Story guilt?

[andyouare?]

I did a story a few years back where the coach of a minor league hockey team went off on profanity-laced tirade about the officiating. I mean it would have put the cast of Deadwood to shame. I mentioned it in the story and used some expletive-deleted quotes. A few days later, the coach was fired and the press release mentioned something about him not conforming to the team's image or something.

Last week, I noticed that he was now the assistant coach of a high school team. An assistant! It was a crappy league anyway, so it's not like he was headed to NHL or something, but, still, I felt a little guilty. It was totally his own fault and he knew who I was when I interviewed him. Still...

Have you ever done a story that has gotten someone fired/dismissed or into some kind of trouble/embarrassment? How'd you feel afterward?

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

Hell, I've known a few writers who were such assholes that they took glee in "getting a coach fired," as if they really had that kind of power. They didn't, of course. It was all ego.

You did your job. You didn't make the coach be a jerk. Nor did you write a column calling for his firing.

Besides, almost all pro coaches get fired eventually.

 

[Ace]

yeah, andy. I wouldn't feel guilty about it.

If the guy was doing a great job, they wouldn't have fired him over cussing about some officials.

If he was doing a lousy job, they were just looking for a handy excuse.

If I were the GM or what-have-you and was so upset about the story in the paper that I was going to can the guy over it, I would have at least called you to make sure what was in the paper was a true reflection of what the guy said or something.

 

[andyouare?]

On a related note, I knew a colleague who went around to every high school baseball team in our area to see if anybody was practicing illegally (you know, practicing when the rules said they weren't supposed to -- which pretty much every team does). He finally found one and did a story on it. The school got in trouble with the state's federation and the coach was later fired.

The writer got to put a breaking news/investigative news story on his resume, and the coach lost his job. I asked him if he felt guilty and he said, "About what?"

I guess it depends on the writer. Technically, my colleague did nothing wrong, but, still...

 

[fmrsped]

Ace calling andyouare? andy is quite funny to me.

 

[Freelance Hack]

On a related note, I knew a colleague who went around to every high school baseball team in our area to see if anybody was practicing illegally (you know, practicing when the rules said they weren't supposed to -- which pretty much every team does). He finally found one and did a story on it. The school got in trouble with the state's federation and the coach was later fired.

The writer got to put a breaking news/investigative news story on his resume, and the coach lost his job. I asked him if he felt guilty and he said, "About what?"

I guess it depends on the writer. Technically, my colleague did nothing wrong, but, still...

Technically, your colleague did his job.

 

[playthrough]

When I worked in Podunkville I wrote a story about a local bowling alley owner (a former touring pro) who cheapskated his league winners by giving them reconditioned plaques which he had won years ago on the pro circuit. He took the block of wood, scraped off the metal plate with his name and had a new one made for Joe or Jane Bowler, saving whatever $$ over just buying an entirely new plaque. He was busted when someone got a plaque in which the new plate was simply glued over his old plate, but it fell off.

You know those kind of stories, just a small tale of embarrassment that won't ruin anyone's life but was certainly a good read. Well, I did feel guilty when the bosses put it on 1A as if it was some major crime. The alley owner deserved ridicule but maybe not that much.

 

[Ace]

On a related note, I knew a colleague who went around to every high school baseball team in our area to see if anybody was practicing illegally (you know, practicing when the rules said they weren't supposed to -- which pretty much every team does). He finally found one and did a story on it. The school got in trouble with the state's federation and the coach was later fired.

The writer got to put a breaking news/investigative news story on his resume, and the coach lost his job. I asked him if he felt guilty and he said, "About what?"

I guess it depends on the writer. Technically, my colleague did nothing wrong, but, still...

Technically, your colleague did his job.

If they guy went out with the intention of padding his resume by busting someone for somethign that everyone did, it is pretty crappy to single out one guy instead of possibly working harder to make a more complete story that shows that everyone fudges this and how they do it.

 

[Freelance Hack]

On a related note, I knew a colleague who went around to every high school baseball team in our area to see if anybody was practicing illegally (you know, practicing when the rules said they weren't supposed to -- which pretty much every team does). He finally found one and did a story on it. The school got in trouble with the state's federation and the coach was later fired.

The writer got to put a breaking news/investigative news story on his resume, and the coach lost his job. I asked him if he felt guilty and he said, "About what?"

I guess it depends on the writer. Technically, my colleague did nothing wrong, but, still...

Technically, your colleague did his job.

If they guy went out with the intention of padding his resume by busting someone for somethign that everyone did, it is pretty crappy to single out one guy instead of possibly working harder to make a more complete story that shows that everyone fudges this and how they do it.

If it's a witch hunt, then yeah, you're right. But andy said the guy went to all the area schools. Hopefully the story explained that. If it didn't, then it was a hack job by the writer and editor.

