Kindred on SI's Vick cover story

Interesting perspective on how Scott Price wrote the Michael Vick cover story, and the challenges of showing objectivity when you detest the subject:

http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/the-imperative-of-the-job-takes-over-in-the-most-difficult-of-assignments/

 

You just wish dogs could talk. If they could, I'd like to know what the dogs think of the son of a...

 

The good thing about Price's story is that it does provide a specific reason to believe Vick has changed. I have no interest in reading anything that asks you to believe simply because Vick's a great player again.

 

Most of the Kindred column is OK. But the Blitzen stuff at the top is just silly. I guess this childhood experience obviously makes Scott Price distinctly different from other reporters, the vast majority of whom loathed dogs during childhood.

Good point: Price deftly handled a tough subject.

Dumb point: Because of Blitzen, the subject was especially difficult.

"Price's position on dogs?" Oh my.

 

agree 100 percent with frank that the 'blitzen' lead doesn't work; it's a colossal stretch. how many philly reporters covering vick daily are or were once dog owners and lovers? the whole 'oh, my, how did scott price put 'blitzen' out of his mind to write such an even-handed piece?' not dave's best approach.

but far be it for me to ever read anything by mr. kindred and not finish without thinking that he really nailed it somewhere along the way. and he did it again with the ending of this essay, which i dare say beautifully sums up the sentiments of many in 'SportsJournalists.com nation.' after applauding price for a job well done, dave writes:

'That said, I confess that Vick's words leave me cold. Like his lightning-bolt performances, they do nothing for me. There is no fun in watching him, no thrill, nothing. It's as if the laundry, an Eagles jersey, number 7, as empty as its owner's soul, moved by itself. Whatever the 7 did, I saw it and didn't care. That's the oddest feeling, to just not give a damn. Michael Vick is dead to me.'

talk about a chilling 'kicker-graph' worthy of applause...

 

The idea was to show how a writer submerges his biases when reporting a controversial subject. So I thought it was necessary to ask Price his history with dogs ("history" being a better choice than "position"). Maybe Price thought pit bulls were disposable items, bred to be killed, gladiators if you will. Who knows? In any case, I'll accept the charge that the resulting Blitzen lead was too cutesy. That's a risk I sometimes take, like Favre throwing on the run into double coverage, and every now and then somebody catches it. Also, 1) cutesy or not, it was near enough universal to get a reader's attention, and 2) it enabled me, later, to just name my mutts without going on about their Marleyesque eccentricities.

 

Yeah, go try again Dave...

 

My one nitpick with Kindred's article - should have linked in the SI story somewhere.

 

Fixed.