Paper writes story of star high school player's failure to graduate

Actually, it was a damn good story. Conveyed the message that bad decisions have consequences. No, I didn't write it, wasn't my paper, but a good story nonetheless.

 

I would have. ANY time a noteworthy player is suspended or absent, I want to know why. I suspect readers do as well.

Had an all-state softball player suspended the night before state tournament for drinking. I confirmed the facts and wrote it. Her mom begged me not to and I explained that I had a job to do and my higher loyalty was to ALL the readers, not just one girl's family and friends.

The only people who have the authority to tell you not to publish something are your paper's editors and publishers. Not the school. Not the family. Not the police. Not the mayor, governor, etc. When I worked in a certain state capital, our paper regulary got into spats with the governor over various stories he didn't want published. It was actually sort of funny.

 

I think I said this before, but in case I didn't, here goes. I think this is a story that should've been written. If the kid was that well known, people are going to wonder why he didn't wind up going somewhere.
Besides, the story talked about him studying for the test and how he wants to go the juco route, so it's not totally trashing him. I think it's a sports story for 1B, not the news section, though.

 

Did a football signing day story two years about State U football. One of the hot shot local kids had been rumoured for weeks to be going there, yet he wasn't on the list of signees.

I asked the college coach, who said he couldn't comment per NCAA rules. Fine, no problem.

I called the kid and had a nice back and forth with him and he admitted to me he hadn't made the grades that State U required, but hope to do so later in the spring and walkon in the summer. I went with his quotes in the story. Nothing unethical there. I was just surprised our HS beat person couldn't get a peep out of him, yet he gave me so much material (I had met him one time before).

 

If both survive the FERPA . . .

Combat will continue, with the ahn-woon!!!!!!!!

 

Perhaps "tricked" was the wrong term to use. Just sayin that the kids was likely not savy enough to say "no comment" when questioned by the reporter.

 

If it had already been written weeks earlier that the kid wasn't going to qualify academically and was going the juco route, then there really is no reason for running this story at this particular time.

Whether or not he's fully graduated is irrelevant at this point. The story would be if August rolls around and he's nowhere to be found, or ends up at some prep school.

Frankly, there isn't anything flagrantly newsworthy about this. We get athletes – yes, even D-1 prospects – every year who end up at a juco for one reason or another. It's news, but nothing earth-shattering.

 

Jason Pierre Paul has made out pretty well for someone who did not graduate and
had to go JUCO route.

 

Albert77 is right - this was a signing day sidebar, as in "Heywood Jablome, star running back at Galveston High who had several offers from Big 12 schools, among others, will not qualify academically and has instead chosen to go to XXXX Junior College."

 

Let's be honest here. Every paper has its share of stories that make the average reader go "DUH". The world and the readership would be just fine without them. Same here. I doubt anyone would scream if they DIDN'T do the story. But I can't see how it's wrong to write it, either.

If you want to write that Joe SuperJock took a dump at 2:30 and then went out and knocked up the homecoming queen, so be it. Just get your facts straight.

 

You seem to be forgetting you are talking about kids, not professional or even college athletes.

 

If he/she gets a story for winning some national (or even local) spelling bee, then that same person is fair game when they do something less noble.