Lane Kiffin Pre-Press Conference Drama

Has anyone ever covered something like this with the requirements being no questions, not broadcast live and only a portion on camera? I can see the first two, but only allowing a portion on camera seems weird.

 

The local guy from Channel 10 deserves a bottle of scotch and the praise of every real journalist for standing up for the right to gather news and the rest of those sheep should be fucked with a rusty trident

 

some of the reporters were pretty snappy looking.

 

Coaches, administrators and players have an inflated sense of self-worth with all of these restrictions.

I would have liked to have someone ask the news channels on Sept. 11 requesting no live shots and you can't show the towers coming down.

The flak in the white hoodie seemed to be completely clueless on news gathering.

 

Sept. 11? Really? You're going to bring up Sept. 11 in conjunction with whether a camera can roll on a coach leaving press conference?

Holy shit.

If my computer didn't pick up the sarcasm font I am sorry, but otherwise...

Holy shit.

 

Sorry, my sarcasm didn't come through. My point was that no one would dare ask a news channel not to go live with Sept. 11 coverage, but in college athletics, a school can put these conditions on the media and the public doesn't bat an eye because they don't want to see their favorite school put in a bad light.

 

Is this that big of a deal? Is it that unusual to do separate sessions for print and TV? Is the difference that usually it's logistically driven where in this case it seems to be driven by what Kiffin wants his TV sound bite to look like?

 

Truth.

 

This is Exhibit A of why I hope I never attend another press conference in my life.

On my old beat, you'd have retired guys and superfans who had left the business attend the weekly coach's press conference for the sheer fun of it. Sports press conferences are the lowest form of journalism, followed closely only by White House ones.

 

It's a big deal if you are a TV producer.

 

From a journalistic standpoint, the whole thing is on camera or the whole thing is off camera. Period.

 

Yeah, I think you're right. In my mind, I'm thinking of situations where there are dozens of reporters in a room and they break up print and video sessions for logistical reasons. This clearly was for Kiffin to manage the message. He has a right to do that, but the news gatherers have a right to refuse. At which point, however, you have to ask if that's the best way to treat your readers/viewers.

Not easy questions.