Oklahoma student newspaper does basic reporting, gets media session canceled

[daemon]

It was dumb of them to reveal how they got the initial information. Once you get the dad on the phone confirming, you've got what you need. Even if you don't, just cite a "source who watched practice."

 

[Alma]

I don't get Alma and Paper Clip. The buzzword that sports editors like to throw around is "enterprise." Simply, I know it to mean go get your own stories, don't wait for what is given to you.

What don’t you get? I said you can do it once. They did.

And I’ll concede if you don’t care what any of these coaches or players think of you, and you don’t care about access, then you can do all kinds of things, I suppose. Go ask any news org if that’s what they want. “Yeah, go burn those bridges with binoculars and spend the next several months/years getting crapped on in pursuit of the larger truths.”

Of course it’s access journalism. What is it people think is practiced at every level of the business? Almost all Reporters, by their nature, are empathetic people who, if they err, do so on the side of working with and protecting sources. They often too readily see it from the coach’s or mayor’s or politician’s perspective, because reporting needs the oxygen of sourcing.

you lose that oxygen…I’m not saying you can’t do it the other way, because you can. But it’s lonelier, and harder, and you get several years into these roles, and what you really want is to be “privy.”

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

How many times do they need to do it?

 

[sgreenwell]

How many times do they need to do it?

but what if there was a murder, or worse, a war on christmas by the twitter cools

 

[wicked]

I can't believe we're arguing over this two days later.

Fact is, this is as much a ****up on the OU football program's end as anything.

 

[Alma]

This is pretty good. Apparently it wasn't Lincoln Riley's decision, for example, to cut off the beat media.

Guerin Emig: Let's try to learn something from the OU Daily's quarterbacks story, and how OU retaliated

Probably the one question it doesn't answer - is why none of the other news media outlets did what the OU Daily did, going into some public building and tracking QB snaps to a closed football practice. But the answer, of course, is what I've already written. Because it'll burn bridges.

 

[Alma]

I can't believe we're arguing over this two days later.

We're not arguing about anything.

The reporters told the truth, broke a story, and sparked the ire of the OU admin. All facts. My take is the binoculars thing can be done once. Is that in dispute? My second take is, hell yes, access journalism plays a role for a lot of these folks. If the coaches and players freeze out the media, it becomes very boring and quiet indeed. Is that in dispute?

 

[Oggiedoggie]

If you’re taking what you’re being spoon fed and making marshmallow sundaes everyday in as new and creative ways as possible, you’re probably going to be a little irked when some young whippersnappers figure out how to get their hands on some meat and potatoes and those in charge of the kitchen react by locking the pantry down tight and you can no longer get any of the sweet stuff and have to think up some other recipes on your own.

 

[Col. Nathan R. Jessup]

It was dumb of them to reveal how they got the initial information. Once you get the dad on the phone confirming, you've got what you need. Even if you don't, just cite a "source who watched practice."

This is a good debate that should have been had in the newsroom or classroom.

I listen to and read Brian Stelter often, as he laments the fall of journalism and how it can be saved. The idea he’s most keen on, in terms of restoring public trust, is to reveal the process reporters go through in gathering news. I tend to agree with him, so I think the student reporters’ honesty in this case is a good thing, but there can be a longer discussion about what would have been the better way to handle it.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

The kids could have avoided this just by using a clipboard and a confident wave.

 

[User 150927]

This is a good debate that should have been had in the newsroom or classroom.

I listen to and read Brian Stelter often, as he laments the fall of journalism and how it can be saved. The idea he’s most keen on, in terms of restoring public trust, is to reveal the process reporters go through in gathering news. I tend to agree with him, so I think the student reporters’ honesty in this case is a good thing, but there can be a longer discussion about what would have been the better way to handle it.

