence averted.... and a young college intern's TV news career forever changed.

An intern who was being fired from a part-time (paid?) internship at ABC affilience KSTP in Minneapolis-St. Paul... lost it. Here's how TwinCities.com reports the story.
Jennifer Nicole Anato-Mensah, 21, a University of Minnesota student, was told about 7:15 p.m. Oct. 13 that things weren't working out for her.
"This is a young girl who was not understanding concepts in a television newsroom," said Danielle Prenevost, 33, executive producer of the station's early evening newscasts. "I said, 'I don't think your level of college experience is enough for this job.' "
At that point, Prenevost said, Anato-Mensah "just lost it."
Reached at her U residence hall Tuesday, Anato-Mensah declined to comment.
According to the criminal complaint:
Several newsroom employees heard Anato-Mensah shouting, yelling obscenities and threatening Prenevost, saying, "You don't know where I'm from. I'll mess you up, b ——-."
......Anato-Mensah was charged with criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct. Both are misdemeanors.
There's much more to the story... . including a criminal charge against the intern. Read it here. And from C.J. (a columnist at the Star Tribune)
..."You don't know where I'm from,'' she screamed. "I'll mess you up ..." Priceless! When Prenevost tried to walk away, other employees stood at a conference room door to block and restrain Anato-Mensah, who wanted a piece of Prenevost.
Sounds like the basis for a terrific scene in Julie Kramer's follow-up to "Stalking Susan," which borrowed from the author's local TV career.

But.. this is an important lesson for everyone in newsrooms:
--Interns are not always the innocent, egaer little darlings sitting at their desks.
--Newsrooms are very intense. Tempers flare often. Be prepared.
--Interns need to understand effects of their action.
--This story, and all names attached, will be lodged in internet search engines for years to come. The costs to careers are far greater than the $150 to repair the glass door.

By the way, at least one competing TV station in the market reported the criminal charge on its website, thanks to a story from the Associated Press. It really is a sad story. Again, no one was physically harmed. That was the good thing. The kicker is all of this, and the line that makes me chuckle, is: "You don't know where I'm from. I'll mess you up, b ——-." GEEZ. The workplace "ain't what it used to be folks".

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