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Taking advantage with press credentials

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by JR119, Jan 4, 2012.

  1. JR119

    JR119 Member

    What are your thoughts on people who abuse press box passes?

    I always found it improper when credentialed journalists were in the press box just to be there and not work.

    They're taking advantage of their press affiliation and I believe it's embarrassing to the company they work for.

    While a good number of journalists are on hand to work and cover the event, there are these non-working credentialed people taking up space (seats) and often adding unneeded noise -- when they're just hanging out watching a game.

    I know we don't make much money in this business, but go buy a ticket.
     
  2. HejiraHenry

    HejiraHenry Well-Known Member

    Like typos and roaches, it's something that has always been with us and always will.

    I have no idea what one-third of the people in the press box at the Music City Bowl were doing the other night. But, with just a couple of exceptions, I assume they were doing something constructive.

    I mainly try to make sure I'm living up to the "working press" tag.
     
  3. rmanfredi

    rmanfredi Active Member

    When I was covering the Galaxy, there was a local radio host who was credentialed and had a spot in the press box. He used to have a regular weekday show on one of the all-sports stations, but had been demoted to fill-in host and update guy. When he did have a show, he was probably the only person in LA who would talk soccer occasionally. But without a show, I had no idea what he was doing there - he would show up, drink his free soda, watch the game and leave. He was very nice and unobtrusive, and most of the time we weren't hurting for spots along the rows at the Home Depot Center, but it was still a little weird and uncomfortable since he wasn't there to actually report on anything, and he didn't have a regular outlet by that point to talk about soccer.
     
  4. JamesCimburek

    JamesCimburek New Member

    Have a couple local radio guys who used to be on the area college broadcasts that are notorious for this. Basically they sit up there and try to converse with the actual working media.

    One of them, a former area high school coach who isn't even an employee of the station, was told several times last season that he isn't supposed to be in the press box during the football games, but the college won't remove him because he's a Hall of Famer.
     
  5. flexmaster33

    flexmaster33 Well-Known Member

    Yes, if you're at the game working use your pass...if you're going for the entertainment of going to a game buy a ticket.
     
  6. sgreenwell

    sgreenwell Well-Known Member

    The state association is normally far worse about this than the media in my area. I was covering the semis of the state basketball tournament last year and had to beg to get the last seat because two entire rows (about 30 seats) were taken by hangers-on of the big private schools who had ins with the state officials.
     
  7. Killick

    Killick Well-Known Member

    I'm of two minds on this, to some degree. Even if you're not covering that specific night or writing a gamer, but you cover that team as part of your job, you'd better damned-well know what happened during the game. So, fine.

    In some of the instances mentioned, though, when the guy (or gal) isn't working even in the most generous sense... kick their ass out in a loud and very manner to embarrass the shit out of 'em.
     
  8. Gator

    Gator Well-Known Member

    Kick their ass out? And just how do you think you're going to do that? They have a credential, don't they?
     
  9. Batman

    Batman Well-Known Member

    Blue font?
    A credential is not a bulletproof vest. There are certain expectations that come with it, many of which are stated very clearly either on the credential itself or at various places of most press boxes.
     
  10. Gator

    Gator Well-Known Member

    I agree that you shouldn't be there when you're not working, but I'm playing devil's advocate. Killick said he was going "kick their ass out" and I assume he meant it as a member of the media. I'm not sure that's possible. Of course I wouldn't be there if I wasn't working, but if I were, and any member of the media attempted to kick me out, I'd promptly tell them to shove it.
     
  11. bigpern23

    bigpern23 Well-Known Member

    This happened to me all the time at my first shop, a weekly, with a Division I men's basketball team in our coverage area. There might have been three games in a week and there was no way I was going to write about all three of them, but I was there for every game.

    I considered being there and talking with people on and around the team part of my job even if I wasn't jotting down notes throughout.

    As for hangers-on, etc., as long as they aren't keeping me from doing my job or keeping a real journalist out of a seat in the box, it doesn't much matter to me if they're allowed there.

    I can't think of a time that I was covering a college or professional game where someone who wasn't a working journalist actually hindered anyone from performing their job.

    Seems like people are more upset that someone is "on their turf" who they feel doesn't deserve to be there.
     
  12. leo1

    leo1 Active Member

    What about the generic media types that cover the local teams in the loosest sense of the word? When I was still in the business 10 or so years ago, I'd see local radio guys at press boxes. These guys nominally discussed all the local teams on their radio shows so I could see the argument for why they'd be there, I guess. They're not doing hardcore reporting but if local afternoon drive time guy needs to be knowledgeable about all the local teams, it makes sense, right? If the team was willing to give them a credential and a spot in the box, I saw no reason to complain about them, other than the one obese dude who worked at a 1,000 watt, daytime only radio station that no one, and I mean no one, had ever heard of.
     
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