1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Things that bug sports journalists

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Ace, Aug 25, 2015.

  1. murphyc

    murphyc Well-Known Member

    Very true, including the previous comments about local Friday night football coverage.
    But I will give credit to the reporters/camera people, especially the ones getting video from the football games. From what I've seen, these guys and gals get to one game as it starts, get the cliche cheerleader and team bursting through the banner shots, get some first quarter action and find someone who can give them brief game details after it's over. They then zip to a second game, preferably before halftime so they can get some action shots, followed by halftime activities and maybe a little bit of the third quarter before zipping over to a third game. Get some action footage there, then back to the studio to edit the material, go through video submitted by freelancers or parents from other games, then try to coherently present a 15-20 minute package. That's a lot of work in a short amount of time, especially if they have a big college football game to cover on Saturday and/or a pro game on Sunday.
     
  2. murphyc

    murphyc Well-Known Member

    I'd be inclined to believe Buck, who is in the field. Besides, I've applied for another PR jobs and have enough friends in the field to know dealing with media is indeed often only a part of the job.
     
  3. TyWebb

    TyWebb Well-Known Member

    Oh I absolutely believe Buck. I was just joking about him waiting for the phone. I have several friends in PR and know they live quite hectic lives.
     
  4. Buck

    Buck Well-Known Member


    True, I've been doing this for eight years, and I had no idea when I was an editor or reporter.
     
  5. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Here is what bugs me about PR folks:

    The ones who act like they are giving you something exclusive and they are inviting everyone in town to the same weak press conference.

    Ones who don't really seem to understand how news works and what stories or news we might be interested in.

    Ones who never have given you any help, been more of a pest really, but have the stones to ask you to do a feature story on them and their PR business.
     
  6. Killick

    Killick Well-Known Member

    Oh, God. That last one hit close to home. Last election cycle, a former reporter now in PR gets in touch with a "great story" on the opponent of a candidate his firm just *happens* to represent.

    Total bullshit charges (made be friends and family of his candidate, so not impartial at all), and I told him so. Went through days of "I don't know why you don't think this is a story" and "when I was a reporter, I would have jumped on this" emails.

    Followed by emails where he cc'd his boss making it sound as if I'd agreed to do the story. ("Hey, great talking to you. Here's that phone number you wanted!")

    Finally responded to all (including his boss) with "I'm not sure for whose benefit that email was for, but as I told you several times before, I'm not going to carry water for you on a baseless attack."

    His guy ended up losing by something like 20 points.
     
  7. Buck

    Buck Well-Known Member

    Reporters who misspell my name despite being on the receiving end of dozens of emails with my name in the sig.

    Reporters who refuse to read the material I've provided when they're working on a story. Why are you asking me that? I gave you all of the information you requested. Read it. The interview should be about what the information means; it doesn't have to be a fact-finding interview if I already sent you the information.

    Reporters who do no research of their own and only work from interviews. This one really bugs me as a former editor, and particularly as someone who worked as a reporter with a lot less access to information than reporters have today. Laws, bills, academic and professional research and studies, reports, polls, surveys - you can look it up just like I can.

    Reporters who show up at a meeting Tuesday and need background info by 4 p.m. The agenda was posted Friday. Not my fault you didn't read it.

    Reporters who work for terrible outlets and think they're doing me a favor. Your outlet stinks. You need my content more than I need your audience.
     
  8. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    I will agree with Buch that there are some lazy ass reporters out there. Though it seems they would have been weeded out by now.
     
  9. Buck

    Buck Well-Known Member

    I still deal with a lot of great reporters, but dumb, lazy reporters have not been weeded out.
    I think the percentage of them has increased. Just a theory, but I think a lot of experienced reporters were driven off to cut newsroom salaries or simply left for greener pastures.
    I think the percentage of dumb, lazy or inexperienced reporters has reason because they come cheaper. Also, int he case of the young and inexperienced, I think there's a dearth of good, experienced assigning and line editors who can help them.

    As someone who was once a very good reporter and a pretty good editor, I find it frustrating.
     
    Ace likes this.
  10. fossywriter8

    fossywriter8 Well-Known Member

    Coaches e-mailing in results with quotes about how proud they are about the win, but not including the score.
    Or first names.
    Or records.
    Or who the opponent was.
    Or where the game/match was played.
    A close second is a coach sending in or calling in the results a day or two — sometimes more — late, then wondering why it gets a short mention in the briefs if it gets in at all.
     
  11. cyclingwriter2

    cyclingwriter2 Well-Known Member

    As a PR guy now, my greatest peeve is when a reporter/outlet makes a mistake on a story and refuses to correct it or half-asses the correction. Ie. They make the change online and put a note a bottom at the story stating "this story has been changed since original publication." Doesn't say what was changed or why.

    As a PR guy, here is what I try to do:

    -- If I am inviting press to an event, I am going to get you the time when the press is needed/wanted...ie when we are announcing something. Nothing drove me more nuts when I was a reporter when it said an event started at noon, but nothing was said until one....I don't have an hour to wait for you to eat lunch and chit-chat. However, many of my clients have no concept of why this is important.

    -- Protect my client even if they are an ass.

    -- Invite the reporter on the beat to a presser/send that person the release. You won't believe how many times I hear from a client "Can't we get anchor X here? I love her" or "how come we can't get columnist B to write something?" because they don't fucking over what you are doing.

    -- Write a release in AP style.

    -- Give you stories and tips even if they don't relate to my client. Hell, I was a reporter, I want to hear good stuff.
     
  12. YorksArcades

    YorksArcades Active Member

    I laugh at PR people who were once reporters who failed to proofread/self-edit their own copy and tacitly encouraged other reporters to fail to proofread/self-edit as well -- thus making the same mistakes over and over and over and over -- and who are now annoyed that reporters don't proofread/self-edit and make the same mistakes over and over and over and over.
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page