Sports journalists are lazy

[boundforboston]

Thoughts?

http://www.coloradoan.com/story/spo...-csu-football-media-policies-column/90733134/

 

[Dick Whitman]

I barely felt like a journalist most days covering a beat, at least during the "access" parts of the beat. It's a choreographed cattle pull. I don't know why anyone wants to do it, especially in this day and age, when every play is shown from six different angles on television.

I've said it a million times here: Sports journalists need to begin weaning themselves off the access teat. Buy a ticket.

 

[MisterCreosote]

It's not exclusive to sports journalists.

By the way, is that written by our Matt Stephens?

 

[SFIND]

It's not exclusive to sports journalists.

By the way, is that written by our Matt Stephens?

Yes, can't forget political reporters. And that is @Matt Stephens.

 

[Ace]

I don't think what he describes is necessarily laziness. But they are too agreeable to whatever dictates the schools demand.

If you insist on talking to a freshman when they are off limits, how is that going to turn out.

If guess if you were banned from the press box and locker room and bought a ticket you could still call freshmen but are they going to want to talk?

And I agree about all that cotton candy fluff we report and tweet, but you also don't want to be the one reporter ignoring it, either. Then you get the call from the web desk.

One thing that schools really hate is open records requests, so if a school is more restrictive with access, the media should pepper them with records requests.

 

[KJIM]

Posting a link with the solicitation of simply "Thoughts?" pretty much demonstrated the headline, at least to me.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Mostly I'm with Whitman though in the "I don't know why anyone wants to do it" camp.

But let's say a newspaper tried what this writer or his editor is advocating -- forgo access, get the "real story," etc. etc. Is there a market for that kind of beat coverage in college? I don't get the sense there is. College fans increasingly want to know less and less about off-field troubles. Some might be against rapes and cover-ups -- although a shockingly large percentage of fans seem quite OK with those -- but for almost everything else you're just pissing people off. And unlike with government or business reporting, there typically isn't a compelling public interest to getting the real scoop on injuries, academic trouble or even NCAA violations.

However, I am interested to know more about the policy around needing permission to call professors and others on campus but not associated with the football program. Have the professors agreed to that policy? If a tenured professor hasn't agreed and a beat writer hasn't agreed, who cares what the football SID says?

 

[JohnHammond]

Matt is writing about a general policy that the media need to go through CSU's public relations office to contact a member of the faculty. It's silly, but the university can withhold access to administrators if the media contact reporters directly.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

No matter how limited face-to-face encounters with subjects are, they are still very useful for forming ideas and perceptions for stories.

 

[jr/shotglass]

Mostly I'm with Whitman though in the "I don't know why anyone wants to do it" camp.

But let's say a newspaper tried what this writer or his editor is advocating -- forgo access, get the "real story," etc. etc. Is there a market for that kind of beat coverage in college? I don't get the sense there is. College fans increasingly want to know less and less about off-field troubles. Some might be against rapes and cover-ups -- although a shockingly large percentage of fans seem quite OK with those -- but for almost everything else you're just pissing people off. And unlike with government or business reporting, there typically isn't a compelling public interest to getting the real scoop on injuries, academic trouble or even NCAA violations.

However, I am interested to know more about the policy around needing permission to call professors and others on campus but not associated with the football program. Have the professors agreed to that policy? If a tenured professor hasn't agreed and a beat writer hasn't agreed, who cares what the football SID says?

I tend to agree that there's a backlash with reporting minor infractions by athletes. The public is more apt to look upon such reporting as "picking on" jocks.

 

[Matt Stephens]

It's not exclusive to sports journalists.

By the way, is that written by our Matt Stephens?

It is that jackass, and he just noticed two erroneous words in his own column. Dammit!

 

[steveu]

You're so fired. ;)

 

[LongTimeListener]

Matt is writing about a general policy that the media need to go through CSU's public relations office to contact a member of the faculty. It's silly, but the university can withhold access to administrators if the media contact reporters directly.

He mentioned professors, which is a group that I would not imagine would be all that obedient about a policy that benefits the football team.

I guess my question is: What happens if you call and talk to a professor (or janitor) without clearing it? Do you get your credential revoked?

 

[JohnHammond]

I've covered a few colleges when I was a higher ed reporter that had similar policies regarding contacting the campus PR office. Beat writers aren't generally going to talk to faculty unless the faculty senate is involved in some resolution regarding campus athletics or a professor has conducted research on sports. To answer your question, I guess a university could pull a credential, but I doubt it would be an issue. Now, a higher-ed reporter may be blacklisted from speaking with administrators if they don't go through proper channels, since they are going to be speaking with faculty on a more regular basis.

From having fewer than 15 players on a football roster of more than 100 allowed to speak with the media, to men's basketball player Joe De Ciman being the lone representative at post-game press conferences for a large chunk of last season, to interviews with professors and custodial workers requiring being pre-approval by the university's public relations staff, CSU damages its own appearance.

 

[I Should Coco]

Good column, Matt.

And it's definitely not just sports reporters eating at the trough ... on the news side, almost all the police coverage is via press release or, at best, quotes from the "public information officer."

Even at significant accidents or crime scenes, police department officials get upset if you try to talk to commanding officers on the scene (or they get mad at the officer for talking to the press). Just run the press release we sent you, dammit!

In the world of "get the story on Twitter fast," that's often enough. Or even worse, just quote the scanner traffic.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Normally my balls tingle when I read a piece that spurs some good self reflection and evaluation. Sorry Matt, nothing personal, but my balls didn't tingle this time.

 

[dixiehack]

If readers don't care about the obstacles in the way of getting the story, I don't see why they're going to care about self-flagellation either.

From a practical standpoint, I don't think it is very bright for schools on CSU's level and below to adopt the draconian media policies of a Top 10 powerhouse. Selling tickets requires much more work for them and the more publicity the better, especially when you figure they'll never be high than 6th in priority for Denver outlets.

 

[Tweener]

I guess my question is: What happens if you call and talk to a professor (or janitor) without clearing it? Do you get your credential revoked?

I absolutely agree with Matt that there are ways to tell a good story even if you don't have access to a particular player, and that it is lazy if you use the lack of access as an excuse to avoid telling certain stories. Sure. But he talks about developing relationships, which is very hard to do if you don't have access, and some colleges will absolutely try to punish you if you talk to players without their consent. Additionally, many players are told specifically not to talk to reporters, and they often won't without the athletic department setting it up. So, while there are ways around it, it's tricky.

 

[LongTimeListener]

I understand that.

My question is about the other people at the university who have no affiliation with the football team. There was mention that it has to be cleared through the university's public-relations department. But most of the people have a phone extension and an office. What happens to you as a reporter if you track them down on your own?

 

[JimmyHoward33]

Sweeping generalizations.......there's a huge difference between flat out not being permitted to talk to a kid and expecting the story to be handed to you.

Most reporters fall somewhere in the middle. They're willing to do the leg work to get beyond the surface, but if you put up too many obstacles they're also apt to pack it in around the 4th or 5th one.

Lazy is not the word I would use to describe that.