Tennessee bans Knoxville reporter

1. It's more a news issue than a sports issue. As a reader, I wouldn't want this topic taking up sports space, or to have that perception.

2. It also removes a certain level of personal relationship that might lead to the perception of bias. Put a reporter who doesn't know the key players personally.

3. Sends a more serious tone to UT and to readers. More likely to follow up with president's office rather than AD, and that sort of thing.

 

Here is the audio link from Hooker's interview:
http://wms.scripps.com/knoxville/dave/1010inkyjohnson.mp3

(Edited to ask this question: Does he sufficiently identify himself as a reporter? I'm not sure he says his paper's name, nor mentions that it is an interview. He assumed Inky Johnson knows who he is by his name. Does this count? Or is it shady?)

 

I love the, "The reporter did not formally state that the conversation was on the record..."

He's a reporter. He works for a newspaper. If he identified himself as such, the conversation is on the record unless otherwise agreed.

Man, I'm glad I don't have to deal with the bullshit that is covering colleges... I know it's not like this everywhere, but give me a fucking break...

 

But did he say he worked for a newspaper? I didn't hear it.

 

If you know the guy, I don't see why it's necessary. There are plenty of coaches and players with whom I speak where I don't start the conversation with, "This is Shifty Squid from the Hades Picayune." It would sound silly. They know who I am by either my face or my voice. If you know the person well enough to where there's no question he knows who you are, there's no reason to identify yourself and your publication every time you talk.

 

I definitely don't think it can be assumed that Inky would know Hooker by name/voice. The kid hasn't exactly been a regular at weekly interview sessions in the past couple of years. He seems kind of intimidated by the whole process if you ask me. Given that every Vol player or coach gets a dozen tape recorders or microphones shoved in his face at once, I probably wouldn't enjoy it either.

 

I don't either, Omar. Like I said, "If you know the guy ..." I'm not sure if anyone here is qualified to answer the question of whether he does or not. But if they had talked just a day or two before to set up the interview, as I believe I read in one of these blog entries, then I doubt Inky forgot over the course of one or two days who Dave Hooker was. Again, though, I don't assume this. Just making the statement that I don't think you can say him not identifying himself as a KNS reporter is necessarily a shady thing to do.

 

That's valid. But here's my thing. If they met face to face to do the interview, I doubt Dave said "Hey this is Dave Hooker" because Inky knows what Hooker looks like. When Dave called on the phone, I'm sure he identified himself.

I think your bigtime D-I athletes know faces of media guys and gals. And they know names. But a lot of times I think they don't necessarily know the faces that go with the names unless it's one of the guys that does interviews all the time. And Inky wouldn't fall in that category.

I don't know for sure one way or the other, just discussing based on my own experiences.

 

Yep. Nothing beats living the good life covering teams coached by Nick Saban, who treats the media with professionalism and class.

[/drippingwithsarcasm]

 

Well, Saban is the extreme... I'm not saying that covering the pros is any day at the beach, but I don't have to ask permission to ask an athlete about his injury...

Also, at least with Saban's team, under NFL rules he has to make the locker room available for 45 minutes on every day they practice, plus postgame... Most college beat writers never get to see locker room access...

 

More assholes in the pros, though... at least with regard to athlete-media relations

 

I guess you're entitled to your opinion, but I've covered both and it's not close...