The perils of business reporting in another city

Andrea James of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer found out what it’s like to go to another city — Mobile, Ala. — to report on a business story that affects a large employer in her circulation area.

James wrote, “I parked downtown in the ‘reserved for news media’ spots near Government Plaza. I stuck my Seattle P-I badge in the window, along with a business card and a handwritten note saying I worked for a newspaper.

“When I was returning to my car, a parking enforcement lady was writing me up. I told her I worked for a newspaper and pointed to my badge in the window.

“Turns out, the Seattle P-I does not count as news media. At least not here. I think I just invited a lot of reader comment jokes.”

Read more here. What makes it even funnier is that James used to be a business reporter for the Mobile Press-Register.