Pittsburgh Trib debacle

[linotype]

If I know **** Scaife and the Pgh Trib, I'm sure this will all be blamed on Bill Clinton.

Seriously, I would bet a testicle that nothing happens. I'm with BYM.

 

[cougargirl]

I wouldn't be surprised if nothing happened - hell, I've seen similar situations on a smaller scale play out in that nothing happens to the reporter. However, I'd go into hiding for a few days had it been my byline on that kind of story.

 

[write then drink]

I wouldn't be surprised if nothing happened - hell, I've seen similar situations on a smaller scale play out in that nothing happens to the reporter. However, I'd go into hiding for a few days had it been my byline on that kind of story.

i wouldn't. then you're a weasel.

you show up at the next event in town, penguins game, pitt hoops - i don't care what it is - and take it like a man

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

You could argue that things are now even at the Pittsburgh newspapers, considering how Chuck Finder and the P-G mishandled the Rich Rodriguez to Alabama story. To Finder's credit however, half of the people covering that story had Rich going to Bama.

 

[cougargirl]

I wouldn't be surprised if nothing happened - hell, I've seen similar situations on a smaller scale play out in that nothing happens to the reporter. However, I'd go into hiding for a few days had it been my byline on that kind of story.

i wouldn't. then you're a weasel.

you show up at the next event in town, penguins game, pitt hoops - i don't care what it is - and take it like a man

Get your gender straight, moron. I'll bet you never make mistakes.

 

[daemon]

Problem is, the paper left itself no shade of gray.

Reporting a guy is signed, sealed and delivered is a lot different from reporting a guy as a leading candidate or even an imminent hire.

They put this on 1A, no?

 

[Write-brained]

The paper has replaced the AP story on Tomlin with it's own - by another reporter.

Here's an interesting paragraph: It was not immediately clear whether the Steelers rescinded an earlier offer made to Grimm or, in fact, had never extended one. A team spokesman declined to comment, and Grimm could not be reached for comment.

 

[cougargirl]

The paper has replaced the AP story on Tomlin with it's own - by another reporter.

Here's an interesting paragraph: It was not immediately clear whether the Steelers rescinded an earlier offer made to Grimm or, in fact, had never extended one. A team spokesman declined to comment, and Grimm could not be reached for comment.

That's a good spin.

 

[daemon]

Just throwing this out there:

What if Grimm was the source, and something whacky really did happen?

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

Just throwing this out there:

What if Grimm was the source, and something whacky really did happen?

The pragmatist in me says that we'll eventually find out in due time if this is the case.

 

[write then drink]

man, unless that source is up at the very top, you have to cover your butt

the story is gone, but Mike wrote it as an absolute. there was no ... "assuming the contracts get signed" or "barring a last-minute snag," or anything. no wiggle room at all

tough one for Mike, who I like. I know how he feels right now

 

[luckyducky]

I wouldn't be surprised if nothing happened - hell, I've seen similar situations on a smaller scale play out in that nothing happens to the reporter. However, I'd go into hiding for a few days had it been my byline on that kind of story.

i wouldn't. then you're a weasel.

you show up at the next event in town, penguins game, pitt hoops - i don't care what it is - and take it like a man

Aside from the gender mixup, I agree with WTD on this. If you write something that turns out to be either wrong or a big mayhem in some way, you suck it up and show up the next day. Otherwise, it just looks like you admit defeat and are trying to not deal with the fallout. The reporter's got to stand up tall, walk in the room/game/locale and take it like a man or woman, which ever gender they may be.

 

[henryhenry]

I wouldn't be surprised if nothing happened - hell, I've seen similar situations on a smaller scale play out in that nothing happens to the reporter. However, I'd go into hiding for a few days had it been my byline on that kind of story.

i wouldn't. then you're a weasel.

you show up at the next event in town, penguins game, pitt hoops - i don't care what it is - and take it like a man

Get your gender straight, moron. I'll bet you never make mistakes.

right. why don't they just shoot the reporter? how dare he make a mistake.

if the steelers intentionally screwed him, it's probably because he's not a lapdog.

 

[cougargirl]

I wouldn't be surprised if nothing happened - hell, I've seen similar situations on a smaller scale play out in that nothing happens to the reporter. However, I'd go into hiding for a few days had it been my byline on that kind of story.

i wouldn't. then you're a weasel.

you show up at the next event in town, penguins game, pitt hoops - i don't care what it is - and take it like a man

Get your gender straight, moron. I'll bet you never make mistakes.

right. why don't they just shoot the reporter? how dare he make a mistake.

if the steelers intentionally screwed him, it's probably because he's not a lapdog.

Which begs the question. Did the Steelers give him the info, or who did? That's the $64,000 question, which will never be answered.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

SInce it's Prisuta, my guess is George Perles.

 

[Write-brained]

I really doubt anyone loses their job over this, even at a respectable paper ... as long as he didn't make up a source or anything ... this crap happens. The editor should know the source and made the call. It really is a big screw up, one that could have been avoided, but it's not a fireable offense unless something unethical occurred.

 

[Write-brained]

You know this is probably what happened: Prisuta got a high-ranking source in the Steelers organization on the phone and asked him to hang up if the new coach was Grimm or stay on the line if it was Tomlin ...

Worked for Bernstein, right?

 

[zagoshe]

I can't believe there are some people actually trying to pooh-pooh this was just a "mistake" or even the ridiculous "Steelers purposely misled" Prisuta -- who is the No. 1 cheerleader of the Steelers in the media in Pittsburgh without a close second, which is saying something given the gushing reviews all things Steelers get in that town -- stuff that I'm reading.

This was much more than a mistake. This was a disaster by the Tribune-Review to say the least.

And it all could have been avoided had the guy who wrote the story left himself some wiggle room in case his source was wrong.

Instead-- he went the whole way and it ended up on A-1 of the Sunday paper -- and was wrong. That's a bad gamble to take on a beat as high-profile as that.

 

[DyePack]

I can't believe there are some people actually trying to pooh-pooh this was just a "mistake" or even the ridiculous "Steelers purposely misled" Prisuta -- who is the No. 1 cheerleader of the Steelers in the media in Pittsburgh without a close second, which is saying something given the gushing reviews all things Steelers get in that town -- stuff that I'm reading.

I can. As long as everyone keeps the standards nice and low, things are fine.

 

[henryhenry]

he's making about $800-$900 a week.
and every mistake is aired in public - potentially fireable.

while most bozos earning three times as much make mistakes nobody ever knows or cares about.

great job. a maximum of risk for a minimum of reward. requires the ethics and purity of a priest, and a vow of poverty, and for every mistake, somebody wants to hang you. great ****ing job.