Sports Editor, Albany Herald (Ga.)

This is not well.

 

You are missing the point. I am not saying that the state of the Herald's newsroom is something to be proud of. It's sad, no doubt. I am arguing that the cause of this is not racism. IN TWO-THOUSAND-AND-SIX, as Boots keeps reminding us, this shouldn't be an issue. But guess what, it is... everywhere! It has zero to do with Albany and 100 percent to do with the state of the industry as a whole.

Experienced, talented and qualified minorities don't have to wait their turn in places like Albany making just enough to survive. There are better jobs waiting at bigger papers. Why? Because everyone's newsroom is lilly white, and they are just as anxious to change that as Albany is. READ THE DAMNED STUDY and you'll see this is not just a problem at one paper. It's everywhere!

It's also great that Boots can make assumptions about my experience without knowing me, can make assumptions about the motivations of management at a newspaper without knowing the facts, and can make accusations that only undermine what seems to be his motivation, which is to diversify a newsroom.

Perhaps that's because diversification isn't his motivation. Bashing a newspaper that he has an axe to grind with is.

And if you were in such a better place now, Boots, I find it odd that Albany is the only place you have a bone to pick with. If you'd been in a press box for any major sporting event in the past 10 years, I doubt you'd have seen too many minorities there.

You're a joke.

Now please, come back with the same argument again. I'm really not tired of hearing it yet.

 

http://powerreporting.com/knight/table9.pdf

According to this info, there are 31 small papers in communities with at least 30 percent minorities that have ZERO minorities on staff, including Brunswick, Milledgeville and Tifton in Georgia alone. Albany, you'll notice, is not on there.

Also, take a look at where the majority (vast majority) of those papers are --- the Southeast.

The fact is, there are not a lot of strong journalism schools there and average wages are lower. Papers like the ones on this list have enough trouble attracting any sort of qualified journalist, not just minorities.

 

No one has an axe or anything else to grind at Albany Floyd. If you read my posts instead of trying to be Kreskin, you'd read that I have been saying that it is a good paper with a lot of promise but is too vanilla.
As for being in a press box 10 years, son, triple that number. When you were thinking about covering preps, I was there. I've seen the changes in the press box and it still needs a lot of work. I don't think you are in any position to question anyone about credentials.
Quit being an ass. Read the information. Those two things even you should be able to do while trying to be cute.

 

You're the one not reading. You're calling someone a racist without any facts. That is a joke. And so are you, Boots.

You wanna say the paper sucks, fine by me. I could care less. The paper means nothing to me, but the people whom you are categorizing as racists do.

I'm through with this whole thread. This is a joke. You've yet to make a point, you've only made an ass of yourself. I'm glad you have 30 years of experience. That's great. I hope you've got a dozen Pulitzers on your mantle, too. I still don't have an ounce of respect for you.

 

Son, and I'm trying to be kind here, no one called anyone a racist. We just stated a fact about what is happening there.
As for respect, I could give a rat's ass what you think. You don't sign my pay check and don't spend my money. Don't call people names that you know nothing about and furthermore, disagree with you. When I last checked, it's not a crime to disagree.

 

No one's saying there aren't diversification problems in newsrooms, Boots. We're just saying you're picking on the wrong sports section.

 

We were not picking on anyone. This could be done with a number of newsrooms and sports sections in the country. However, this is one that just came open and was a topic.

 

Boots doesn't need to make a point. He's Boots. He's all knowing and always right. Don't you all know that by now. I love him calling other people "son", though. What a fraud.

 

This has been one interesting thread. I believe Floyd put it best when he said, "these boards bring out the worst in everybody." With Boots, I think his posts reflect his personality which is arrogance and a condescending nature. His calling Floyd "Son" reflects that. Not to belabor the point, but the folks in Albany are going to hire the best candidate, period, whether they're white, Asian, black, Hispanic or some combination of all of the above. To claim otherwise is to accuse the people at The Albany Herald of racism, which is obviously what Boots is doing. Perhaps some people aren't hired because they're a cancer in a news room, not because of the color of their skin. To go back to the job for a moment, it is an excellent position with a great staff, and I know the editors there would encourage any and all folks to toss their hat in the ring.

 

And those of you attacking Boots aren't condescending yourselves? Yeah, I get it. It's different when you guys do it.

 

I'd expect that from a North Carolina fan. Son, you don't know what you're talking about.

Now <i>that's</i> some good condescention!