Mississippi State beat writers vs Louisiana-Lafayette

10-4 good buddy. Rebels to Omaha, but no coon asses.

 

How much you wanna bet an advertiser threatened to pull heir business unless the paper fired the guy?

 

And this is the exact type of fanbase you don't say stupid shit about, because chances are the most delusional, chip-on-their-shoulder wanna-be (athletically, at least) ones will be the most pit bull-ish about not letting this type of stuff pass without a conclusion like this one had.

Or, you could decide not to say stupid shit about any fanbase and put your primary employer (no idea if the radio gig is paying) in the position where they have to deal with unnecessary garbage like this.

You may think it was an overreaction (and I think it was), but Stevens is the one who gave his employer a reason to make this move.

 

This is the exact type of stupid shit you don't say, or write. Period.

The guy learned a tough lesson. I hate that for him, but it's not like it wasn't his own doing.

 

Maybe, but the Commercial-Dispatch is independently owned. So it's not like they got pressure from corporate because Louisiana advertisers were ragin' (pun totally intended).

C-D managing editor Slim Smith, a former sports writer who has a checkered past of his own (Google him if you don't know), apparently pulled the trigger on the firing after first saying it would be a "teachable moment" for Stevens. Here's what he told Romanesko:

http://jimromenesko.com/2014/06/06/mississippi-sportswriter-regrets-calling-lafayette-the-worst-place-in-america/

 

They are hypersensitive down south.

I have a friend who used to cover the SEC who was suspended for a month without pay for using the word redneck in a story. It was about a player who bragged about being a redneck and used the word to describe himself. If the writer made a mistake, and this was ages ago, it was using the word in the lede and not letting the comment come from the player himself. He also thinks people took offense to the story because he was not a southerner. He gathered all kinds of evidence of the word being used in bigger, more reputable papers and finally, a mutual friend of ours just said, "Why don't you just look for a new job." and he did.

In this case, I agree a 1-2 week suspension might have been more warranted than a dismissal.

 

I just read his original comments... He deserved to be fired.

 

I'm from Lafayette, lived my entire life in the area and went to school there. While I no longer live there, it's still dear to my heart. Problem is, he didn't just complain about the facilities being inadequate for media, he attacked an entire region of people. He and his podcast co-host said if you believe in evolution, you'd find Cajuns somewhere between apes and humans. He said he spent 30 minutes driving in the city and never once found a neighborhood suitable for raising a family (guess he didn't make the correct turn a few blocks south into River Ranch).

As a Cajun, I found what he said offensive, but eh it's no big deal to me. Most Cajuns I know thought it was ironic that it was coming from someone who spends the majority of his time in Starkville. He was even invited on the local radio show to explain his views and he apologized for what he wrote and said. Several fans called in and told him 'No sweat, just live and learn.' If there was a push to have him fired, it was a very small, internal push, because most Cajun fans accepted his apology and moved on.

That being said, most people I know don't like that he lost his job. He made a mistake and shouldn't be fired for that. But that's the age we live in now, where our words cast a wider net. I'm just glad Twitter wasn't around when I was first starting out, because I'm pretty sure I wrote some things that would have gotten me in a bunch of trouble when I was just a youngster trying to make a splash.

 

For me, it was the money.

I get why people do it and I get how someone can get probably get deeper into a conversation than they should have because they're in a conversation with someone who only cares about getting people to call in.

That still doesn't excuse what he said. The comments about the press box are unprofessional, the comment about it being the worst place in America is just bad hyperbole. But the comments about the people who live there is the reason he got fired.

 

Not that it matters in Stevens' case, but I found the radio guy's comments WAY more offensive, yet he seems to have flown under the radar. Wonder if he's being targeted, or his bosses told anyone who complained to get screwed, or what.

He's the one who called residents of Lafayette "less than people" and said they are the missing link between apes and humans. Stevens shouldn't have said what he said, but the radio guy sure as shit didn't do him any favors by going down that path.

 

No question. But radio guys almost always have a much longer leash than print guys.

I know more than a few print guys who have gotten into trouble because the radio guys repeat something that the print guys told them, under the assumption that the story would not be repeated.

You don't want to be feeding stories to people who sometimes have to fill four hours a day of air time.

 

The Commercial Dispatch is independently owned (Imes family). I worked there for around six months (hated working in news, particularly in crime because Columbus is extremely racially divided and the crime beat is hell, but loved parts of the town and the paper's management). I actually worked there while Matt was working there, although I never saw him since the main office was in Columbus and his work was in Starkville. Not sure when he started, but he was there when I started in August 2011 so he's been there for at least three years. Never heard of any discipline problems, although I'll say they are somewhat quick to pull a trigger with employees.