The competition

Fine, but it takes two to be professional. I've had it both ways -- spirited, clean competition and cordial or even friendly relations, and then much more intense where the other guy was sneaky, tried to be buddy-buddy with players, worked for paper that tried to sensationalize everything. Team tried to take high road, hardly anyone cutting off access on the guy, so he wasn't paying any price for bad ways. Made the job a pain in rump.

 

I agree with everything written but we have one competitor who constantly tries to sabotage and/or badmouth us, and me in particular, in the community.

Everyone else? OK. That competitor? Fuck em.

 

my best friends in 25 years in the sports biz have almost always been with "competitors." who do i have more in common with? we try to kick each other's butts but then drink beers together, travel together, dine together, etc.

true pros know where lines are to be drawn. if someone's a dick, he/she's a dick. it's such a shame, 'cause it doesn't have to be an unpleasant relationship.

 

I guess no one's going to touch my AP question ...

I thinik anyone who has worthwhile competition is lucky. It keeps you on your toes and there's no better high than knowing you spanked the other guy.

At the same time, I've had good relationships with people from other papers. It's good-natured. The only time I had someone backstab me is when a weekly got to a witness first and had them promise they wouldn't talk to me until the weekly's story ran - two days later. I told the witness they could do what they want, but they should call the weekly reporter back and spell their name slowly because the weekly was notorious for misspelling names and getting facts wrong.

She changed her mind and talked to me there and then.

 

Don't know the answer to your AP question W_B because even if the guy is following you around he can claim he's just working the story the same way you are. Sucks but I don't know what the recourse is.
As for the thing with the weekly, because their guy was a douchebag you turned to the unethical practice of bad-mouthing him to get a source to talk to you.
Good thing there was no free food.

 

Sorry to neglect you, Mr. Write. I've dealt with the AP on several occasions and never really had a problem. No one should be piggy-backing off you for a substantial amount of time -- AP, local competition, ADs. While it's important to poke and prod for information, there's better way to go about it than by asking a journalist. Ask the SID or AD, ask the coach, ask the players. Having AP on your back, so to speak, doesn't entitle you to any special treatment, in my opinion.

And you're right. Good competition fosters better results -- especially for me. I love the thrill of competition. That's what elevates my game. But I always have gotten along with anyone on the other side -- TV, newspapers, etc. Being a good person is easy to do. Anyone who shuts you out because of where you work, can bite the curb ... or something like that.

 

Keep banging that drum, Chief, one of these days you might be right ...

Not unethical if I was telling the truth. And I was. If you're going to fuck with another newspaper you should expect something back ...

 

Sorry, W_B, you can't spout "ethics" over something trivial and then bad-mouth -- true or not -- the competition to get an interview.
In my mind, what you did was unethical. Because the weekly guys was a dick, you decided to be a bigger dick.

 

Go ahead and eat the free food, Spnited, I don't give a damn. Your repeated attacks on me aren't going to make it anymore proper.

 

Pardon me for expressing the opinion that bad-mouthing the competition to get an interview is unethical.

Have a happy I Don't Accept Free Meals Day!

 

I was being honest. If that's unethical, so be it.