Fans who get press passes

Noticed during the NCAA Tournament that fans who aren't true journalists getting press passes to cover games. See that as an issue. Anyone else encountering that problem? They are very obvious.

 

All the time. We have local radio guys, for example, who can get credentialed for events and they go as fans instead of working media.

 

Oh, yeah, it definitely happens. Once in a great while, it comes back to bite the person.

Luna Out at Ventura County Star | The Maynard Institute for Journalism Education

 

The advertising director at a paper I used to work for asked me to put him on the pass list for a high school football playoff game. I took every ounce of will power I had to not laugh in his face and tell him to piss off.

 

Should have told him sure, just be sure to submit your 18-inch story within 90 minutes of the game ending.

I've never run into true fans using media credentials, but I encounter "fanboy" media types all the time who "cover" events. At the state boys tournament last week, there were plenty of radio guys who's working function seemed to be texting, eating as much of the food as possible, and shooting the shit with whoever would talk to them. Of course then there's the the paper who submitted late credential requests, which the state association approved and promptly sat them next to me at one game. The two people from that paper -- apparently a husband and wife or boyfriend/girlfirend -- did nothing but watch the game and look at their phones. And eat popcorn and drink pop. As I said on the Pet Peeves thread earlier this week, people who eat and drink on press row are the worst. It's a work area, it should be treated like an office. I don't want your popcorn on my laptop!

 

I have "covered" many big events as the editor coordinating maybe a half-dozen or more reporters and several photographers. So my job was basically watching the game, eating food, shooting the shit and "directing" reporters and columnists.

So don't hate me.

 

I had no objection to the kinds of credentialed media cited above except one. When they asked "questions" on my time, that brought up the urge to kill.

 

That was standard procedure at the big papers I worked for when we covered our NFL teams. One of the assistant sports editors would sit in the pressbox and basically make sure the five or six writers we sent covered everything that needed to be covered, didn't duplicate each others' stories and made their deadlines. At one of these papers, the two columnists didn't speak to each other, so the assistant sports editor had to be their liaison to ensure they didn't write about the same thing.

I do remember covering a University of Iowa basketball game in the early '80s at the old fieldhouse there and being seated next to Lute Olson's wife and her friend, who was married to one of the radio announcers. They were nice enough, but they were so engrossed in conversation with each other that I'm not even sure they realized there was a game going on.

 

Not only that, but there are some who feel the need to not take notes during the game because they know they'll be handed full box and play-by-play after the game.

 

I tried to be a team player. Usually ending up at least doing some notes and charts and tried to take the worst seat.

 

I saw that happen at this year's state basketball tournament more than others. It seems that the local radio station was handing out credentials like concert tickets. One of its "media members" was standing behind the bench of the local girls' team, giving advice to players whenever they got water. They even got one for the scorekeeper of the girls' team, so he could get in for free at the boys' tournament (same school). He just sat in the stands with his kids, proudly wearing his credential.

 

My desk is a work area and I eat there, and my editor eats in his office. Sometimes it's better to eat at the desk and get some work done than to head to the breakroom. And I did the same thing at games. Never made a mess, but didn't hesitate to grab a coke or a couple of small things to snack on during a game and keep it at my seat with me. Hell, most people in the press box with me did. You have issues.