On why everyone should be a sportswriter for a little while...

There is that.

 

Any of us could do their jobs?

I don't think so.

 

Wow. As a newsie who doesn't look down at sportswriters I found this little blog post to be rather presumptous and pompous, and I caution you guys from taking it as gospel. I agree sportswriting is a good playground to learn narrative because all the players, plot lines, conflicts and resolutions are presented to you in a nice neat little package.

I didn't notice any reference to cops reporting in his little manifesto, which is a rather large omission on his part. I would argue that all reporters should start as police reporters because all or most of those aspects are there but it also pushes you to be a better reporter, which is also a key part of being a good narrative writer. Gary Smith is a very good writer but a better reporter.

To say we newsies don't routinely write on 15 minute deadlines is an insult. And for someone to say everyone on here can do my job is an insult. I noticed on the Virginia Tech thread that there were quite a few people on here who don't have the stomach to do my job. That's fine.

Just remember in the three months I've been coming on here I've never put down what you all do ...

 

Write-brained, you're dead-on. I'm always stunned at people here who claim that news is easy street. I consider myself a pretty good reporter, and I have found myself red faced at times about something they know how to do that I wouldn't. For example, a shooting occurs. I wouldn't know where to begin to search out the details. Does each police department operate separately? Is there a standard procedure? I dunno.

To say "any of us can do their jobs" just blows my mind. I've known plenty of sports writers who duck out the second the going gets tough. I would say the majority of sports writers are uncomfortable with hard news on their beats.

Do you realize how much is spoon fed to us? News isn't like that. And sports shouldn't be, but it often is, because it's easier that way.

We're really structured. Some people like it that way. Others (like me) don't always (though the games certainly are a nice perk).

 

Both news and sports get enough information fed to them to fill a newspaper. Plenty of news stories are based off press releases and routine phone calls ("What happened in your precinct last night?"), just as plenty of sports stories are based off games.

The reporters who stand out are the ones who routinely go beyond that and find the stories/information that is not there on the surface. That is no truer in news than it is in sports.

 

You're missing the point. Ever try to write a narrative off a press release? It doesn't work.

You have to find people, find information for a decent narrative. Newsies typically have to write narratives based on events they didn't see, which means they have to do their best to recreate it. That takes reporting and initiative. If you're just writing off press releases and news conferences - news or sports - you're not doing your job.

 

By the way, I'm not demeaning sports writing. I'm just defending news reporting.

I agree that writing about a sports event can be very challenging. It takes a lot of skill to do it right. The good ones just make it look easy.

 

Best line I've seen in Sports Reporting recently: From the BBC

But then, Cricket's a Funny Game.

 

Write-brained, I see where you're coming from and agree there should be equal respect for the news reporters who do it right.

But here's a basic premise to the argument: I wasn't trained as a sports journalist, I was trained as a journalist who happened to specialize in sports. My j-school experiences were all based on news examples and assignments, not sports.

If I am called upon to "pinch hit" for news - covering a school board meeting or fire call or whatever - I can. There is not a single person in my small newsroom who could accurately cover a baseball game if I were unable to.

 

Exactly what point am I missing by saying that, in both news and sports, the best reporters are the ones who go beyond what is spoon-fed to them?

Good sports reporters do a hell of a lot more than watch games and write about them in a clever way. You talk about how newsies often have to recreate events they didn't see by finding people and information. Any sports writer who is not doing that is not worth his weight as a reporter.

 

You make a valid point but a news reporter can't write a narrative story without making that extra effort. A sports reporter can just by writing what he saw, though obviously it's not going to be as good as if he/she doesn't do extra reporting.

 

That's a shame. I can cover and have covered many sports events in my time - everything from high school football to semi-pro baseball to bike racing. It would be a good idea for editors to make a reporter cover a game now and then.