College beat, what do you report

[umiami06]

You find out college athlete gets a minor. Is it worth reporting... giving like a sentence or two... or is it so small and common that it's not worth doing anything? What does your newspaper do?

 

[Double Down]

Gets a minor?

1. In English?
2. In possession?
3. Pregnant?

 

[sartrean]

Yeah, a football or basketball athlete with a minor in English is most definitely a story!

 

[Pringle]

Minor consumption?

Report it.

You have to do it so that people with agendas - like father of his back-up - don't accuse you later of covering it up.

 

[Canyonero!]

Yeah, a football or basketball athlete with a minor in English is most definitely a story!

HI-OH!

 

[accguy]

I think it's a very subjective question. It totally depends on the situation.

Paper: Is your paper in a college town where every tidbit about a team is crucial? Then, probably yes. Are you at a metro where you have a bunch of schools and yours is near the bottom of the pecking order? Maybe not.

Sport: Football ain't cross-country. Golf ain't basketball.

Profile: Is it the starting quarterback or running back? Is it a regular? Is it a guy who is only on the punt return team? Is it a scout team kid? Is it a local player?

Level: My general rule is if it's big enough for a player to be arrested and booked into jail (or a warrant is out), then it's probably important enough to put in the paper. Is it simply a citation that doesn't require a court apperance? Then it seems like a glorified speeding ticket.

Just one guy's thoughts.

 

[Shaggy]

Fans want to know about football or basketball players getting in trouble with the law. Report it.

 

[ogre]

Report it. Don't dwell on it. Don't give it a long shelf life unless it is part of a pattern of behavior.

 

[Gator]

we once had a guy get a DUI at a division III college. it was obviously in the news section, so sports didnt touch it. but then we later wrote a feature on him, and we didn't shy away from it. we asked him about it, and he was pretty open about answering questions. im assuming if he was arrested, itll end up in the news portion of the arrest log.

 

[Kool-Aid]

ACCGuy had it right.
Report it. How big of an issue it becomes depends upon who the player is. Starting QB -- story. Third-string left tackle -- notebook lining. Story for both if booking actually occurs.

 

[bigpern23]

I was definitely under the impression he meant something such as a minor in English. Otherwise, wouldn't he have said a misdemeanor?

Then again, if it is the U of Miami, it's more likely that it's a misdemeanor than a minor in English. I'm so confused.

 

[WSKY]

if your doing a beat, report. If you're one of those assholes that just comes around when something bad happens ...