List all the newsroom irritations that affect you most, ranking them from "worst" to "tolerable."

Take the worst five and ask about each: What's so bad about this? Can anything be done about it? Does the right person know this is a problem? And why, exactly, should they care?

Send a diplomatic note to the person highest up who you think realistically should care (don't be bitchy). Perhaps you want to wait until your annual review (if you have the benefit of one) and state your case then. Especially if you've done good work all year, the bigs might be more inclined to give you your own wastebasket or whatever.

Some things may not be easily fixed. For example, fluctuating temps may suggest a building-wide flaw in the heating system that could cost $50,000 to fix. But maybe you could be reimbursed $35 for a space heater from Target, just for your area? Why not ask?

Think hard about providing your own solutions. To complain: "I have no place to store my clips" isn't as constructive as asking "Isn't there a drawer or cabinet somewhere we can use for tearsheets?" You never know where space might be found.

Sometimes, you need to ask repeatedly. I once wrote memos and begged and whined for more than a year until a position was created that was both suited to my interests at the time and filled a major gap in the news operation. I think things worked out just because I just kept hammering at the issue.