When it comes to reporting the news, nothing gets in the way of a journalist. Not wind nor rain; sleep nor cold or a slow internet connection. In fact, the only thing that can impede the work of a journalist is hunger. Editors, publishers and newspaper companies multinational conglomerates are aware of this journalistic kryptonite. That is why in nearly every newsroom exist devices that make news reporting possible – vending machines.
All journalists, at one point or another, have missed meals waiting for call backs or rushing to meet deadline. And when there isn’t time to eat a “real” meal such as Wendy’s or Taco Bell between assignments, a journalist’s best friend is the humming vending machine in the break room.
Every newsroom break room has one. And while they may look a little different, most vending machines contain similar snacks that fuel a journalist who is working on a 50-inch story on childhood obesity.
The staple favorites include: chips, “cheese” crackers, Snickers bars, peanuts, popcorn, and the classic Ramen Noodles that only poor college students and journalists will touch.
Then, conveniently next to the snack machine is the soda machine. Here, journalists who just returned from covering a three-hour council meeting on annexing a 20-foot sidewalk find liquid courage in the form of caffeine.
When the coffee pot has long run dry, journalists will fish the remaining loose change from their pockets and bank accounts to buy a Coke or Pepsi. However, recently a new option has crept into the soda vending machines – energy drinks.
Now weary-eyed journalists can buy 20-ounce cans of liquid crack with names like Monster, Red Bull, Rockstar or Frenetic Heart Attack. The majority of typos journalists make can be attributed to such energy drinks because they were violently shaking while writing the story.
Inevitably, more so than any other vending machine anywhere else, buying a snack or drink on deadline is like playing Russian roulette. There is a one in six chance, so a 60 percent chance according to journalism math, the journalist will get what they paid for. Sometimes the machine just magically gobbles up the journalist’s last dollar leaving them to resort to trying to fill up on candy from various disease-infested dishes around the office. Other times, the machine will jam inexplicably leading to a violent tirade laden with expletives.
Since journalists write for a living, often they will write a long snide note saying something along the lines of, “this machine has robbed (insert name here) if I am not reimbursed by the end of the day, there will be hell to pay.”
More from @JournalistsLike
- Stuff Journalists Like – #8 The First Day
- Stuff Journalists Like – #48 Desk Dining
- Stuff Journalists Like – #63 Leaving Journalism
@JournalistsLike Recommends
- A Great Art Project, Part 1 (High Road Artist)
- Hidden Fears, A Love Story (High Road Artist)
Topics:
taco bell vending machine, taco vending machine, conclusion about vending machine, order taco bell coin machines, shaking vending machines works\, taco bell vending machines, vending machine assignment
Vault! Drinks like a Soda, kicks like an energy drink. Mass mayhem when that ran out in the bureau. (We had to make a grocery store field trip.)
So true. I usually work from home since I’m in sports, but I have to pull a shift on the high school agate desk once a week. I used to live off those vending machines, but that was too many coins and too many calories. I’ve since started bringing my own, more healthy food and drink.
All very true…but enter the bean-to-cup coffee vending machine. No more stale pots of coffee…or maybe worse…no coffee at all! These machines give you a decent cup of real bean coffee at the push of a button. With a good milk powder you’d think it came from the coffee shop around the corner!
Love the reference to “journalism math.” Why did reporters get the idea it’s cool not to be able to calculate simple percentages?
The double chocolate grandma’s cookies are my weakness!
oh, hell … my dirty little secret is that I’d accompany one of the boys from my college paper to fuss at him for coaxing the goods out of the snack machine using a wire coat hanger, then would eat some of the stash because hunger finally won over doing the moral thing.
If someone started “Stuff Journalists Hate,” I think the first three entries would have to be math, staff meetings and advertising personnel.
#4: PR flacks
#5: City council/school board/solid waste management commission meetings that conflict with prime-time television.
#6: Bad free food.
I like City Council/school board/Planning commission – always a surprise – of course, this is a “little Chicago”. LOVE breaking news first! FIRST to get a education budget cut letter sent to all school employees posted today – ahhhh, the satisfaction!
There are these amazing salt&pepper chips in our vending machine that I don’t know what I would do without. Also, I tend to shy away from the Red Bull/Monster… but Starbucks Double Shots are fair game, my friends. I tapped the machine last night after a, you guessed it, three and a half hour torture session (county board meeting).
There have been some great advancements in vending machine technology and the quality of the ingredients. For instance, you can now get fresh, freeze-dried milk in vended drinks whereas the old machinesused horriblemilk substitute powder. Get more information on Healthy Vending at http://www.manvend.com
I came back from vacation to find that they had hiked the prices at our vending machines. Both of us who still work there had sticker shock.
Thanks for sharing information. I always like these machines for cold drinks. I love cold drinks.. Always thirsty to drink…