Media Bowl Gifts

Because journalists might have to write stories about public officials who received money, a trip to Aruba, or whatever from some developer and then claimed outrage that the newspaper would suggest it swayed their vote on a zoning issue.

It's called a conflict of interest.

Ideally, you would want to avoid even the perception of a conflict of interest.

Granted, though, for sports writers most of your readers could care less if you took a golf bag, a fifth of hooch or a sunset cruise from the Backwater Bowl.

But if they think you really are a fan of hated Podunk State instead of beloved University of Podunk, you're an asshole.

 

It's amazing how parents think the college recruiting world works...it's also amazing the number of Division-I caliber athletes that are overlooked each year...seems each team in our area has a handful on the roster

 

Yes, I think this is more of an issue if you're taking stuff from a certain school in your area than taking something from an organization putting on an event.

 

So I can still use the Bass Pro Shops media discount card?

 

I got my share of freebies when I was a writer and didn't think too much about them. Of course, I was never important enough to be offered any real temptations, so the point may be moot.

In my current line of work, though, I have to be very careful. For example, my students know I play golf. Last summer during a break one mentioned that he worked for a firm that makes over retail stores. They had been making over a golf store and he found a dozen Titleist ProV1s ... then he hands them to me. TILT. I could tell they were a couple of years old -- believe it or not, there's a model-year kind of thing with ProV1s -- so I didn't doubt his story. I have no doubts about his intentions, either. It was a simple, sincere gesture, with no expectations of anything. I couldn't take them, though.

A couple of years before that, my wife and I went into a restaurant for dinner and were surprised to be waited on by a student. It was just a coincidence; I didn't know she worked there. So we chat, laugh, have a drink, have dinner. As things wind up, the manager walks over and tells us, "So glad y'all came by. Tiffany's clocked out, but your meal's still on the house." WHAT? I asked and asked and asked for the check, but no, it hadn't even been recorded. So the next morning I'm in my department chair's office with a memo detailing what happened and doing everything possible to make sure my rear end was covered.

Neither of those gifts was any less valuable than what I encountered as a writer. But
the consequences of even a perceived conflict of interest would have been much higher.

P.S. Sorry for the long post. I'm trapped in a classroom giving a mid-term so I have plenty of time on my hand.

 

Winter inter-session. A little over two weeks, some before Xmas, mostly after New Year's. Four-hour classes, five days a week. Brutal ... but the students love it, and I get extra money!

 

All hail, MLK Day, or in my state, Robert E. Lee Day.

I'm not sure how much a one-shot gift has that much influence. Say I cover TCU and make the Rose Bowl. If they give me a hotel suite full of crap, how much does it really mean to me in terms of long-term coverage?

Me going back to the Rose Bowl for a TCU appearance is pretty much nil. Me being anything less than honest is also nil because I won't ever see those people again.

But the same can be said of what much of the bowls do, even for the regulars. Unless you cover national college football for a major publication and pick the Sun Bowl every year because they give you a hooker for the week — that is about the only way the bowls can influence you.

More insidious for the ethically minded is the regular contact on the beat and the constant attempts to give gifts, trinkets and covered bar tabs.

Where it gets hard and where a writer is more likely to trip up is turning down a source when they try to pick up the bar tab or an offer of some special occasion and it means they may not be so friendly the next time and you're a lot less likely to get the scoop.

 

I'm in continuing, growing disbelief on some of the shit I'm seeing on this thread.

Yes, conflict of interest guidelines, and avoiding the appearance of conflict of interest, is about us making believe our jobs are different and more important than the are. We're putting on airs so we can feel like bigshots.

Listen, we can wrangle round and round on whether that bag from that bowl game is appropriate, but our jobs ARE different, these things ARE important, and it matters.

Or maybe it simply used to matter and doesn't anymore.

The number of people who seem to think it doesn't, or never did, is depressing. And I'll take the holier-than-thou tag if that's what I merit.

 

If you take a credential, you have a conflict of interest if you want to be a purist on the issue. Getting special access is unethical according to that line of thinking.

 

Yeah, that's a tough thing. I'll be honest, I do have a problem getting free things from a source on my beat, but it's tough because it's really not worth ruining a relationship in most cases.

I have a great relationship with the coaches of the college basketball team I cover. They give me access that is denied to other media outlets, are always willing to talk to me after practice and will tell me just about anything I ask. Sure, that's sometimes off the record, but the point is that they like and trust me, which allows me to do my job better.

During the offseason, the director of basketball operations decided to give me a small souvenir from their camp. Did I feel comfortable taking it? Absolutely not. Did I think it was worth taking an ethical stand over? No. From his point of view, he's doing something nice for me. If I turn it down, what have I accomplished? All I've done is potentially upset him, and for what?

I took it, said thanks and stashed it in my closet, where it stays to this day. They don't have to know what I did with it, and it doesn't affect my coverage in the slightest. I'm still perfectly willing to rip them when they deserve it. If I'm wrong, fine, but I had my reasons there. I wanted nothing to do with the freebie in that case, I just want to do the best job I can. If that's wrong, then I can deal with being wrong.