The Case of the Malevolent Rumor-Monger

[Jacky Roberts]

If you are a journalist you try and get the facts..running with a rumor to others is hardly that...please!!

But he didn't run with any rumor. If he did, you'd be 100% right. Sounds like he couldn't get legit sources so he sat on it.

 

[shmessy]

But he didn't run with any rumor. If he did, you'd be 100% right. Sounds like he couldn't get legit sources so he sat on it.

Look at the end of my post previous to yours.

Funny how those sources he "couldn't get to" had to call him up to tell him to stop calling the teammates.

 

[QuiGon]

If you are a journalist you try and get the facts..running with a rumor to others is hardly that...please!!

So, when you've heard a rumor, it's poor journalism to call other people you know and trust to find out if it's true..? Interesting...

 

[shmessy]

So, when you've heard a rumor, it's poor journalism to call other people you know and trust to find out if it's true..? Interesting...

Additionally there's this from the Felger transcript:
__________
" The next thing you know, the public relations guy for this team, called this reporter back, and said “I just spoke to the player in question, and he asked me to ask you to stop calling his teammates and asking if he’s dead.”
___________

So there you have it, Quigon.

The reporter couldn't call the player or the PR Personnel at the Patriots. But THEY had to get in touch with HIM (talk about the whole thing being backwards) to tell him to stop calling his teammates regarding this.

 

[QuiGon]

Look at the end of my post previous to yours.

Funny how those sources he "couldn't get to" had to call him up to tell him to stop calling the teammates.

I think you're going overboard trying to blame this on one specific reporter. Once the rumor got out there, and the first reporter called a few of his friends, there's no doubt that multiple reporters were now calling all over the place to anyone and everyone they could think of (including the Patriots team and Bruschi's agent).

Let's reconstruct what most likely happened: A tip was delivered to reporter A. I will give reporter A the benefit of the doubt that it was from a known source... not, like, just some anonymous e-mail from a complete stranger.

At this point, reporter A calls some legitimate sources, but also calls reporters B, C and D to see if they heard anything. So what do you think happened at this point..? Do you think reporters B, C and D sat by their phones twiddling their thumbs hoping to hear back from reporter A...? No. What happened next was reporters A, B, C and D are now calling various sources they know at the hospital, the team, Bruschi's agent, etc, not to mention calling reporters E, F, G and H. Needless to say, reporters A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H all know this is the biggest news story of the year if true so they are all aggressively trying to confirm or deny it. Maybe eventually reporters A, C, E and H receive official denials, so they put the story to rest, but B, C, D and F are still in hot pursuit. Sooner or later some friend of a friend of a friend hears about all this activity and puts it on the internet, at which point all hell breaks loose.

Meahwhile, the subject of all this speculation, his teammates and the Pats' officials are getting quite irritated so they call on the media to stop all the phone calls and nonsense.

Meanwhile, no media member has spoken or printed a single word in the press or airwaves that any of this was true or could even possibly be true. Nor is any media member deliberately and maliciously spreading a rumor he knows to be false. No "Bruschi is dead" stories have been printed, no news reports saying "Sources tell us Bruschi is dead" and no helicopters are flying over Bruschi's household.

Sorry, but I am just not seeing anything grossly unethical conduct by the major players in any of the above.

 

[QuiGon]

Additionally there's this from the Felger transcript:
__________
" The next thing you know, the public relations guy for this team, called this reporter back, and said “I just spoke to the player in question, and he asked me to ask you to stop calling his teammates and asking if he’s dead.”
___________

So there you have it, Quigon.

The reporter couldn't call the player or the PR Personnel at the Patriots. But THEY had to get in touch with HIM (talk about the whole thing being backwards) to tell him to stop calling his teammates regarding this.

Sorry, but I don't consider Felger to be the patron saint of journalistic ethics and standards in the Boston media. He's barely one step above Borges in the "scumbag reporter" category.

 

[Pats726]

So, when you've heard a rumor, it's poor journalism to call other people you know and trust to find out if it's true..? Interesting...

My point is when he heard the rumor why was he not immediately on the phone with Stacy James. THAT is far more interesting. you said yourself that part of journalism was about getting facts..What facts will these other journalists have? Why didn't he contact the person who WOULD know the answers?? Bruschi's agent or the Patriot's themselves? He didn't go after the facts..instead he shared the dumb rumor and it spread around. Far from Journalism 101..If it was trade rumors or something a bit less important, fine..but something as serious as a death of a player??? PLEASE!!!

 

[shmessy]

Meanwhile, no media member has spoken or printed a single word in the press or airwaves that any of this was true or could even possibly be true. Nor is any media member deliberately and maliciously spreading a rumor he knows to be false. No "Bruschi is dead" stories have been printed, no news reports saying "Sources tell us Bruschi is dead" and no helicopters are flying over Bruschi's household.

Sorry, but I am just not seeing anything grossly unethical conduct by the major players in any of the above.

You're living in the mid - 20th century if you think it's OK just because it didn't appear in the newspaper or on TV.

If a media member leaks unfounded rumors to the internet or to an untrustworthy person who can leak it to the internet, it, unfortunately can become a story in itself as we have seen before.

Don't think for a minute that a media member cannot do terrible damage with a small percent of a story that wouldn't be ready for print or TV, but can be anonymously leaked to the internet.

