Fixing a rift with your sources

Yeah, the murder thing would have been nice to know up front. Yeah an arrest is an arrest. But there's a fine line beteen a guy being arrested for say being a party when it's raided and murder.
For murder, I'd understand the coach a lot more. Team has probably been through hell now and a little guarded. Coach knows you wrote the murder arrest, probably doesn't want his kids talking about it a lot of it from a legal standpoint. You may only be there to talk football, and that's fine. But coach know you wrote the arrest story, you know there's a player in jail on murder charges. Coaches know kids sometimes talk about stuff they shouldn't. As in, coach can see you asking how John Doe's absence might hurt the team. Kid starts talking about the case.
Probably won't happen, but still, the coach has a lot on the line at this point.

 

I guess we're really at the point where we don't believe maybe this is sometimes necessary, especially in the culture of football coaches? Sigh ...

 

You mean necessary to yell back and cuss out a coach?

 

This line is probably why the coach is pissed:

B) I did have quotes from a former player and teammate who said the coach told him he'd been worried about the kid in the past and had seen said suspect with a gun before.

You quoted a former player pretty much saying the coach knew this kid was trouble. Makes the coach look very bad. Did you go back to the coach before the story ran with what this former player had said? If not, you should not have used the quote from the kid about what he says the coach said.

Bad stuff there.

 

Good catch. If you throw out an accusation like that, as the former player did, you need to ask the coach and get his side. The coach could always deny, but at least you would have his comments.

 

Fair enough, sp & stitch. But the coach already told me he wasn't commenting the day before. However, the been suspended for discipline reasons in the past and there were already other reports out that he'd been arrest for a felony as a juvenile. So, while the action was shocking, the idea of him being in trouble wasn't necessary new.

 

When you keep going out there, and keep working on whatever you can even while going without the coach's quotes, or kids' presence, do not ignore the coach.

As others have said, don't yell at, argue with, or be unprofessional with him. But, also, do not ignore him, or just pretend he's not there, either.

If he looks at you, or even tries to stare you down while you're standing there watching practice, look back at him, and do not turn away or walk the other way. Look him in the eye, with an open face that invites him to approach you again.

He will respect you for it, and he will, eventually, approach you again. When he does that, even if it is to yell at you again, let him. At least he will be talking to you. Listen to everything he says, without responding. Eventually, he will run out of steam and things to say, and will need to take a breath.

At that time, ask him, "Did you expect me/the paper not to cover this story at all?" Wait for his response, and let him have his say. But no matter what it is, tell him how/why that just would not have been possible. Take as much time and explanation as is needed to clarify things for his benefit from a journalistic perspective.

You know this is news, and he does, too. That much is obvious, just from his reaction.

Then can go on from there, and work out the details of his complaints, as well as any mistakes, real or perceived, on the part of yourself or the paper, and keep moving forward after that.

It might happen in baby steps for a while, but if your working relationship was good in the past, and the two of you respected and liked each other once, it'll happen again. Eventually, things might even become better for you having worked through this together to a point of greater understanding of each other's roles and points of view.

 

My latest piece of advice is this: If he continues to try to freeze you out, then write the story for your tab about how Podunk High is trying to get ready for the season knowing that a teammate is facing murder charges. Will it impact their performance? How will it impact the team?

 

Yes, goddamnit.

Why can't two guys yell at each other, particularly in this kind of relationship, and get it done with? That used to happen. It doesn't anymore?

And why is it OK for the coach to get in this writer's face without the writer getting back in the coach's? What does the writer have to lose at this point. Being nice isn't helping.

FirstInning, if this advice costs you your job, I disavow it.

 

Not that this is something to brag about, but I've clashed with folks on my beats quite a lot in 15 years. I cover the news. All of it. Good, bad and in between. That doesn't always make me popular. Could I use more tact? Absolutely.

I've had a legendary coach in his sport refuse to talk to me for more than a month. We wrote at least 15 stories in that time and in every one, we wrote that he refused to talk to our paper. Eventually, his boss got sick of this and told him to stop acting like a baby. He and I were never pals after that, but I think he had at least some respect that I didn't back down (yes, I shouted back) and that I showed up every day after. Just like the folks above have advised.

Even though I'm willing to stick to my guns, I find the confrontational part of this job to be distressing. I've looked down at my shaking legs before walking into a locker room, knowing I'd be face-to-face with an angry player/coach in the next few seconds. But if you're going to be a good, tough reporter and you truly value getting all the news, you've got to do it. If not, then you need to be a different type of reporter and be comfortable with that.

Bottom line: it's very difficult to not make enemies if you're in this racket long enough and are hard-nosed about it. You're either able to deal with that or not.

 

Doesn't matter. You have to call him back, say you know he didn't want to comment before but you have this new information from a former player and would like to give him the opportunity.

What probably happens next is he goes apeshit, then calls the former player and that guy calls you back saying not to put it in the story. Then you're really up turd creek without a paddle.


I agree with SF_E, too. We shouldn't have to take shit from a screaming maniac and do nothing. You can argue a point with someone without yelling, but sometimes you should respond in kind if an asshole is browbeating you. You're not one of his players or assistants.

 

We had a problem like this with one of our area coaches once. He coached the team with the longest losing streak in the area ... hadn't won a game in like three or four years.

Decided to pick a fight with the paper over perceived "negative" coverage ... stopped talking to us. So we stopped covering his team. We had 60-something area HS to cover, too many to be bothering with some blowhard who wouldn't talk to us.

So they finally break their streak against a total dogshit team -- we had that date circled before the season -- but we're not there. Every irate parent that called us on Sunday, we gave the same response: "We had planned to be at that game, but Coach Crotchrot said he didn't want us out there anymore."

It probably took a half dozen calls to Coach Crotchrot from angry parents before HE was calling US and asking if we'd please come cover his team again.

Moral of the story: A high school coach can't win a pissing match with the newspaper.

Moral No. 2: Let the parents do your dirty work for you.

The kicker to this little tale. meanwhile, is that Coach Crotchrot eventually got fired for drinking on the team bus on the way home from away games. HE was a real piece of work, that one.