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Ohio paper takes down column after complaints

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by SFIND, Mar 22, 2017.

  1. SFIND

    SFIND Well-Known Member

    When being a homer can get you in trouble?

    A writer of The Post Newspapers covered a high school basketball regional of a local school against Cleveland Vila Angela-St. Joseph, a traditional small-school power. Local school loses by 19, and writer delivers a column with this nut graph:

    He goes on to criticize the Catholic school more and praise the local school for superior moral values. His column stirred up a good amount of online outrage, enough for the local school coach (who was quoted) to request the article be taken down. It has been removed but is still in Google's cache.

    Gave the local radio some fodder:

    VASJ Coach Babe Kwasniak Responds To Criticism Of His Basketball Program

    Writer's defense: Todd Stumpf Defends Criticism Of Villa Angela-St. Joseph Basketball Program

    I don't know the writer but he's been around forever. He's expressed regret for writing it.
     
  2. TheSportsPredictor

    TheSportsPredictor Well-Known Member

    Was a dumb article, especially considering the hometown team had defeated a Catholic school in the previous game. Also, while private schools do have an advantage in ability to recruit kids from a wider area, the four or five main kids from this particular private school live close enough to walk to school. Theit top player came up through all the local elementary and junior high parochial schools.

    Also, Clark Kellogg, Mike Golic, and Desmond Howard went to this school, though it eas before it merged with a nearby all-girls Catholic school. Wonder if any of them will chime in.
     
  3. Riptide

    Riptide Well-Known Member

    ???
     
    Last edited: Mar 23, 2017
  4. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    Sometimes, just best to write "the local team tried really, really hard against the Catholics, who we all know recruit anyway. All the boys on our team will get scholarships" and be done with it.
     
  5. cjericho

    cjericho Well-Known Member

    Good thing they took it down. They must have feared retaliation like Charlie Hedbo.
     
  6. Big Circus

    Big Circus Well-Known Member

    Apropos of nothing, but CBS Cleveland's use of the default Getty Images cutlines is everything to me.
     
  7. spikechiquet

    spikechiquet Well-Known Member

    He's saying that the Catholic kids aren't real Christians, they just go to a Christian school. The other school actually acted like good Christians.
    I get his point, and I've seen similar incidents between Christian and Catholic schools in the past. But you don't write about it.
     
  8. Rhody31

    Rhody31 Well-Known Member

    Graf at the end really stood out:
    This storm doesn't stem from religion, it's the author's disdain for those with money. Dude clearly doesn't like the rich kids.

    Column is well written, even if the premise is complete shit.
     
  9. Alma

    Alma Well-Known Member

    The nut graf stuck out like a sore thumb in that column.

    I don't personally object to one Christian calling another Christian to accountability. Catholic schools should promote good sportsmanship if they're serious about adhering to what their religion is rooted in. But it's almost like, in that column, the guy wanted to complain about how Catholic schools recruit - not how they conduct themselves.

    I was at a HS basketball game recently and, at halftime, the home team - a catholic school - has their dance team come to the floor. Short shorts, dancing to Ariana Grande. Just made me chuckle. Lady behind me says "the Catholics are gettin sexy, aren't they."
     
  10. justgladtobehere

    justgladtobehere Well-Known Member

    Have you seen any other CBS Local website? They are universally complete shit shows. Terrible layout, nearly impossible to navigate, and a massive amount of ads, video and links that make the site suck. They are all the same, including the basic web address format, which makes getting to the site more trouble than it is worth. Shouldn't the CBS sports station in Boston have a web address like thesportshub.com or 98.5.com? Nah, they just refer people to a long address nobody can be bothered to remember. And if you want to listen to the archives? Well, there is this site and that app, but maybe if you look hard enough you can find it on the website. Whoever is in charge of CBS Local online should be fired.
     
  11. hondo

    hondo Well-Known Member

    We've got a couple of schools run by fundie Christian churches and the gangster rap playing before games and the language coming from the parents and students in the stands are not exactly the words of God. Yet, they constantly market themselves as an alternative to the evils of public education.
     
    studthug12 and scottwcoleman like this.
  12. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    I don';t think it's well-written, and I don't think taunting a student section is necessarily a bad thing. I don't think helping a kid up is necessarily a requisite to go to heaven.

    Suck it up snowflakes!
     
    Doc Holliday likes this.
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