Hawks-Thrashers owner takes AJC to ask

Bruce Levenson does so in this piece. He makes a number of interesting points on the paper itself, what's fair game and the use of resources in these times. Worth a look, whether you agree with his points or not:

http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/62538

 

Durn, I was just about to post this.

 

Which brings to me the point I was trying to make in my other thread:

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/69896/

 

Great column by Levenson.

Resource-strapped, the newspaper has stopped sending beat reporters to cover some away games of the city’s professional sports teams. Most importantly, the AJC has announced large numbers of layoffs in its newsroom that will leave it a mere shell of its former self, severely limiting its ability to cover the people, institutions and events that impact Atlantans’ lives.

Yet, from the IT department, to former sports editor Ron Ramos to Swartz, the AJC squandered precious dwindling resources chasing a meaningless dead-end story; one it sought to manufacture from one of a thousand sentences Whammer wrote in an e-mail the AJC should never have traced.

In these tough times, there is a premium on good judgment.

 

I'm sure it took less than an hour for IT to track down the network "Whammer" posted from.

 

Still a fricking waste of time.

 

Sue, for the love of God, sue. There are cases to be made off those damn things and I await the day one is brought to court with anticipation so great it almost pains me.

 

There's precedent that suggests that it wouldn't do much good -- and it's complicated by the fact that this guy is surely a public figure.

 

It took people this long to realize story chatters are nuts.

 

I'm not sure a higher-up in the FUBAR organization that is Atlanta Spirit has the standing to lecture anyone on good judgment.

Also, I think he's peeved that the AJC spent time on this story instead of covering his teams, like the hockey team few care about.

This wild goose chase wasn't wild or goosy as Levenson makes it out to be. He admits that while "Whammer" isn't him, it could be someone in his organization. If the owner of a local team is sending pseudonymous emails criticizing coverage, that is news. Swartz checked it out, thought it might be him, but I don't see anywhere where she ran ahead with a story saying Levenson was Whammer.

Sorry, but I find it hard to see this piece as anything other than a self-serving ride on the whambulance for an owner of a screwed-up organization that has trouble attracting fans and making money, with or without the paper's help.

 

AJC looks just silly here. Forget about their actions in any context related to not staffing road games, it's just strange to a GM and accuse him of making the comments -- did you really think he'd admit to it even if it were true? Then, to ask him to help you identify the commenter and stop them, it's just awkwardly wrong.

Signed,

Anonymous Poster

 

Turn off your comments function then.

Looks like the AJC's feelings were hurt at taking criticism. Poor babies. Grow a pair.