APSE president's message

[Philkaplan]

This is the president's message in the APSE conference guide for Boston. Feedback encouraged.

http://apsportseditors.org/newsletter/presidents-message-apse-has-forged-ahead-despite-many-obstacles/

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

Re: APSE president's messgae

It's encouraging that Phil is seeking feedback in this venue, because in the past a couple of former APSE presidents have told us it's none of our business how they run the contest unless we are card-carrying APSE members. I'm not going to ID the assholes or resurrect old arguments here, but I think Phil deserves some praise for showing signs of recognizing that APSE can't presume to speak for all of sports journalism and then retreat into a private club at the first sign we are bitching. Maybe I'm reading too much into this gesture today, but I hope not.

Otherwise, not much to offer feedback on, since his column is the obligatory conference opener and I'd probably say the same type of thing in that situation. I hope Phil will invite our feedback when his columns become more detailed on issues.

 

[imjustagirl]

Re: APSE president's messgae

Jack Berninger is a prince among men. I can't say much about the rest.

 

[HanSenSE]

Re: APSE president's messgae

Otherwise, not much to offer feedback on, since his column is the obligatory conference opener and I'd probably say the same type of thing in that situation. I hope Phil will invite our feedback when his columns become more detailed on issues.

Agreed ... but is diversity really the biggest problem we're facing today? Forgive me for speaking out of place, but, I (like a lot of others, I imagine) am in a spot where we're being asked to do more with less space and resources, management that doesn't seem to care unless it's a new app or we can put it online and/or spends money on anything but the newsroom, and it would be nice to get a wage one can live on in 2011 rather than 2008, and one of the largest bodies in our industy makes the key point of the opening address ... diversity? A good thing, but something I can't worry about unless there's a job to offer, and in case nobody's noticed, the trend seems to be the opposite.

 

[lone star scribe]

Otherwise, not much to offer feedback on, since his column is the obligatory conference opener and I'd probably say the same type of thing in that situation. I hope Phil will invite our feedback when his columns become more detailed on issues.

Agreed ... but is diversity really the biggest problem we're facing today? Forgive me for speaking out of place, but, I (like a lot of others, I imagine) am in a spot where we're being asked to do more with less space and resources, management that doesn't seem to care unless it's a new app or we can put it online and/or spends money on anything but the newsroom, and it would be nice to get a wage one can live on in 2011 rather than 2008, and one of the largest bodies in our industry makes the key point of the opening address ... diversity? A good thing, but something I can't worry about unless there's a job to offer, and in case nobody's noticed, the trend seems to be the opposite.

Agreed. This is head in the sand pleasantries. Diversity might have been our biggest problem a decade ago. Now it's survival. Newsrooms are shrinking, not just sports departments. More teams and schools are producing their own news on their websites, bypassing the mainstream media which no longer has the resources to cover what they did as recently as 5-6 years ago.

Diversity in hiring? How about hiring in general? Or not downsizing? Sorry, Phil just completely whiffed on that one.

 

[sportsguydave]

Otherwise, not much to offer feedback on, since his column is the obligatory conference opener and I'd probably say the same type of thing in that situation. I hope Phil will invite our feedback when his columns become more detailed on issues.

Agreed ... but is diversity really the biggest problem we're facing today? Forgive me for speaking out of place, but, I (like a lot of others, I imagine) am in a spot where we're being asked to do more with less space and resources, management that doesn't seem to care unless it's a new app or we can put it online and/or spends money on anything but the newsroom, and it would be nice to get a wage one can live on in 2011 rather than 2008, and one of the largest bodies in our industry makes the key point of the opening address ... diversity? A good thing, but something I can't worry about unless there's a job to offer, and in case nobody's noticed, the trend seems to be the opposite.

Agreed. This is head in the sand pleasantries. Diversity might have been our biggest problem a decade ago. Now it's survival. Newsrooms are shrinking, not just sports departments. More teams and schools are producing their own news on their websites, bypassing the mainstream media which no longer has the resources to cover what they did as recently as 5-6 years ago.

Diversity in hiring? How about hiring in general? Or not downsizing? Sorry, Phil just completely whiffed on that one.

Second, seconded, and seconded. On our list of problems, diversity is way down the list.

 

[YankeeFan]

Otherwise, not much to offer feedback on, since his column is the obligatory conference opener and I'd probably say the same type of thing in that situation. I hope Phil will invite our feedback when his columns become more detailed on issues.

Agreed ... but is diversity really the biggest problem we're facing today? Forgive me for speaking out of place, but, I (like a lot of others, I imagine) am in a spot where we're being asked to do more with less space and resources, management that doesn't seem to care unless it's a new app or we can put it online and/or spends money on anything but the newsroom, and it would be nice to get a wage one can live on in 2011 rather than 2008, and one of the largest bodies in our industry makes the key point of the opening address ... diversity? A good thing, but something I can't worry about unless there's a job to offer, and in case nobody's noticed, the trend seems to be the opposite.

Agreed. This is head in the sand pleasantries. Diversity might have been our biggest problem a decade ago. Now it's survival. Newsrooms are shrinking, not just sports departments. More teams and schools are producing their own news on their websites, bypassing the mainstream media which no longer has the resources to cover what they did as recently as 5-6 years ago.

Diversity in hiring? How about hiring in general? Or not downsizing? Sorry, Phil just completely whiffed on that one.

Second, seconded, and seconded. On our list of problems, diversity is way down the list.

I just love how liberal, white males can preach diversity for everyone else and then reject it for their own industry because it might hurt their own employment prospects.

Typical of the "do as I say, not as I do" attitude of many liberals.

So, what industries are healthy enough for diversity to be important? Who gets to decide?

Cops and teachers have been laid off all over the country, should diversity be rejected by schools & police forces too?

