What would you do?

If the paramedics are called and she's wrapped in blankets and looking catatonic on the sideline, then no, it's not enough to just say she had an undisclosed illness. You need to describe the scene and at the very least go with the coach's no comment. But the reporter needs to talk to the sister, the parents and teammates (assuming the girl is in no shape to talk).

 

Why does the public need to know why she passed out? You wouldn't necessarily get this information from a pro football team, you don't need it from a high school coach.

And very hard to understand why you'd try to 'protect' the girl by suggesting a lie, while simultaneously investigating what you assume to be an eating disorder, based on an overheard and unsubstantiated rumor.

She fainted, received medical attention, and did not play. The end.

 

Disagree, awriter. There really is no need to say anything more than she had an undisclosed illness/injury.

Especially since it seems rpm was given no concrete answer as to what was wrong.

What if he had assumed it was one thing and it wound up being something else? Methinks him and his paper would be in hot water.

 

I would seriously look into doing a story on how prevalent it is for athletes (primarily girls I presume) are using athletics as a way to loose weight in a perhaps unhealthy way and what the coaches look for to discourage girls being so low on fuel that they pass out.

 

No.
Just wondering where exactly journalism is headed when people in the industry don't know how to handle the most basic situations.

 

Notepad:
I've ripped more people for exactly that than anyone on the board.
I think rpm actually wrote the right thing but his original post came off much differently than he intended.
It still isn't as bad as signing on here on deadline on a Friday night to ask for football stats help.

 

So I need some help. Is it Joe Blow had 24 carries for 34 yards, or Joe Blow was tackled for a loss on most his 24 carries and gained 34 measly yards?

 

It goes like this:

If Joe Blow is on the home team, you say: "Joe Blow wriggled his way to a tough 34 yards on two-dozen totes against the Guanos' rugged defense.

If Joe Blow is on the away team you say: The Podunk Plodders held All-State candidate Joe Blow in check all night, limiting him to a measly 34 yards on 24 carries.

(Technically, everyone is an all-state candidate, so even if Mr. Blow is mediocre, it's not a lie.)

 

The problem is very simple. Too many young writers now want to win awards, and don't have a freaking clue how to report, cultivate sources, etc.

And just so you know, I am not old, just old-school.
By coming on here and asking a question such as the one that was asked at the start of this thread, it is very apparent rpm doesn't know the basic foundations of journalism.

You can all commence to ripping me if you'd like now. But the truth sometimes hurts.

 

Yeah, well, I'd rather have someone trying to learn than somone afraid to ask and just winging it.

rpm:

1. Just because you overhead something doesn't make it true. You'll be amazed at how certain and wrong people can be.

2. Never lead a coach/source into saying something, especially something you don't believe to be true.

3. Often it's better not to report something all at when you don't have all the facts.

4. What you see at a game might be the seed for a bigger, better story later on and not something to deal with RIGHT THEN.

 

Sometimes I do not understand the need to rip people on this board. As spnited pointed out, it's not like rpm came on here asking for help as he wrote the story. He was asking for opinions after the fact. Based on what he wrote on the thread, he handled this just fine in the story. What is so wrong with him wanting to discuss it later?

Regarding athletes endangering their healthy while trying to lose weight, I have seen stories on something called anorexia athletica, which seems to fit what has been mentioned. Former Connecticut basketball player Shea Ralph has talked quite a bit about having this problem during her playing days.

Here are a couple of links I found on the subject.

http://caringonline.com/eatdis/topics/athletics.htm

http://www.eatingdisordersonline.com/explain/anorathletica.php

Edit: Well put, Ace and buckweaver.

 

To my point exactly.
And it is not necessarily an indictment on rpm. I am trying to get across that his/her employer should be sure he/she knows those things before they are hired.