Bleacher Report Changes

[Schottey]

OK, much like Goldbach did a few weeks ago...

*full disclosure*

I not only write for B/R, I'm actually employed full-time by them. I am managing editor of an college writing internship (that IS for College Credit). Brad Goldbach was one of my interns in the the previous semester and Andrew Brining (mentioned elsewhere on this site) coordinates the internship part time.

A few things:

New editorial guidelines can be found here: http://bleacherreport.com/pages/editorial-standards-announcement
Basically, people new to the site cannot start writing right away. They need to submit a writing sample. Also, more staff have been hired to be proactive about the quality current writers.

Recently hired new CEO, Brian Grey http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20100616/fox-yahoo-sports-vet-brian-grey-to-run-sports-startup-bleacher-report/
Has worked with Fox Sports and Yahoo! Sports...helped create Yahoo! Fantasy Football.

I have enjoyed reading the opinions about Bleacher Report here from people who work, or have worked, in the field of journalism.

Personally, as a person who has covered the NFL (covered as in being a credentialed member of the media in Minnesota and Detroit, covering the NFL Combine, and having over 100 interviews under my belt,) I am glad to see the NFL opening up its doors more and more every day to non-traditional media. It is harder now for me to get into NFL games than my radio days.

However, that is changing. The NFL and NFLPA are both open to non-traditional media and individual teams have varying degrees of respect for "bloggers."

The rest of American pro sports leagues are already ahead of the game.

 

[playthrough]

Yes, individual teams definitely have varying degrees of respect for "bloggers." At my local team's training camp, an uncredentialed blogger (or anyone else) could attend as a fan and blog/Tweet to their heart's content from the grandstands, while the credentialed journalists on the sidelines couldn't so much as lift a cell phone out of their pockets without a reprimand.

 

[Schottey]

Not really what I meant and unless you think a team should employ signal jammers, I think your anger is displaced.

CBS Rapid Reports are somehow out at the speed of smell, even for teams who have tight media policies. That means that those teams are either bending the rules for CBS or CBS is employing someone to sit in the stands with all of those dirty dirty bloggers. Why can't other publications do the same?

 

[JakeandElwood]

Isn't that a partnership with NFL.com?

 

[playthrough]

Not really what I meant and unless you think a team should employ signal jammers, I think your anger is displaced.

CBS Rapid Reports are somehow out at the speed of smell, even for teams who have tight media policies. That means that those teams are either bending the rules for CBS or CBS is employing someone to sit in the stands with all of those dirty dirty bloggers. Why can't other publications do the same?

I never called bloggers dirty, so don't start that. I just don't understand the paranoia. I mean, I do because it's the NFL. But your average newspaper, sending one person to camp, isn't going to have them blogging in the stands instead of being in the media pen and getting a chance to talk to players afterward. Tell me how a credentialed writer blogging anything from the field is going to upset the apple cart at training camp.

 

[Schottey]

My apologies, I may have had my dander up after continuing to read the B/R threads on here.

I completely agree with you that it is silly for teams to have a lockdown on tweeting or communicating from training camp. It has to be a competitive advantage thing--aimed at other teams not being able to scout that much more. But, somewhat sadly, most beat writers are not NFL caliber coaching/scouting minds so their analysis isn't going to be much more than an opposing coach already knows.

 

[Jersey_Guy]

Seriously, WHY would you have your dander up? Do you honestly not think there's a ton of merit in criticisms of Bleacher Report?

 

[Rhody31]

Not really what I meant and unless you think a team should employ signal jammers, I think your anger is displaced.

CBS Rapid Reports are somehow out at the speed of smell, even for teams who have tight media policies. That means that those teams are either bending the rules for CBS or CBS is employing someone to sit in the stands with all of those dirty dirty bloggers. Why can't other publications do the same?

I never called bloggers dirty, so don't start that. I just don't understand the paranoia. I mean, I do because it's the NFL. But your average newspaper, sending one person to camp, isn't going to have them blogging in the stands instead of being in the media pen and getting a chance to talk to players afterward. Tell me how a credentialed writer blogging anything from the field is going to upset the apple cart at training camp.

Never covered NFL, so I don't know how training camp works, but couldn't you watch practice from the stands, then head to the locker room/press area afterward?

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Not really what I meant and unless you think a team should employ signal jammers, I think your anger is displaced.

CBS Rapid Reports are somehow out at the speed of smell, even for teams who have tight media policies. That means that those teams are either bending the rules for CBS or CBS is employing someone to sit in the stands with all of those dirty dirty bloggers. Why can't other publications do the same?

I never called bloggers dirty, so don't start that. I just don't understand the paranoia. I mean, I do because it's the NFL. But your average newspaper, sending one person to camp, isn't going to have them blogging in the stands instead of being in the media pen and getting a chance to talk to players afterward. Tell me how a credentialed writer blogging anything from the field is going to upset the apple cart at training camp.

Go as a fan and blog from the stands if it is an advantage.

