Turf battle in covering high school sports

This is a case worth watching. The organization that sets up high school sports tournaments in Wisconsin would like to establish a right to control coverage of those tournaments, so it can profit from sale of those rights. News organizations want to be able to cover the action themselves, using whatever media they please. I imagine everyday folks will want in on the action too.

Wearing an advertiser's colors

A 202er submits this blog post on the Memphis hoops team's decision not to switch its team uniforms to the FedEx colors for a game.
She highlights an interesting ethical dilemma. What's the limit of corporate sponsorship and support? How far should a team go? What lines should not be crossed? For instance, the UW has an initiative to try to curb binge drinking. Does this mean its athletic teams should not accept sponsorship from Miller Brewing or Absolut? Where would you draw the lines?

Young at heart

A post from a 202er:

Katy,

Joe here, one of your 202 students. I came across this article on msnbc.com.

This article doesn't have much of a connection to media ethics. On the other hand, this man is a "semi-retired journalist," as the article states.

Perhaps nothing embodies the Teddy Roosevelt quote I have below in all my e-mails more than this story. This is what life is about. This guy's a testament to the human spirit.

Just thought it was interesting. Take a gander.

Joe :-)

http://beyondthearc.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/10/22/1582620.aspx

Coach v. Columnist

Check out this column in today's State Journal, commenting on Badger Football Coach Bret Bielema's statements on the media rumor mill. The comments posted to the bottom are also worth reading.
Who's right? Does Bielema have a point that reporters speculate too early? Or does Oates prevail with his idea that reporting is necessary and simply getting spoon-fed by the Athletic Department shouldn't be what he and his colleagues are about?

Accuracy

Great tidbit in a blog post today. LZ Granderson, a writer for ESPN the Magazine, offers this response to a question:

Q: Moreso now than possibly ever, when news happens, columnists and bloggers and TV talking heads want to weigh in immediately, even if all the facts have yet to trickle out, or before the court case is finished. From the Mitchell Report to Duke Lacrosse to Sean Taylor, any ideas on how everyone can handle these situations in the future? Do we even need a solution?

When I was a cub reporter I did this news brief about this head-on car accident that left one person dead. I wasn’t careful in my reporting and falsely blamed the victim for the cause of the accident. The next day I found out I made the mistake and I just wanted to vomit. My boss, John Barnes, made my drive almost an hour south to apologize face-to-face to the victim’s family. They were hurt and tearful but still very kind to me. On the way back I pulled over and cried for about 10 minutes. From that day on, I knew the most important thing in this business it to be right. Not first. Not loudest. But right. That’s not to say I don’t make mistakes, but obviously that experience had a profound affect on my reporting and writing habits. So to answer your question, as an industry I believe we have to get back to putting the priority on accuracy above all else.

Apart from mixing up "effect" and "affect," he's spot-on.

Check out the whole interview, including Granderson's take on being an openly gay sportswriter and why "The Wire" isn't a hit.

More Gundy

The football coach who blew up at a reporter in Oklahoma continues to get ink and air.
Here's an intriguing column from the ESPN ombudsman (sort of a "reader representative") about news cycles vs. opinion cycles. I thought it was one of the more thoughtful pieces on the issue.
And then a 202er sent in this hilarious YouTube video. Be sure you watch the original rant to see why this is so funny.
Do you agree that opinion is spiraling out of control in sports coverage, at the expense of news?

Covering College Athletes

You may have heard about a controversy this week in Oklahoma when a college football coach went on a tirade against a local reporter who had written a column critical of a student player. The reporter stands by her column.
One of Gundy's assertions is that the news media should stop treating college athletes like they're professionals when they're just kids. Do you agree? Should sports reporters aggressively cover college athletes? Give them a break based on youth? And why do you say that?