Mark Whicker, what were you thinking?

I'm stunned for one reason: Whicker has been a class act, as far as I could tell or read, for his entire career, which pretty much spans the length of time I've been in the biz. I've sat next to or talked to Mark in numerous press boxes and media centers, and always found him to be friendly. All-around good guy (and does a wickedly good imitation of Dean Smith). Yes, the column was a bad idea. I'm shocked the bad idea came from him.

 

Some insight on what happened before it went to press:

http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=101&aid=169823

"Assistant Sports Editor Todd Harmonson said in a phone interview Wednesday that someone else filled in for him in editing the column because he was off, though he declined to say who. The column went through both a content and copy edit."

 

Correct on the first count, probably correct on the second.

 

Pretty sure that's what everyone means, joe king, when we refer to "the desk" in this case.

The desk does include copy editors, though, and, as you suggest, they certainly could have and should have brought concerns to someone higher up -- if they, in fact, ever had such concerns.

I still am not convinced that anyone really did.

 

reading that Poynter column, that dude seriously needs to shut the fuck up. Every post backing him on this thread is losing credibility with every word that comes out of this asshole's mouth

 

You are a newbie so I'll cut you a lot of slack, and I don't want this thread locked. Whicker is not an asshole. He made a mistake. There are a number of people on this board who have worked with him and against him on stories and such. In the press box, you'd be hard press to find anyone more helpful than Mark.

 

Have any columnists (not the online BLOGGER! variety) used this incident as column fodder?

 

"I vehemently believe I wasn't insensitive about the fact that she was kidnapped," he said Wednesday evening while at his son's soccer practice. "I never made light about the fact that this woman was abducted. I don't think anyone can cite anything in the column that says I did."

and this

"I tried to incorporate some humor," Whicker said, "but I certainly don't think I mocked that woman."

and this


"I'm a little saddened by the tone of some of the responses because I think it says a lot about what's out there in computer-land," Whicker said. "I've had some e-mailers say, 'Why don't you write about 9/11 while you're at it?' Another person said, 'Why don't you write about the Holocaust next?' I think that's a really obscene thing to say."

and this

Congratulations Jaycee, you've left the yard.


Now he may have indeed helped a ton of people on this board, but those are some of the most assholish comments that i've ever seen....unless, of course, he was misqouted.

 

aren't you the guy who went off the deep end when people were criticizing someone you had worked with. I believe you were even challenging them to fight.

Now, you telling people they are losing crediility because they are saying this is out of character for a man many people know and have worked with. Sounds a little hypocritical to me.

 

no,

that was directed at one dude...I'm not usually that confrontational, plus the subject matter was one of my friends, and I just didn't want to see him smeared like that...different subject, different conversation.

 

Yes, a blogger, but a peer nonetheless. How long until one of these morons attempt to contact the girl for a reaction?

 

So it's different if it's you sticking up for one your friends, you don't lose any credibility, but others on here do. I haven't seen anybody defend him, all I've seen is people say that this is out of character from the person they know. I can't see how anybody loses credibility for that.