Media Bowl Gifts

I see both sides of the argument and think I could put together a lucid, cogent argument either for or against the acceptance of swag.

But please allow me to steer the conversation in a slightly different direction: Is there any industry in America that treats its production workers with more contempt and less simply human decency than the newspaper industry?

Is there any business that shits on its young worse than this one?

If you've survived the layoffs, the furloughs, the wage freezes, the universal desks, page designers in Indonesia and yet another fucking memo from the publisher asking you to work smarter, not harder, then by all means, take the tote bag or the pen or the embossed glassware.

You should have something to show for your hard work, intelligence, passion and dedication besides a burning and elongated sphincter.

 

who gives a crap about playing Augusta

go break a story

jesus christ, people

i'm a douche because i follow a code of professional ethics

welcome to sportsjournalists.com

 

No, anyone who would turn down a chance to play Augusta isn't a douche. They're a fucking idiot.

 

you guys should get out of the business, then you can bail on the whole ethics/sanctimonious thing! i quit journalism a few years back. now i'm a lawyer. [insert jokes about lawyer ethics here]. i love when people give me free shit. over the holidays i got a half dozen bottles of wine, gift baskets full of nasty/salty/sweet processed crap that i gave to the interns, a cool leather folder and all sorts of crap. but it doesn't influence me. i don't care what court reporter gives me a bottle of wine. i'm using the court reporter that saves my firm money. and it goes the other way, too. my law firm gives out tons of crap throughout the year. if i meet someone who may become a prospective referral source, i'm sending her anything i can to get the business. that's not unethical, it's reality.

 

Welcome to the real world, leo.

 

my point exactly! ;D

 

It's a real shame we don't have nearly as miuch hand-wringing over on the "Gannett's fucking us with another furlough" thread.

Lemme' see if I have this straight:

Taking free shit at bowl games and events = bad.

The company bending you over and fucking you out of money you've earned through work and experience = Ehh, whayagonnado?

Got it.

 

I'm taking photos from a balcony closed off to the general public. I confess I'm unethical for doing so.

Its also unethical for an exec to take a bonus for cutting costs.

 

I'd agree with this, and I don't even play golf. Heck, even walking the course would be a cool experience.

I was surprised about that whole "writers groaned because they wouldn't be able to play the course Monday" at the U.S. Open, though. Is that just because the paper sent them an extra day just in case it went to a playoff? I'm pretty sure that's the only way I'd be sticking around for Monday if I was there.

 

I think it is a reflection on you, honestly. What is it to you if someone else accepts something from the bowl or not? Does it affect the way you do your job? If not, then who cares? One other thing: Being a journalist, I don't consider $15 cheap.

 

I've never played the media-day round at any of the tournaments I've covered - a yearly PGA tour stop, a yearly Seniors Tour major (both now defunct) or either of the two majors I've covered at our local Top-10-Course-in-America. If I ever covered the Masters, I wouldn't enter the lottery.

But that's only because I don't play golf.

I do wear a baseball cap from the PGA Tour event, because it actually fits my odd-sized head. It, and a couple of their shirts, don't give me any ethical issues, since the tournament doesn't exist any more and the sponsor went out of business.

Actually, my two biggest ethical "lapses" had nothing to do with accepting swag. The first was when I covered a college basketball game between Big State U and Smaller State U. It was a chilly, rainy day, so I grabbed the same rainproof jacket that I always wore on such days. When I got to the game, I walked into the press room and someone said "I guess we know who you are cheering for." Only then did I realize, to my complete embarrassment, that the jacket had the name of Smaller State on it. It wasn't swag - it was a jacket I had bought when I had attended the school more than a decade before. I hadn't covered a single one of their games since I had graduated, and hadn't even thought about it. Never made *that* mistake again.

The second one I'd do again in a heartbeat. My dad was a fanatical Green Bay Packers fan, dating back to the 1940s. Vince Lombardi was his idol - I'm amazed they didn't name me after him. He cared so much about the Packers that he wasn't allowed to watch either of their Favre-era Super Bowls, because his cardiologist said the stress would be too much. My brother and I watched the game and gave him reports. He only turned on the Patriots game when it became clear they would win. He never turned on the Broncos game.

Anyway, when the Packers had their public-share offering several years ago, I bought him a share for a Christmas present. It was the only time I saw him tear up in the 36 years we had together. He had the certificate framed and put over his desk, and he went to several of the annual meetings at Lambeau Field.

I suppose someone could say that might affect my coverage of the Packers - a team I see once a year. I know it doesn't, but if someone wants to judge me negatively for doing it, that's fine.