© 2026 | Jefferson Public Radio
Southern Oregon University
1250 Siskiyou Blvd.
Ashland, OR 97520
541.552.6301 | 800.782.6191
Listen | Discover | Engage a service of Southern Oregon University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

When The Goal Of An Email Is To Stir A Sense Of Dread

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. Virginia Heffernan and Paul Ford are sending each other bogus e-mails - messages you would hate to receive at work. They publish them on Medium.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And she writes, can you give me a quick call?

INSKEEP: He replies with codes for a recurring conference call.

MONTAGNE: She announces he missed the Aetna enrollment period.

INSKEEP: He sends a sign-up sheet for office massage circle.

MONTAGNE: She tops that with a memo on shared sacrifice. He will no longer be paid.

INSKEEP: Sort of romantic. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

JPR relies entirely on public support. Join the community of JPR supporters today.