If diversity is important - and I believe it is -- then its importance is not determined by the health of individual industries.

 

[dooley_womack1]

No one's saying diversity isn't important. What's being said is that it's a silly issue to make the keynote when no one of any race is being hired and layoffs are affecting everyone of all races. You would presumably deal with the key issue in your keynote address. Diversity ain't it right now.

 

[YankeeFan]

No one's saying diversity isn't important. What's being said is that it's a silly issue to make the keynote when no one of any race is being hired and layoffs are affecting everyone of all races. You would presumably deal with the key issue in your keynote address. Diversity ain't it right now.

So, drop it down just far enough on your list of priorities that you never get to it?

Because that's how it works. If it's not a priority, it will be ignored.

 

[pressmurphy]

Cops and teachers have been laid off all over the country, should diversity be rejected by schools & police forces too?

If diversity is important - and I believe it is -- then its importance is not determined by the health of individual industries.

The police department and the school district where I live may lay off a few people from time to time. But they aren't in danger of going belly-up at some point soon. I can't say the same about my newspaper.

 

[YankeeFan]

Cops and teachers have been laid off all over the country, should diversity be rejected by schools & police forces too?

If diversity is important - and I believe it is -- then its importance is not determined by the health of individual industries.

The police department and the school district where I live may lay off a few people from time to time. But they aren't in danger of going belly-up at some point soon. I can't say the same about my newspaper.

OK, so newspapers should be exempt from making diversity a priority?

Who else should be exempt? Ford? GM? Who else?

Who decides?

 

[dooley_womack1]

GM's keynote should be about competing/cooperating with Japan. Tho I suspect you're just lib trolling at this point and debating is silly

 

[YankeeFan]

GM's keynote should be about competing/cooperating with Japan. Tho I suspect you're just lib trolling at this point and debating is silly

It's not silly.

Is diversity a priority or not?

If it's not, make the case. Go ahead. But don't pretend that journalism is the one industry that your case will apply to.

Don't act like it's not extremely disingenuous for liberals and/or the media to preach the importance of diversity for all -- except for themselves.

History shows that when diversity is not a priority, it is ignored. So, if journalism does not prioritize diversity, it will likely be ignored.

 

[Versatile]

GM's keynote should be about competing/cooperating with Japan. Tho I suspect you're just lib trolling at this point and debating is silly

It's not silly.

Is diversity a priority or not?

If it's not, make the case. Go ahead. But don't pretend that journalism is the one industry that your case will apply to.

Don't act like it's not extremely disingenuous for liberals and/or the media to preach the importance of diversity for all -- except for themselves.

History shows that when diversity is not a priority, it is ignored. So, if journalism does not prioritize diversity, it will likely be ignored.

I think you're misunderstanding some complaints. People are not saying that diversity isn't important or should be forgotten. (OK, maybe some are, but not all the critics in this thread make that point.) I think the general consensus seems to be that it would be nice to hear the president of the Associated Press Sports Editors talk about what we can do to prolong our industry and possibly even create jobs -- jobs that, in theory, could be filled by diverse candidates.

I do believe diversity is important, but I also believe that right now, hiring isn't exactly commonplace. If you're not hiring, you're not hiring anyone regardless of background. So I'm not sure how diversity is the biggest issue facing sports journalism right now.

That's not to say it has no place at the conference. It does. But I would love a keynote address that focused on revitalizing the industry and producing content that readers might actually pay for again.

 

[dooley_womack1]

Vesatile, YF already tipped his hand about media equaling libruhl. I wish the other shoe would drop (Libbruhls/media sure cared about diversity inthe case of _____)

 

[YankeeFan]

Vesatile, YF already tipped his hand about media equaling libruhl. I wish the other shoe would drop (Libbruhls/media sure cared about diversity inthe case of _____)

Well of course the hypocrisy is what makes it so astonishing -- and not just in the case of the industry as a whole, but more especially in terms of specific posters like Dave.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Vesatile, YF already tipped his hand about media equaling libruhl. I wish the other shoe would drop (Libbruhls/media sure cared about diversity inthe case of _____)

Bingo. And after all his years in newsrooms, he's qualified to make such statements.

Back to APSE, Phil is good people. But he's in a tough spot with the keynote given the state of the industry.

 

[YankeeFan]

Vesatile, YF already tipped his hand about media equaling libruhl. I wish the other shoe would drop (Libbruhls/media sure cared about diversity inthe case of _____)

Bingo. And after all his years in newsrooms, he's qualified to make such statements.

Back to APSE, Phil is good people. But he's in a tough spot with the keynote given the state of the industry.

LOL. I'm sure the guys & gals at your paper who cover sports, the cops beat, City Hall, education, and business are all qualified to comment about those fields, right?

And, I guess if a sportswriter hasn't worked in sports, he shouldn't comment on the diversity among GMs, coaches, team presidents, etc., right?

The issue here is diversity. Changing the industry doesn't change the issue.

It's either a priority or it's not. People here are stating that it should not be a priority -- in their industry. That's not a consistent viewpoint.

If it's going to be a priority in one industry -- and if the media as been at the forefront of insisting that it be a priority -- then it should be a priority in all industries, including journalism.

 

[Drip]

Here's a fact, this business is quick to chastise another industry about diversity and has a poor record of leading by example. This industry right now is fighting for existence so diversity isn't a big issue. However, when the few jobs that are opening aren't being given to minorities, well....

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

Good grief. I entirely agree that diversity shouldn't be an issue only when it's a convenient time for whitey -- as if it's a gift rather than a basic right and we can stop paying attention to it when times get tough, like buying a couple fewer stocking stuffers at Christmas. But dragging left-vs.-right politics into this thread is a rude, uninformed and irrelevant move.