Tennessee bans Knoxville reporter

Management has to back the reporter here. I feel blessed to have editors at my current and most recent stop who wouldn't dream of such bend-me-over capitulation to the big bad university. But most fans hum the fight song whether we break news or shovel SID quotes.

 

That's awesome. I kind of did that once, when a football coach threatened to pull all access for when I reported that he grabbed the quarterback by the facemask and dragged him to the sidelines during the final moments of a game for what the college called insubordination ... for not running up the score on a rival, and instead running out the clock. Everyone saw the exchange, so I ran with it. The column that followed is what really pissed them off, though.

Long story short, coach had too much of an ego to keep going without his name in print.

 

As someone who's been around this beat a few years, it should be noted Hooker had been warned before on these matters. And just days before the story appeared, Inky reportedly declined a 15-minute press conference request from the sports info people. Additionally, Inky was supposedly flagged around the area near the football complex, with the phone interview coming later. I didn't have a problem with Hooker's get; as Baron noted, I don't think it was overly informative, but he got the first interview. Kudos to him. I didn't complain. Among those who complained the loudest is the guy from midstate.
But, Inky says he didn't even know the guy was media whenever the phone call took place. It's hard to know who to believe. Maybe the kid's just panicking now.
And the UT SID guys are some of the best I've dealt with anywhere. Period. Especially when I know for a fact they've gone to bat for Hooker to get him interviews with players. There are coaches on the beat who have instructed the SID staff to not allow Hooker any one-on-one interviews, no matter how innocuous. I've seen defensive coaches chide SID staffers when they've spotted Hooker one-on-one with their players.
As for whether or not McElroy backed Hooker, I'm not sure what else everyone expected. A Sunday suicide with no coverage or from-the-bleachers coverage from every writer? Hooker's getting paid in his absence, and he's not the main beat writer. That's Drew Edwards, a hell of a guy who's now being thrown to the wolves just a few weeks into the beat. Hooker covers mainly recruiting and writes a single sidebar out of games. Not a crippling blow here.
Again, Hooker did some admirable reporting to get the story it would seem, but he also knew he was sticking his ass in a sling because of previous warnings. I'd have wanted to know one way or the other if Inky's career is done and if he'll ever gain full use of the arm -- questions I'm sure we'll eventually get to ask -- if I was going to risk suspension. Actually, I'm much more concerned about "independent" media outlets who cash university checks and fly on the team plane, all while passing as "peers" through the week at practice and press conferences in the name of recruiting coverage.

 

That's even worse. He's willing to talk to some generic "guy" but not to the media? Not believable.

Sometimes, players are just more comfortable talking to one reporter than a bunch. The job of the beat guy is to try to be that one reporter.

I'll also add this -- I'm sure it was complaints from other media outlets who followed the rules as much as anything that prompted this action. So let's not pretend that there's a lot of solidarity out there in these situations.

 

Here's what burns me underneath all of this - the continuing demonization of the media to college kids. I just got done reading Alan Schwarz's column about his relationship with Cory Lidle, and it was a tremendous column. But it also reminded me how in baseball, players and reporters can actually converse like grown adults without a media relations person darting in to break up an - oh my God! - actual conversation between two people.

In college, it is very, very, very obvious that the kids have been coached that journalists covering the program are just out to try to distract them from the task at hand. Be on guard, give your canned quotes and responses for 10 minutes a week, then get out of there. If they try to small talk with you, like normal people are apt to do in normal human settings, politely brush them off as soon as possible and scurry out of there. Whatever you do, do NOT feed the animals!

I think that's the worst part of covering these major colleges - covering a kid for four years and he still doesn't know your first name, in a lot of situations, because he's taught from Day 1 that you are the enemy.

 

Amen.

I just relayed to a college coach this week that I'm not out looking for negative stories and that I disagree with the attitude of the university that that's what sports journalists are hunting for.

 

And I'm not saying I'm in this to be buddy-buddy with all these guys. To the contrary. But on the other hand, you spend day after day after day covering a program, and it just feels awkward after a while knowing that everyone you come into contact with is doing their best to avoid knowing you at anything beyond a superficial level because they have been taught to do so. So they don't understand your job. You don't understand what they're going through beyond a superficial level. It's not good for anybody.

 

Wait, when did Drew Edwards become the N-S's No. 1 Tennessee guy? Or am I reading that post wrong?

Drew's a helluva guy for sure, sounds like he's in for a fight on that beat from the tone of alwayswrite's details. Seems like alwayswrite and his boys'll do anything not to get beaten on a story.

 

Yeah. Anything short of ruffling the feathers of the UT SID staff, that is.

Now, check with the SID office, make sure to follow guidelines and go get that story as soon as they let you, soldier!

 

What's wrong with hunting for "negative" stories?

 

At what point do you call in the lawyers?

This is still a state-funded, public institution. These are still students first, athlete second. And the good people of Tennessee's tax dollars are going to this fine institution, even though they could pay all the teachers salaries off the football revenue alone. They don't give that money back because they make plenty.

In my humble opinion, these jacklegged SIDs and coaches are no better than the guy that picks up my trash -- both of their jobs are funded by the tax dollars.

 

Geez. You have to get the publisher involved in this to meet with the AD? And still you are just accepting your punishment like a good little tyke?