I agree. I think the more that people understand how reporters work, the better it is for journalism. That said, we have all protected sources over the years. So, to me this begs the question, do you protect yourself? If you are your own source, if you see something you're not supposed to see or you're not being allowed to see, and then report it do you use the bland 'sources say' and protect yourself? Is that what we're talking about?

 

[ChrisLong]

Tricky getting the story vs. maintaining your relationship with the coach. But the point is, the coach tried to hide something and it got found out. IT ALWAYS DOES. Nixon-Watergate, Bosox pitchers drinking whiskey and eating fried chicken during a playoff game, all the other stupid **** people do that eventually gets reported, Trump will get his at some point.
The kid reporters did a good job. Coach screwed up. Why criticize the reporters??

 

[justgladtobehere]

Tricky getting the story vs. maintaining your relationship with the coach. But the point is, the coach tried to hide something and it got found out. IT ALWAYS DOES. Nixon-Watergate, Bosox pitchers drinking whiskey and eating fried chicken during a playoff game, all the other stupid **** people do that eventually gets reported, Trump will get his at some point.
The kid reporters did a good job. Coach screwed up. Why criticize the reporters??

You're conflating two stories. The Red Sox dld shots before the 2004 ALCS against the Yankees. It wasn't much of a story; just something Kevin Millar bragged about. 'Chicken and beer' was in 2011 when the starters would get Popeyes and pound Buds late in games while the team was in an epic collapse.

 

[ChrisLong]

You're conflating two stories. The Red Sox dld shots before the 2004 ALCS against the Yankees. It wasn't much of a story; just something Kevin Millar bragged about. 'Chicken and beer' was in 2011 when the starters would get Popeyes and pound Buds late in games while the team was in an epic collapse.

Regardless, those were things that they probably didn't want to get out, but they did.

 

[Patchen]

While I applaud the student reporters, I also think it's important to properly weigh what they did. The No. 1 quarterback was always going to be revealed on Saturday and it was always most likely not going to be Rattler. This isn't exposing some great injustice that would go unreported. It's closer to Woj and Shams tweeting out a transaction that would be officially revealed in a few minutes anyway.
They used binoculars to confirm what most people suspected. Good work. But I don't think that's a slam-dunk ideal way to work. Lots of reporters could probably sneak around and confirm something - do we want to be that profession about a football game? Over the long haul, it's probably not wise.
Talking to the dad is no problem. That's better reporting than the binoculars.

 

[spikechiquet]

If you’re taking what you’re being spoon fed and making marshmallow sundaes everyday in as new and creative ways as possible, you’re probably going to be a little irked when some young whippersnappers figure out how to get their hands on some meat and potatoes and those in charge of the kitchen react by locking the pantry down tight and you can no longer get any of the sweet stuff and have to think up some other recipes on your own.

Awesome analogy. I'm not in sports anymore and have to create pretty much all my content from "thin air" by coaxing sources to share their insights daily now for a trade publication but it makes me remember how much of my DI college coverage at a daily was SID/game reaction-fed with little to no actual digging. Hindsight being what it is.
I'm in the process of doing the equivalent of a rolled-up newspaper to a new puppy with my latest employee who waits for press releases to write something instead of coming up with original content. I was the same way when I started this gig a few years ago. I couldn't go back, I think, to just responding to only what the subjects gave me.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

If the coaches and players freeze out the media, it becomes very boring and quiet indeed. Is that in dispute?

Ahh yes, I forgot pandemic-era (and far before that for the NFL, NBA and big-time college programs) access is so interesting and loud.

 

[Alma]

Tricky getting the story vs. maintaining your relationship with the coach. But the point is, the coach tried to hide something and it got found out.

The coach didn't hide anything. Not announcing who your starting QB is doesn't equate to "hiding" something. Football practices are often closed.

 

[dixiehack]

Alma, you were unenthusiastic (at best) about what these reporters did, and you also are critical of reporters who stay within the lines to get access. What are some examples of reporting that do pass muster with you?

 

[dixiehack]