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Jim Souhan, Playing Fast and Loose

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by PopeDirkBenedict, Apr 18, 2012.

  1. lcjjdnh

    lcjjdnh Well-Known Member

    Like I said, I don't think you have to agree with Krugman to accept he's good at what he does. People on the right like that, too. I personally think Rush spews vile commentary, but I can appreciate his qualities as an entertainer and see why people are attracted to him as a radio host.
     
  2. dixiehack

    dixiehack Well-Known Member

    I'm going to patent Twinkie-flavored vodka and retire by Christmas.
     
  3. There's already bacon-flavored vodka so why not.
     
  4. Kato

    Kato Well-Known Member

    I actually appreciated the premise behind Souhan's column when I first read it. It's the 11th hour for a stadium, and there has been no leadership on the issue at the state legislature — for or against the stadium. That question, about billionaires and millionaires has been a tired talking point for at least 10 years in Minnesota and ends up being a cheap, lazy argument when it comes to public financing for stadiums and arenas.

    Having said that, I figured Souhan did his home work. When I read Urdahl's rebuttal, I couldn't believe that it was Souhan who took the cheap and easy way out — and completely failed to do his homework on the guy he was singling out. Ouch.
     
  5. Why
    Why is that question a tired talking point or a cheap and lazy argument? As far as I can tell, that question has never been answered. If someone would provide a satisfactory answer to that question, maybe people would stop asking it.
     
  6. Joe Williams

    Joe Williams Well-Known Member

    Yet another indictment of our business, failure of department heads and top managers to appreciate the differences in those roles and hire accordingly.

    It's especially bad when the dutiful beat writers take the "promotion" (it shouldn't automatically be considered one, except that most papers structure their compensation that way) as a coronation and license to work less hard. Have seen many outstanding beat writers who became columnists, leaned too heavily on the sport they actually were expert in, never did enough homework in other sports and then made it all geometrically worse by cutting corners overall so they could run to do radio/TV stuff or suddenly treat themselves to half-time, daytime work hours.

    From what I see, the best papers and the best Web sites have done away with the silliness of general essay sports columnists altogether. Readers want experts in each sport and it's dumb to think one person spewing bad one-liners is going to have the background, sources, insights and, yes, work ethic to be the voice of authority on everything.

    That doesn't necessarily prevent bad reporting and writing and a lack of elbow grease on a case-by-case basis, which this appears to be.
     
  7. Versatile

    Versatile Active Member

    Name one.

    We've had this argument before (See: "Columnistosaurus"). I agree that expertise is increasingly important, but I do think there's a role to be played by a voice of the section/site. The issue isn't the Gary Sheltons and Tom Boswells and Gwen Knapps, of course. It's the lazy ones.
     
  8. Joe Williams

    Joe Williams Well-Known Member

    Perhaps "done away with" was too strong. But who are the loudest, most impactful voices at Yahoo! Sports? The national columnists by sport, not some general essayist -- I don't even know if they have one. Same with the WWL -- Gene Woj. and Reilly are almost afterthoughts for me and the folks whose company I keep compared to the individual sport insiders. Even at SI, I think King, Verducci and Thomsen wield more clout than whoever happens to write for the back page. SI might be the exception, too, given its appeal to casual sports fans, where a general columnist might still serve a purpose.

    The breadth and depth of info available through the various sports' "insiders" and a more relaxed atittude toward letting beat folks opine has undercut those voices of former authority, IMHO.
     
  9. Versatile

    Versatile Active Member

    Rick Reilly and Bill Simmons outdraw everyone else at ESPN tenfold.

    Dan Wetzel is the face of Yahoo Sports, and I think it's pretty obvious.

    With Sports Illustrated, the guys I think about are the all-sports feature writers: S.L. Price, Gary Smith, Chris Ballard, Thomas Lake.

    CBS Sports has Gregg Doyel.

    Fox Sports has Jason Whitlock and Mark Kriegel.

    Sporting News has David Steele, Lisa Olson and David Whitley.

    Everyone has general sports columnists. In most cases, SI being the exception, they're the most-read writers on the site.
     
  10. slappy4428

    slappy4428 Active Member

    Just read both columns... bravo to Dean Urdahl..
     
  11. mateen

    mateen Well-Known Member

    Apparently the Star Tribune's editor has apologized to Urdahl. From Souhan's corner, still crickets chirping. This isn't simply a case where someone doesn't like criticism; he unfairly misquoted and attributed to a state legislator things that simply weren't true. Doesn't Souhan have to say something?
     
  12. Zeke12

    Zeke12 Guest

    He does.

    He's got to write a column, explain himself, and apologize.
     
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