journalist ignores questions
tommyWhile reading about Cato June’s run-in with the local cops, I found this on the St. Pete Times Bucs Beat Blog:
Bucs coach Jon Gruden didn’t seem to appreciate the tone of questions from a local television reporter about linebacker Cato June’s arrest and the coaching opening at Michigan during Gruden’s news conference Monday at One Buc Place.
Asked “Does Cato June have a drinking problem?” at the start of the news conference, Gruden gave the reporter a hard stare before responding, “I don’t have any comment on that right now other than we’re very concerned. We’re getting all the facts. It’s a serious matter.”
… The same reporter followed with a question about whether Gruden allows his players to drink on the team plane.
“I’m not going to comment,” Gruden said. “I have a strong opinion on Cato June. He’s a great young man and as we gather all the information, we’ll make an announcement.”
Later in the news conference, the reporter asked Gruden about a report linking him to the head coaching job at Michigan following Lloyd Carr’s retirement.
“I really don’t know who you are, man,” a perturbed Gruden responded, “but you’re throwing me some fastballs.”
Now why would this writer use the phrase “a local television reporter.” If the television reporter is part of the story, IDENTIFY THEM (yes, even if they are not your official partner!). Your readers want to know.
Furthermore, if you are going to have a “blog,” you should answer your customers’ questions. Like the unnamed television reporter, the first commenter, Clad also wants to know about drinking on the plane:
Stephen,
Since you and Rick are on the team plane, what is the answer to the question of whether the Bucs allow players to drink on the plane on the flight home after a victory? Gruden deflected the question but I was wondering if you could answer. tks
But then again, it may not have been Stephen Holder that wrote the article. It’s signed by “Times Editor.” But it doesn’t really matter. The “drinking on the plane” question is valid, and should be answered by the writer.
So come on, Times Editor. Answer the questions. Or are you worried about maintaining access to the Bucs. Maybe you are making sure you get to continue those plane rides with the players? Maybe you’d sell out for less?
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November 21st, 2007 at 8:54 am
It is possible the writer was weighing the potential fallout from the Bucs. In Jschool, we’re taught to weigh the importance of the question versus how the interviewee is going to react. Therefore, it’s easier to ask hard questions of people who are never going to be interviewed again and more difficult to ask them from people involved with a beat. The problem is illustrated above; when something important happens, these VIP interviewees don’t want “fastballs.” It’s one of the reasons why I don’t read national political reporting: everyone gets a little too nice and buddy-buddy.
November 21st, 2007 at 9:49 am
I am not sure what relevance drinking on the plane has to this. They are adults so can Gruden really stop them from drinking on the plane? Is the team allowed to dictate behavior in that way?
November 21st, 2007 at 10:08 am
Compare this discussion with the one about local government where Mariella Smith among others comment about voter apathy and ignorance. Too bad we can’t have this level of interest and involvement where it really matters.
November 21st, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Players are paid thousands upon millions of dollars not juts to play a game on a certain team in a certain city. They are paid to represent that franchise.
Drinking on the plane — and in Cato’s case, getting drunk and then getting arrested for driving intoxicated - sullies the image of the team itself and the franchise.
Yeah, they’re all adults but you know what? There are higher standards for people in the public spotlight. it’s the reason why people wouldn’t approve if Pam Iorio went out and got arrested for a DUI, or if Rick Baker was found picking up a prostitute in St. Petersburg — oh they are both adults but there are also public figures as well as public officials. They represent their cities.
As for the reporter in question who asked the questions that got Jon Gruden’s panties in a wad: good. While blunt, they also didn’t tiptoe around the issue which many journalists tend to do.
November 21st, 2007 at 1:23 pm
THe reason they asked if alcohol was on the plane is that it is now forbidden to serve alcohol on the plane by NFL rules. If such a violation occured the Bucs would be fined under the new Personal Conduct Policy.
November 21st, 2007 at 2:22 pm
Or maybe he doesn’t wanna answer.
November 21st, 2007 at 2:48 pm
The question to the reporters was, I believe, removed from the blog.
Of *course* they are worried about their access. Do you even have to question that?
The guy grilling Gruden was from ABC28.
And overall, way too much is made off of these DUI cases, because they are high profile. I want to see the pitchforks and torches come out after Bob Hite and WFLA the way they are going after June and the Bucs now. I mean, c’mon, Hite’s grown 60-year old ass should have known a lot better than June on his birthday, right?
November 21st, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Yes, we do. Last time i checked, the newspaper was a professional organization. They actually do something journalistic and they gotta fear for their access? WTF?! Are the Bucs that petty and inept an organization - on par with the Vince-Naimoli-Run-Rays of yesterday where they would rather shut someone out than be held accountable?
It’s poor journalism and poor integrity if the newspaper won’t cover a question because of fear it will lose access. Ever see the movie “The Insider”? CBS was afraid of a lawsuit and wouldn’t runa groundbreaking story on Tobacco because of it even though it was in the public’s best interest to know these facts.
The Times prides itself by living by the motto “Our goal is to simply tell the truth” — well they are doing that here, as long as they don’t ask any serious questions that could lead to serious consequences for the powers-that-be.
November 21st, 2007 at 3:16 pm
I’ve lost a lot of respect for the Times in last year, that’s for sure.
Please don’t mistake my comment for support of dodging it, I just think that’s why it got dodged.
I can’t say I know enough about the NFL or reporters to know if it’s an expectation to have reporters ride a team on the plane, or if the team was doing them a favor by taking them along.
If it was any kind of special privilege/access - that makes even more sense as to why …
Take a look at our White House for a good lesson on how to control/shut out media access.
November 21st, 2007 at 4:27 pm
way too much is made off of these DUI cases,
amen.
November 21st, 2007 at 5:21 pm
Look at the approval ratings of the current white house, look at the amount of corruption that they are involved with, look at how the Media simply laid down and things got worse, etc.
Don’t speak of it as an asset to lock out the media, don’t treat it like an asset for the media to seek not to find the truth.
November 21st, 2007 at 6:43 pm
“THe reason they asked if alcohol was on the plane is that it is now forbidden to serve alcohol on the plane by NFL rules. If such a violation occurred the Bucs would be fined under the new Personal Conduct Policy.”
Really? I didn’t know that. So Cato really isn’t the story. A possible rules violation by an NFL franchise is what the questions seem to be targeted at.
November 21st, 2007 at 7:25 pm
why is everyone assuming he got drunk on the plane? There were 5 hours between the plane landing and this arrest.
November 22nd, 2007 at 3:31 am
I think they are hoping he did. Because a NFL player getting a DUI isn’t really much of a story but a NFL team allowing a flagrant violation of league policy is.
November 23rd, 2007 at 3:44 pm
Easy, John, I’ll try harder next time to make my sarcasm a bit bolder.