Memphis radio host blasts Commercial Appeal

[memphis jim]

Hey guys, I am new here. I have been reading the board for a while but have never posted. I am a journalism student at the University of Memphis. I wanted to ask you guys a question about something that I have been observing here. There is a radio host (his name is Chris Vernon) that has been consistently breaking Grizzlies stories on his blog. The Commercial Appeal has never given him credit. Now he has fired on them in his blog. http://chrisvernon.blogspot.com/2007/07/can-brother-get-some-credit.html

The latest scoop was the radio guy reporting on Monday that the new Grizzlies Gm was in Argentina visiting with Andres Nocioni.
http://chrisvernon.blogspot.com/2007/07/cvernoncom-exclusive-grizzlies-gm.html

Two days later, the CA reported the same news story with no attribution whatsoever. In other words, they did not credit the radio guy or even site any sources of their own. They just wrote the story as matter of fact.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/grizzlies/article/0,1426,MCA_475_5614849,00.html

So my questions are whether the radio guy has a legitimate beef and is the Grizzlies beat writer (Ron Tillery) in the wrong, or is this just another radio guy crying about nothing?

 

[Eagleboy]

I get a lot of stuff like this where I work, and it bothers me to no end. I know how Chris feels.

That being said, as I've learned, if the person can confirm it elsewhere, especially with quotes, regardless of how they found it, it's open material. It sucks, because I can bust myself on something for days and get no credit for it.

Ultimately, I just realize it's not going to change, so I don't say much about it and just take comfort in knowing that if the people don't know, at least the reporters know I'm beating them to the punch every single time.

 

[memphis jim]

That is the thing. The Commercial Appeal story does not indicate that they confirmed it anywhere. There are no quotes or sources in the CA story.

 

[write then drink]

that is a weak job by Memphis not attributing the info two days after it appeared online

weak

 

[mediaguy]

Lifting something and reporting it as fact without confirmation (or at least without written attribution) is weak and, worse, dangerous.

That said, does your local radio drop in attribution on newsy items lifted from newspapers in its every-20-minutes updates? Seems like it works pretty often in the other direction, too. I'm sure there are some radio update guys who are diligent and professional in attribution, but it's not what I'm accustomed to hearing ...

 

[jfs1000]

I get upset when radio stations grab stuff and run it without sourcing where they got it from. I usually try and confirm it elsewhere, or a give credit on the outlet that broke the story. This isn't giving credit, it is covering my backside in case that person is wrong. I don't trust anyone else.

That said, if you get scooped and then go and confirm the info somewhere else, you don't have to give credit. I guess the real question is how long is info out there before it becomes fair use and common knowledge?

An example would be a football recruit. A newspaper or website breaks the story the recruit has committed. If I am writing the next day, I always use a source. But, if I am writing a week later, I don't source it anymore.

I follow a rule of thumb that (is not set in stone) that if it is more than 48 hours after the story is first reported and there is either a direct quote in one story confirming the info, or there is two separate outlets citing sources independently, then I will go without quotes.

But, if the info being reported by one outlet and there is no direct quote or confirmation (a sources said situation) and no other confirmation, I think it is important to give credit and to save your behind by crediting where you got the info from. Obviously, I do this on a case-by-case basis.

 

[Central-KY-Kid]

I'm not sure I'm onto anything here, but check the e-mail of the poster who started this thread and check the photo in Chris Vernon's blog: They both involve bears.

If ESPN Radio in Memphis routinely reads a C-A story without attribution or does so in the near future, Vernon's plea for attribution to himself will lose a lot of steam.

That being said, if the C-A pens a story with no sources given and the story is basically a re-write of something Vernon did in fact break, then the C-A is in the wrong.

 

[chazp]

that is a weak job by Memphis not attributing the info two days after it appeared online

weak

Not to mention LAZY AS HELL! Terrible. Couldn't the beat writer ask someone in the organization about it to confirm? Or would that take too much energy?

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

Thanks for stopping by, Chris.
(SportsJournalists.com generic post.)

 

[Moland Spring]

I don't know Chris Vernon or anything having to do with this issue. My only contribution is that he's awesome.
This is his creation:
I love the Coach O song.