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ESPN fanning the Billy D to UK flames

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by spnited, Mar 30, 2007.

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  1. Cameron Frye

    Cameron Frye Member

    http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/columnists/orl-bianchi28_107mar28,0,6195149.column?coll=orl-sports-col
     
  2. Sports Producer

    Sports Producer New Member

    It just seems naive to believe that people, without the guarantee of anonymity, would be candid in many situations. There are so many examples of stories that simply wouldn't have been told without anonymous sources. Watergate, most famously...but in sports, I couldn't imagine a GM ever talking candidly about a trade, an agent about a contract figure, or a player about unhappiness in the clubhouse. No team would ever reveal on the record the name of the new coach or the trade that is going to happen until THEY announce it. Do we want MLB.com or NFL.com to be the only source for news and information? Should we just ignore it until someone is willing to go on the record or should journalists do an impartial (or as impartial as we can get) evaluation of the claims and if we believe they have merit or are true...print them and identify as clearly as possible where they come from? I think the two source rule is applied by most credible shops...and should normally be applied.

    I don't think Schlabach has anything invested in whether Donovan stays or goes, but if a credible source within the Kentucky administration says they are offerning him a contract worth a million dollars more than the one he's making, why NOT report it? Is the fan or reader better served by knowing it? At any time, Donovan could flat out say NO, I'm not taking the job, or NO, I won't comment --- period.
     
  3. D-3 Fan

    D-3 Fan Well-Known Member

    Dear Gary Barta,

    If you can't get Lowery, please, please steal Beilein away from the jaws of Ann Arbor.

    Yours truly,

    Iowa Hawkeyes Fans ;D
     
  4. Alma

    Alma Well-Known Member

    And I think it's pretty naive to think that journalists have to settle for stories and sources like these.

    Is this Watergate? Uh, no.

    Is the reader better served not knowing that an anonymous source says something that everyone else contradicts or declines? I dunno.

    And here's what I'm saying: It's credible to you because it's Mark. A couple days ago, some Internet handle named "realfeal" was credible enough for radio stations and Denver Post. These days reporters ACTUALLY CITE "speculation in chat rooms and message boards" as a source when writing a story. It's fucking nonsense.
     
  5. Sports Producer

    Sports Producer New Member

    I think there has to be some distinction between reporting by professionals and reporting in chat rooms and message boards. That's the real distinction between ESPN.com and CBS Sportsline and the mass of others on the internet. Credible sites earn trust...by reporting accurately and fairly...yet not being afraid to differ from the party line. If you don't believe the site is worth reading...the easy solution...don't read it.

    And while any sports reporting is certainly not as important as Watergate...and I don't know of any legitimate reporters who feel that is....there is still a strong demand for serious reporting on sports. Sports is a multi-billion dollar industry and the demand for 'inside' information is filled by serious reporters like Schlabach and Peter King and Chris Mortensen, who sometimes grant anonymity to get that information. I don't believe that's 'fucking nonsense'
     
  6. micropolitan guy

    micropolitan guy Well-Known Member

    If Donovan goes to Kentucky then he deserves all the crap that will come his way from those delusional fans when he doesn't go to the final four or only wins a national title by 20 points.

    If he's a street-smart as he's said to be, he'll realize he has a near-perfect situation and stay put.
     
  7. Bubbler

    Bubbler Well-Known Member

    One thing I've learned in being a beat writer is that not all anonymous sources are the same.

    The only time I would ever use an anonymous source -- and I speak from recent experience -- is if it is the man or men directly involved in the story you're covering. And by directly involved I'm talking the people who are going to be fired, do the hiring, or who is being hired. It's a strict test.

    And you better damn well be 100 percent that the info they're giving you isn't misinformation. If it passes those tests, go with it.

    And, yes, for most beat writers, they have some 'splainin' to do if they wait for the press conference to break news of a major player acquisition or coach hiring. In the grand scheme of things it may be utterly unimportant, but to that writer's job security, it's damn important.
     
  8. Alma

    Alma Well-Known Member

    Maybe it is to you and me. But does the reader view Mark Schlabach and realfeal any differently when they're both quoting anonymous sources? Does a reader know Mark's body of work?

    And, given the proliferation of Web sites, I'm thinking readers don't have a problem with a rampant speculation of the Internet.

    Know why? Cause it seems an awful like the rampant speculation on credible sites.
     
  9. HejiraHenry

    HejiraHenry Well-Known Member

    Apparently it didn't even require that mich effort:

    By Jerry Tipton
    McClatchy Newspapers
    ATLANTA — With Florida at the brink of NCAA Tournament history, no reporter broached the subject of Kentucky’s vacant coaching position to Billy Donovan on Saturday night.
     
  10. Oz

    Oz Well-Known Member

    That's what the press conferences all week were for, really. And with the tight deadline, especially for writers on the East Coast, I would hope no one wasted too much time asking a question that you already knew the non-answer to.
     
  11. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    I don't believe a word Meyer says. Who's going to publicly (or privately) call the national championship coach's bluff on this one?

    These guys aren't normal. They measure their dicks by the size of their bank accounts and their ability to carry alpha male status on campus. That's why Donovan's going to Kentucky, where Rich Brooks doesn't even draw a second glance.
     
  12. Call me cynical, but I'm beginning to think that Billy Donovan is a soulless, greedy little careerist.
     
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