Florida beat in Orlando

Aside from arrests (and that certainly is a part of that beat) and the occasional suspension, I'd think most everything else is fair game.

 

That sounds like a sophisticated way of shutting out reporters. Or a clever way for a university to manage the news.

 

I was on the UF beat for many years. It is a brutal team to cover. They are so paranoid of bad PR at UF, and they manipulate the media. Foley and (apparently Meyer) yell at and intimidate reporters who write unfavorable stories (even if they are factually true).

Also, after the Gators lose a football game, usually only kickers or rarely used back-ups are made available for interviews (the quarterback is sometimes the exception).

In 2007, when Florida's defense was miserable, defensive players were rarely made available for interviews. UF knew if the defensive players didn't talk, the media wouldn't write a bunch of "why is this defense so bad" stories. It worked. I mean, it's hard to write a story about how bad the secondary is when the defensive backs won't talk to the media.

Now that UF has hired their own writer, it's just another way of shutting out the real media and manipulating the news.

 

Florida certainly isn't the first school to do this. Some very media friendly schools have made similar hires.

But I agree with everything that Belding said.

 

Excellent points Moddy. That does seem like the way to go.

 

Then the story is that the defensive backs aren't being allowed to talk. That tells the reader volumes - about how UF operates and how bad the DBs must be. It's actually draws more attention to the problem than it would if the DBs were allowed to talk and say stuff like "We're working hard and trying to improve."

 

Billy's got it. I make mention anytime a player I'm writing about isn't available for comment when requested after a game, and especially when an assistant coach doesn't show as requested. Only thing they're shielding an assistant from is accountability.

 

That's a good lede. I'll pay $5 to the first UF writer who uses it.

 

You'll never have to give up that $5.