Conflict of interest at APSE?

My personal experience is that this is absolutely wrong.

I used to work for a large paper in which the SE was very active in APSE, as was an ASE. They knew everyone and were frequently involved with the judging. Several times I was told things I entered 'just missed' making a Top 10.

Now I work for a paper in which no one is involved with APSE and I've been Top 10 several times.

Anecdotal, but experience nonetheless ...

 

That perception is amongst us. And a majority of us know who Jim is. There's no appearance of a possibility here.

Besides, is there an MLB contingent at the convention reviewing everything Jim says anyway? Didn't think so.

 

Just to bring this discussion back to it having nothing to do with awards, and everything to do with APSE being a body separate and absolutely distinct from any of the major sports bodies it covers.

APSE fights for your access and ability to do your job in order for you to service your readers.

The awards are bragging rights and marketing within the industry. No one outside cares. They ain't no Pulitzers. They're a nice pat on the back.

But stay focused on the main issue: Jenks is an employee of Major League Baseball, and an executive at APSE.

That's not right. There's no getting around it.

Let's hope its on the agenda at the close of this week's judging

 

well said, EE

 

Don't you get it? He IS the MLB contingent.

You are all letting your very clear affinity for Jim get in the way of a very, very obvious conflict of interest present at this judging. And people can say what they want about the awards not mattering, etc. The fact is that in this industry, they do matter. They help people make names for themselves They can make or break careers and have. You can't say it's all for fun, and then use it as a measuring stick for judging job applicants.

No wonder news thinks we're the toy department. This shit would never fly in a news competition.

 

This has undertones of the Canzano saga from months back, and I counter by then asking how wide this "conflict of interest" tone must be.

With Canzano, he was being paid by the parent company of the Portland Trail Blazers to make appearances on a radio show that the Trail Blazers' company also owned.

In this case, that scope now includes Jenks, who is being paid by Major League Baseball, but is at the convention officially as an unbiased representative of the organization.

Yes, the first situation is a clear conflict of interest, because Canzano was being paid by a company he was supposed to be critical of. Jenks is not being paid by Major League Baseball to be a judge, nor does Major League Baseball likely care in the slightest bit that he is present.

(Let me also make clear that I have never met Jim, contacted Jim, nor am affiliated with the APSE judging panel.)

I understand these awards matter to various individuals' careers. I also understand that they matter to the newspapers themselves. I just think there's two main points being overlooked here:

1. Jim Jenks is at the conference as a past president who happens to be working for the editorial department of MLB.com.

2. Jim Jenks has a vote equal to that of four other individuals.

Is there a conflict of interest? If MLB was directly funding the awards - hosting it at a ballpark, insisting upon reviewing all entries, etc., then of course. To me, there would be more of a conflict of interest if Jim chose a different career path and was, say, evaluating design as a technician at Adobe.

 

Ad hominem much?

 

spnited Fan Club, the line forms behind me.

 

Wow. What a ridiculous thread. These are meaningless awards people...

/From the guy who would kill to get one.

Watch out, Kent Babb.....

 

I dunno, maybe they know a lot about generalizations and prejudice, too.

 

OK, Shockey, I know I am opening myself up here, so I am prepared.

Why "the dark side?" Nothing wrong with making a living, and I know I read mlb.com a lot. Iand I am not alone. t certainly fills a need.

(That said, I do not think he should be judging in categories mlb.com is entered in, but tthe guy didn't lsoe his news sense and ability to critique writing just because he switched jobs.