 

[Ace]

On a related note, I knew a colleague who went around to every high school baseball team in our area to see if anybody was practicing illegally (you know, practicing when the rules said they weren't supposed to -- which pretty much every team does). He finally found one and did a story on it. The school got in trouble with the state's federation and the coach was later fired.

The writer got to put a breaking news/investigative news story on his resume, and the coach lost his job. I asked him if he felt guilty and he said, "About what?"

I guess it depends on the writer. Technically, my colleague did nothing wrong, but, still...

Technically, your colleague did his job.

If they guy went out with the intention of padding his resume by busting someone for somethign that everyone did, it is pretty crappy to single out one guy instead of possibly working harder to make a more complete story that shows that everyone fudges this and how they do it.

If it's a witch hunt, then yeah, you're right. But andy said the guy went to all the area schools. Hopefully the story explained that. If it didn't, then it was a hack job by the writer and editor.

He also says that everyone does it. If he drove around to every school on days they weren't supposed to be practicing and did a story on the first one he found that did, it sucks.

If he worked at it and this was the only school he found, that's fine. Or if he got a complaint about this particular school it's fine.

To me, this is not that big of an issue unless kids are being punished (you want to play basketball instead of practice baseball in the off-season, then you won't start, etc.)

 

[outofplace]

On a related note, I knew a colleague who went around to every high school baseball team in our area to see if anybody was practicing illegally (you know, practicing when the rules said they weren't supposed to -- which pretty much every team does). He finally found one and did a story on it. The school got in trouble with the state's federation and the coach was later fired.

The writer got to put a breaking news/investigative news story on his resume, and the coach lost his job. I asked him if he felt guilty and he said, "About what?"

I guess it depends on the writer. Technically, my colleague did nothing wrong, but, still...

Technically, your colleague did his job.

If they guy went out with the intention of padding his resume by busting someone for somethign that everyone did, it is pretty crappy to single out one guy instead of possibly working harder to make a more complete story that shows that everyone fudges this and how they do it.

If it's a witch hunt, then yeah, you're right. But andy said the guy went to all the area schools. Hopefully the story explained that. If it didn't, then it was a hack job by the writer and editor.

He also says that everyone does it. If he drove around to every school on days they weren't supposed to be practicing and did a story on the first one he found that did, it sucks.

If he worked at it and this was the only school he found, that's fine. Or if he got a complaint about this particular school it's fine.

To me, this is not that big of an issue unless kids are being punished (you want to play basketball instead of practice baseball in the off-season, then you won't start, etc.)

Well, there is also this little matter of coaches cheating by breaking the rules. So much for the idea of the coach as a role model, huh?

 

[Leo Mazzone]

maybe Whitlock and thebiglead should take the floor...

 

[suburbia]

We have a minor league baseball team in our town. Some time ago, the beat reporter from the other paper that covers the team asked the manager about pitch counts, since his best pitcher was the parent club's top prospect and had been on pitch counts. The manager, as he did several times over the course of the season on various subjects, went on a long rant, the jist of which was basically that pitch counts could do a young pitcher a disservice in the long run because they don't learn how to pitch when they're tired later in a game and don't have their best stuff. A very insightful point, but not exactly one that mouthed the party line.

Anyhow, by the time this season is over, this team has made the playoffs for the second straight year and, most importantly, three more of the players this guy has managed in the minors have reached the major leagues. But instead of getting a promotion to the next level, he gets fired, with the explanation he received being that he put winning over development. And when the GM of the parent club is questioned on it, he says that he had seen the aforementioned story.

 

[Ace]

Well, there is also this little matter of coaches cheating by breaking the rules. So much for the idea of the coach as a role model, huh?

True. However, my point is that if "everyone" is doing it and no one is complaining and you write a story about one coach cheating because he was easy to catch, you did a poor job.

If you worked at it and did a story about how rampant it was and how schools ignore or bend the rules, you did a great job.

 

[Football_Bat]

I did a story about a softball coach who got into a confrontation with her two best players that, according to the girls and other witnesses, got physical. The coach ended up resigning, the two girls came back to the team and they made a deep playoff run last spring.

I didn't feel bad about reporting it. If anything I felt bad that the situation ever happened in the first place. The coach was always nice in dealing with me. But she crossed the line.

 

[andyouare?]

Well, there is also this little matter of coaches cheating by breaking the rules. So much for the idea of the coach as a role model, huh?

True. However, my point is that if "everyone" is doing it and no one is complaining and you write a story about one coach cheating because he was easy to catch, you did a poor job.

If you worked at it and did a story about how rampant it was and how schools ignore or bend the rules, you did a great job.

My recollection -- it's been about two years -- is that he reported on the first coach he found. That's why it was borderline in my opinion. If he would have gone out to every baseball field for two weeks that would have been one thing.

