Ridiculous AP Gamer

[Doc Holliday]

I read this yesterday and couldn't believe it came from the Associated Press. Since when did it become fact that a game is unwatchable or that a game was more like a painful exercise of poor passing? This is what's wrong with journalism today, writers injecting their own opinions as fact. What's worse is this is AP, which used to be the standard. Now it's just like every other fanboy website. I'm sure the asswipe who wrote this thinks he's awfully clever. I'd have thrown this **** back in his face and said who, what, when, where, how --- you work for AP ****tard, not the Huffington Post.

A lead I would have ****-canned immediately:

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Blake Bortles put together one decent drive all day, doing as much with his legs as his arm, and the defensive-minded Jacksonville Jaguars eked out an ugly and sometimes unwatchable 10-3 victory against the Buffalo Bills in an AFC wild-card game Sunday.


The paragraph that made me quit reading:

This was far from a passing clinic. It was more like a painful exercise in overcoming poor passing.


The full story:

Bills vs. Jaguars - Game Recap - January 7, 2018 - ESPN

 

[Kato]

It's also a sign of lack of editing, which is a bigger problem AP has.

 

[Liut]

It's also a sign of lack of editing, which is a bigger problem AP has.

Dickie Dunn!

 

[cranberry]

I didn't like it and it could have been tightened up in a way that worked, but I'd guess the straight lede that preceded it was fine if you wanted just the facts.

I will say that the quote he was building the writethru around gave legitimacy to his lede, but it reads like he was just trying to say something to support the quote...

"We weren't sharp, we made some bad plays and did some stupid stuff, but we found a way to win and that's all that matters," Bortles said.

But the AP has gone way downhill since I was there. Shame really.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I will say that the quote he was building the writethru around gave legitimacy to his lede, but it reads like he was just trying to say something to support the quote...

"We weren't sharp, we made some bad plays and did some stupid stuff, but we found a way to win and that's all that matters," Bortles said.

I thought the same thing when I read it. He's trying to support his ****ty writing with a quote that says something along the same line. Total bull**** reporting.

 

[cranberry]

I thought the same thing when I read it. He's trying to support his ****ty writing with a quote that says something along the same line. Total bull**** reporting.

Probably more like he needed to file the writethru in about five minutes, that was the quote he wanted to use and he wrote a crappy lede around it. I've been in those situations when the words don't come right to you, but the desk failed him and the subscribers by failing to at least tighten the lede if not re-write it entirely. It reads like the desk just let it fly.

 

[As The Crow Flies]

I don't think this one will be in the game story HOF, but man, I've seen (and probably written) a whole lot worse.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I don't think this one will be in the game story HOF, but man, I've seen (and probably written) a whole lot worse.

It's not about you or what you're writing. It's about AP and what is expected of AP. They were once the standard of journalism --- fair, impartial, always in the middle. They were the standard for unbiased reporting. I doubt you, me or any of us ever were the standard.

Unfortunately, they suck ass now like fanboy wannabes.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

At the risk of getting flamed, the only problem I had with the lede was "ugly and sometimes unwatchable." The latter two words definitely should have been spiked, and I'm fine with the argument that the story describes the ugliness without the writer mentioning it. The rest of the lede, though, is pretty inarguable.

I do agree the passing clinic graph was unnecessary and should have been spiked.

 

[goalmouth]

This thread reminds me of the brouhaha at AP when they dropped "brouhaha" from the stylebook.

 

[sporty]

What you have to understand about AP is certain writers are given more latitude than others. They want to be more analytical but there is no universal approach to being that. My guess is this is a veteran reporter with a lot of freedom.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

What you have to understand about AP is certain writers are given more latitude than others. They want to be more analytical but there is no universal approach to being that. My guess is this is a veteran reporter with a lot of freedom.

I’d guess the same. The writer in question is starting his 19th year with AP. (And yes, the two editorializing passages belong on the cutting room floor.)

 

[Slacker]

Let's hope an in-house review is under way underway.

 

[tapintoamerica]

Let's hope an in-house review is under way underway.

Preferably with a blue-ribbon panel.

 

[lcjjdnh]

I read this yesterday and couldn't believe it came from the Associated Press. Since when did it become fact that a game is unwatchable or that a game was more like a painful exercise of poor passing? This is what's wrong with journalism today, writers injecting their own opinions as fact. What's worse is this is AP, which used to be the standard. Now it's just like every other fanboy website. I'm sure the asswipe who wrote this thinks he's awfully clever. I'd have thrown this **** back in his face and said who, what, when, where, how --- you work for AP ****tard, not the Huffington Post.

A lead I would have ****-canned immediately:

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Blake Bortles put together one decent drive all day, doing as much with his legs as his arm, and the defensive-minded Jacksonville Jaguars eked out an ugly and sometimes unwatchable 10-3 victory against the Buffalo Bills in an AFC wild-card game Sunday.


The paragraph that made me quit reading:

This was far from a passing clinic. It was more like a painful exercise in overcoming poor passing.


The full story:

Bills vs. Jaguars - Game Recap - January 7, 2018 - ESPN

God forbid someone actually try to make a story interesting for a reader....

There is no such thing as a purely “factual” story. Every story reflects the writer’s opinions about what was important and the story he wants to tell. You’re deceiving yourself and your readers if you think otherwise.

 

[Doc Holliday]

At the risk of getting flamed, the only problem I had with the lede was "ugly and sometimes unwatchable." The latter two words definitely should have been spiked, and I'm fine with the argument that the story describes the ugliness without the writer mentioning it. The rest of the lede, though, is pretty inarguable.

I do agree the passing clinic graph was unnecessary and should have been spiked.

No argument from me. And you have every right to your opinion, to which I also completely agree. It's those two phrases that you mention that I also specifically pointed out in the initial post as having a problem with. With some editing, the lead is fine. As it is, though, it's just a pile of dog ****.

 

[Doc Holliday]

God forbid someone actually try to make a story interesting for a reader....

There is no such thing as a purely “factual” story. Every story reflects the writer’s opinions about what was important and the story he wants to tell. You’re deceiving yourself and your readers if you think otherwise.

Make it interesting? Ok, let's make up **** and throw our opinion around to make it interesting. **** the truth. How's that? Is that what you want? How long you been in this business? Three, four years? You've got no clue.

 

[jr/shotglass]

God forbid someone actually try to make a story interesting for a reader....

There is no such thing as a purely “factual” story. Every story reflects the writer’s opinions about what was important and the story he wants to tell. You’re deceiving yourself and your readers if you think otherwise.

You seem to have an aversion to the what-where-who. You're not there to write great American prose, especially if you're wire service. You're there to present facts.

 

[lcjjdnh]

Not a journalist. Just someone who understands that the “truth” is a much more sophisticated concept than either of you appear to grasp. The selection of the what-where-who inherently represents the writer’s opinion about those topics. And there’s nothing wrong with a journalist providing the reader with a retrospective analysis of what occurred—as a reader that’s much more likely what I want to read. You might be better served if you wrote for your audience rather than your journalism professor.

 

[MisterCreosote]

Not a journalist. Just someone who understands that the “truth” is a much more sophisticated concept than either of you appear to grasp. The selection of the what-where-who inherently represents the writer’s opinion about those topics. And there’s nothing wrong with a journalist providing the reader with a retrospective analysis of what occurred—as a reader that’s much more likely what I want to read. You might be better served if you wrote for your audience rather than your journalism professor.

That's fine, but shotty's right.

Wire service copy serves a completely different purpose and is not the place for shtick.