 

[BYH]

Do the changes involve shutting it down?

 

[Stitch]

Or the OP gets an editor? I get the premise of Bleacher Report and I'm fine with fans blogging, but trying to pass it off as professional work is insulting.

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

The Los Angeles Times' Website includes Bleacher Report material as a major part of its coverage.

It could use better editing/quality control/standards/facts/less outlandish speculation/etc., so the move toward raising standards will be interesting to see.

Also:

and having over 100 interviews under my belt,)

I got a kick out of this part. More than ("over," indeed) 100 interviews? Sounds like a good three-four weeks for the average beat jockey.

 

[Schottey]

and having over 100 interviews under my belt,)

I got a kick out of this part. More than ("over," indeed) 100 interviews? Sounds like a good three-four weeks for the average beat jockey.

Yeah, no.

I wasn't counting press conferences or snippets used in columns or post-game recaps. I also wasn't counting post game press junkets were a "beat jockey" gets one question in out of 10 reporters standing there.

I was only counting one-on-one, face-to-face/phone interviews.

Turn your nose down, just a little.

 

[RickStain]

The defensiveness is telling.

 

[BobSacamano]

Hey Schottey,

I read your post, and it all feels like a band-aid on a throbbing wound.

Taking steps toward improving the quality of the material is fantastic, but it's only half the problem. I'm glad to know my Google News feeds might be less cluttered going forward, but when is B/R going to stop cheapening what people are employed to do?

If the Examiner can afford to pay their writers a fraction of a penny with significantly less traffic, then why is there hesitation to provide freelance wages to the writers whose headlines are the very lifeblood of the site?

What's insane is that the Examiner requires its writers to post a minimum of three articles per week, and B/R makes the same request (demand?) of its Featured Columnists -- the first of whom were appointed after last year's disgusting search for writers to get a CBS Rapid Reports gig.

To put it bluntly, when are the more talented/committed writers going to be paid? That's the strongest step you all could take toward legitimizing your product in this industry.

 

[Stitch]

and having over 100 interviews under my belt,)

I got a kick out of this part. More than ("over," indeed) 100 interviews? Sounds like a good three-four weeks for the average beat jockey.

Yeah, no.

I wasn't counting press conferences or snippets used in columns or post-game recaps. I also wasn't counting post game press junkets were a "beat jockey" gets one question in out of 10 reporters standing there.

I was only counting one-on-one, face-to-face/phone interviews.

Turn your nose down, just a little.

If you are a managing editor, then any credibility that BR has should be tossed out because there are thousands of people who can write a grammatically-correct sentence that could use a job. How much does your job pay, $30,000 a year?

 

[BYH]

Counting the number of interviews you've done says it better than any post ever could.

 

[BobSacamano]

Counting the number of interviews you've done says it better than any post ever could.

"Yeah, well, how many notepads did you go through last month? I filled six! BOOYA!"

 

[playthrough]

Not really what I meant and unless you think a team should employ signal jammers, I think your anger is displaced.

CBS Rapid Reports are somehow out at the speed of smell, even for teams who have tight media policies. That means that those teams are either bending the rules for CBS or CBS is employing someone to sit in the stands with all of those dirty dirty bloggers. Why can't other publications do the same?

I never called bloggers dirty, so don't start that. I just don't understand the paranoia. I mean, I do because it's the NFL. But your average newspaper, sending one person to camp, isn't going to have them blogging in the stands instead of being in the media pen and getting a chance to talk to players afterward. Tell me how a credentialed writer blogging anything from the field is going to upset the apple cart at training camp.

Never covered NFL, so I don't know how training camp works, but couldn't you watch practice from the stands, then head to the locker room/press area afterward?

I can't speak to every team's setup. With the team I know, you probably could do that, logistically. But a PR guy might also run you down and ask why he didn't see you in the media holding pen on the sidelines during practice. And saying "I was in the stands blogging" is not the correct answer.

 

[Schottey]

If the Examiner can afford to pay their writers a fraction of a penny with significantly less traffic, then why is there hesitation to provide freelance wages to the writers whose headlines are the very lifeblood of the site?

What's insane is that the Examiner requires its writers to post a minimum of three articles per week, and B/R makes the same request (demand?) of its Featured Columnists -- the first of whom were appointed after last year's disgusting search for writers to get a CBS Rapid Reports gig.

To put it bluntly, when are the more talented/committed writers going to be paid? That's the strongest step you all could take toward legitimizing your product in this industry.

I don't know what the business model of Examiner is. But, generally, the sites that pay a fraction of a penny aren't paying much of anything. I would encourage any top notch B/R writer to move to another site if they think it is a better situation but many of our top writers willingly trade "fractions of pennies" for greater amounts of traffic.

I can speak to the CBS situation, because I was part of it. It was not Bleacher Report who pulled the plug on the search, but CBS responding to the financial climate and the realization that many experienced sports beat writers were seeking work and willing to work for $400/week.