Also, I have no problem with coaches getting fired/embarassed if they're jerks or were outrageously breaking the rules. It's when a story has unintended consequences or when you go looking for something that bugs me a bit.

I know there's been a few things that I've sat on over the years -- nothing major -- that might have gotten a school in trouble for some minor violations. The same things that somebody else might have pushed just for the sake of news. It's a judgement call, I guess.

For example, years ago I found out a star HS linebacker was living with an assistant coach, which was a violation. I found this out after the football season. The LB was a classic "born in a bad situation" type of player. Mom's an alcoholic, no dad, bad neighborhood, etc. Living with the assistant coach's family kept him on the straight and narrow. Could I have pushed this story, gotten the coach, player and school in trouble? Probably. Did I? No.

The player went on to JUCO and later signed with a major D-1. He was a backup and was never a superstar, but his life was better because the coaching staff at his high school took care of him. Screwing that up just to get a breaking news story on my resume wouldn't have been worth it.

 

[outofplace]

Well, there is also this little matter of coaches cheating by breaking the rules. So much for the idea of the coach as a role model, huh?

True. However, my point is that if "everyone" is doing it and no one is complaining and you write a story about one coach cheating because he was easy to catch, you did a poor job.

If you worked at it and did a story about how rampant it was and how schools ignore or bend the rules, you did a great job.

I was responding to the last part of your previous statement, which I took to mean you didn't think the breaking of that rule is a big deal as long as kids weren't being punished for missing the "non-mandatory" workouts.

I disagree with you on that. If you're breaking the rule and the players know you are breaking the rule, that is in appropriate behavior.

Don't get me wrong. I knew about half the coaches involved in a similar situation a few years back, when there were eight or nine teams in one area busted for illegal scrimmages. They got caught because of a story exposing what they were doing in one of the local papers.

I like and respect some of the coaches involved, but I still thought they were wrong in this particular case.

I do agree that if you only write about the school that is easiest to catch, you are doing a half-assed job. I still question the guy who caught those eight or nine schools because there were more doing it and I know the reporter was aware of that.

But if you work the story and you can't catch everybody that breaks the rule, even if you only have enough proof to write about one school breaking the rule. They are cheating and the coach is setting a crappy example for his players by ignoring the rules. And there will be consequences once you write about it, so the story definitely has value.

 

[Mystery_Meat]

maybe Whitlock and thebiglead should take the floor...

Unless thebiglead is Danica Patrick sized, he's not going to have the room.

(hypocritcal fat jokes from fat guys rule!)

 

[Ace]

Well, there is also this little matter of coaches cheating by breaking the rules. So much for the idea of the coach as a role model, huh?

True. However, my point is that if "everyone" is doing it and no one is complaining and you write a story about one coach cheating because he was easy to catch, you did a poor job.

If you worked at it and did a story about how rampant it was and how schools ignore or bend the rules, you did a great job.

I was responding to the last part of your previous statement, which I took to mean you didn't think the breaking of that rule is a big deal as long as kids weren't being punished for missing the "non-mandatory" workouts.

I disagree with you on that. If you're breaking the rule and the players know you are breaking the rule, that is in appropriate behavior.

Don't get me wrong. I knew about half the coaches involved in a similar situation a few years back, when there were eight or nine teams in one area busted for illegal scrimmages. They got caught because of a story exposing what they were doing in one of the local papers.

I like and respect some of the coaches involved, but I still thought they were wrong in this particular case.

I do agree that if you only write about the school that is easiest to catch, you are doing a half-assed job. I still question the guy who caught those eight or nine schools because there were more doing it and I know the reporter was aware of that.

But if you work the story and you can't catch everybody that breaks the rule, even if you only have enough proof to write about one school breaking the rule. They are cheating and the coach is setting a crappy example for his players by ignoring the rules. And there will be consequences once you write about it, so the story definitely has value.

I agree that a story about coaches breaking the rules is a good story. I just put more importance on issues that harm kids.

For example, maybe the state has some weird-ass rules about practice seasons. And the only kids practicing out of season are baseball players who aren't playing another sport. As long as kids aren't forced to practice I don't see much harm -- though it is against the rules.

Now, say you have a team that has a fund drive and everyone is expected to sell $300 worth or candy or cards or raffle tickets or whatever. And the kids who don't are punished by not being able to play. Maybe they don't want to sell the stuff. Maybe they can't and they parent's can't just write a check.

That's perfectly within the rules but is unfair to kids. I've seen stories where coaches were called on that and thats a good story. Some programs get so caught up in having fancy field and equipment that the kids are secondary.

 

[jambalaya]

Ask G. Dohrmann about this one....

Do I ever feel guilty? ABSOLUTELY NOT!