shrader Posted March 17, 2010 Posted March 17, 2010 rumors and reporting have always been at odds in this business. the freer flow of information in this modern age merely makes it more apparent. for me and many of my respected colleagues, i think we'd all agree we'd rather be right than first. jw Yeah, I was definitely thinking more of the internet than the writers themselves when I said that. The internet makes these things more readily available to the masses of idiots out there and things then spiral from there. The first example that comes to mind is the army of people out there who treat those Eklund NHL "rumors" as the Bible.
PromoTheRobot Posted March 17, 2010 Posted March 17, 2010 Regardless of your opinion of Pat Moran, he was the only one (besides Schefter of course) who understood what was really happening. He actually talked to Schefter, got the straight scoop and reported it correctly. Some of the more professional journalists didn't read Schefter's tweet for what it was and misrepresented the story. I'd say Pat Moran gets kudos for this one. Another problem I have with Pat "Jimmy Olsen" Moran is he has a huge bias against Ralph Wilson and the Bills. If you are going to cover a team you can't spew hatred of the organization while you are trying to be "fair and balanced." PTR
Lori Posted March 17, 2010 Posted March 17, 2010 Yeah, I was definitely thinking more of the internet than the writers themselves when I said that. The internet makes these things more readily available to the masses of idiots out there and things then spiral from there. The first example that comes to mind is the army of people out there who treat those Eklund NHL "rumors" as the Bible. My example would be the Vick-to-Bills rumor during training camp last year. Gaughan (and others) kept insisting there was nothing to it, but people didn't believe them because "such-and-so posted it on Twitter." And fewer than 12 hours later, Vick signed with Philadelphia.
PromoTheRobot Posted March 17, 2010 Posted March 17, 2010 The most annoying part however, is that it doesn't seem like Buffalo has any journalists with any kind of inside info about the Bills. There isnt' a go to guy out there in the Buffalo area. I also put the blame squarely on the Bills, for being one of the most hard to work with teams in the NFL (media wise). Oh well. There is no law that says you have to play nice with the press. Frankly I think you can blame WGR and Jerry Sullivan more for the frosty relations with the Bills. When someone has an axe to grind with you, why would you want to help them with inside info? PTR
Steely Dan Posted March 17, 2010 Posted March 17, 2010 rumors and reporting have always been at odds in this business. the freer flow of information in this modern age merely makes it more apparent. for me and many of my respected colleagues, i think we'd all agree we'd rather be right than first. jw Unfortunately on the flip side many want to be first and damn the story. I remember CNN reporting something about 2 middle eastern men being detained at the border after the OK city bombing.
papazoid Posted March 17, 2010 Posted March 17, 2010 Amen. The profession is going downhill as fast as any other out there. The way they all scramble to report on a rumor posted anywhere on the net is really getting annoying for people trying to find out correct information. The best advice is to try to be patient and let all the rumoring internet "journalists" and print "journalists" scramble to get the story right. Like anyone seriously cares who breaks the story. Really, does anyone seriously care who breaks it first? It's then on 5 million websites within minutes anyway. It's like TV stations thinking that the announcing crew draws in viewers. They actually don't. People watch, because it's football. Shefter was dead on in what he posted on Twitter. He's in his job for a reason. His connections are great, and he posted about the Bills with strong confidence last night. It's a shame though, because it's even hard to trust guys like Shefter anymore, because of how bad the internet has made things. Best advice, even though it's hard as crap to do because we are hooked to our football team, is be patient, let time pass, and let it confirm through numbers of people. The most annoying part however, is that it doesn't seem like Buffalo has any journalists with any kind of inside info about the Bills. There isnt' a go to guy out there in the Buffalo area. I also put the blame squarely on the Bills, for being one of the most hard to work with teams in the NFL (media wise). Oh well. Patience Grasshopper. As hard as it is, we all need patience these days to let all of the internet "sources" battle out every rumor/signing/agreement out there. related to "local" journalists, recently it seems that Mark Gaughn of the News and John Murphy of WIVB have gotten some inside info sooner than others.
Lori Posted March 17, 2010 Posted March 17, 2010 Unfortunately on the flip side many want to be first and damn the story. I remember CNN reporting something about 2 middle eastern men being detained at the border after the OK city bombing. I love this one -- law prof gives his class a "scoop" about SC Justice Roberts retiring but cautions them not to tell anyone, then proceeds to teach a class about unreliable sources. Of course, by the time he tells them an hour later that it was a hoax, part of the lesson, the news has gone national via Twitter/IM ... http://www.newser.com/story/82480/roberts-...w-students.html
Mr. WEO Posted March 17, 2010 Posted March 17, 2010 What is the real issue here? The truth comes out in fairly short order. What's the problem? Did anyone change their plans based on their belief that the signing was or was not true?
John from Riverside Posted March 17, 2010 Posted March 17, 2010 Yeah, I was definitely thinking more of the internet than the writers themselves when I said that. The internet makes these things more readily available to the masses of idiots out there and things then spiral from there. The first example that comes to mind is the army of people out there who treat those Eklund NHL "rumors" as the Bible. I actually prefer accuracy over being first Your doing it right John
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