If one of us idiots on the board did that it would be reprehensible and disgusting (and hopefully bannable), but if a professional member of the media, whom the public trusts to deliver them the news does it......... or calls friends and/or family of the player.........different matter.

 

[shmessy]

My point is when he heard the rumor why was he not immediately on the phone with Stacy James. THAT is far more interesting. you said yourself that part of journalism was about getting facts..What facts will these other journalists have? Why didn't he contact the person who WOULD know the answers?? Bruschi's agent or the Patriot's themselves? He didn't go after the facts..instead he shared the dumb rumor and it spread around. Far from Journalism 101..If it was trade rumors or something a bit less important, fine..but something as serious as a death of a player??? PLEASE!!!

Exactly. Notice how QuiGon doesn't address the irony that Stacey James sure had no trouble finding the reporter's phone number. Did the reporter lose Stacey's? Evidently, the "reporter" had the phone numbers of plenty of Bruschi's teammates. Why not Stacey James' who is tasked with providing the media with info?

 

[QuiGon]

My point is when he heard the rumor why was he not immediately on the phone with Stacy James. THAT is far more interesting.

What makes you so sure he didn't try that route...? But here's another little factoid you should be aware of: Stacey James is not God. If something happens to a Patriots player offsite, I bet more often than not the media finds out about it before the Patriots front office does.

you said yourself that part of journalism was about getting facts..What facts will these other journalists have?

Calling other reporters to ask "Hey have you heard about this rumor..?" happens all the time. It's just a fact of life in journalism.

Why didn't he contact the person who WOULD know the answers?? Bruschi's agent or teh Patriot's themselves? He didn't go after the facts..instead he shared the dumb rumor and it spread around. Far from Journalism 101..

If you were calling the team or an official representative for every dumbass rumor you've ever heard, you're going to alienate them very quickly - not to mention make yourself look like quite the fool in the process.

I think people here are trying to hard to blame one single reporter when it was really a frenzy created by several of them all trying to find out just WTF was going on.

 

[QuiGon]

Exactly. Notice how QuiGon doesn't address the irony that Stacey James sure had no trouble finding the reporter's phone number. Did the reporter lose Stacey's? Evidently, the "reporter" had the phone numbers of plenty of Bruschi's teammates. Why not Stacey James' who is tasked with providing the media with info?

You people are unreal... on the one hand, this unnamed reporter is being criticized for spreading the rumor without checking into any official sources. On the other hand, you are criticizing this reporter for calling so many official sources and bothering so many people that Stacey james had to call him to tell him to cool it.

So which is it..? Did Mystery Reporter X call so many sources he had to be told to stop, or did he maliciously and violently spread the rumors without checking in with anyone..? Methinks the truth is probably someplace in-between.

Also, I find it hilarious that you are assuming the above story is true. You realize you're just processing a rumor about a rumor about a rumor, right..?

 

[Pats726]

From the Boston Sports Media Watch....Apparently Felger on radio had the rumor, found out it was not true and would NOT even name the player. For once he got it right AND did teh right thing!!!
This were the BSMW comments on it "
"Finding out who the rumor is about isn't that hard. It has been well circulated by this point. I've even gotten a few emails about the situation. It's just another idiot on the internet starting rumors for fun. Felger showed good judgment by not repeating the name of the player and giving further attention to whoever started this.

I'm more interested at this point in finding out who the reporter was that was making the calls to the teammates. That is ridiculous. I do wish Felger had given that name out.

You'd like to think a guy could lose his job for acting so irresponsibly, but the media wagons are already circled in this matter. It doesn't seem like anything will happen. "...................http://www.bostonsportsmedia.com/

 

[shmessy]

What makes you so sure he didn't try that route...? But here's another little factoid you should be aware of: Stacey James is not God. If something happens to a Patriots player offsite, I bet more often than not the media finds out about it before the Patriots front office does.

Not to think of calling the Head of Public Information for the New England Patriots about the DEATH of a Patriots player that supposedly took place in a Boston area hospital?????????

You would first call three other media members who would then have the time to call several of Bruschi's teammmates, who then call him and get him pissed so that he can talk with Stacey James about it while the the story goes wild on the internet and then WAIT until Stacey James tracks YOU down??????

Are you kidding?

 

[shmessy]

On the other hand, you are criticizing this reporter for calling so many official sources and bothering so many people that Stacey james had to call him to tell him to cool it.

Whom did the reporter contact that you consider "official". The guy whose Aunt works in the filing department at Mass General? The teammates?

Please, educate us on your use of the words "official sources".

 

[Pats726]

"You'd like to think a guy could lose his job for acting so irresponsibly, but the media wagons are already circled in this matter. It doesn't seem like anything will happen. "...................That is from BSMW.....I do NOT think they are going overboard having many years of close scrutiny of the media...If you disagree, fine, but I think in this case someone needs to be accountable.

 

[QuiGon]

Not to think of calling the Head of Public Information for the New England Patriots about the DEATH of a Patriots player that supposedly took place in a Boston area hospital?????????

You would first call three other media members who would then have the time to call several of Bruschi's teammmates, who then call him and get him pissed so that he can talk with Stacey James about it while the the story goes wild on the internet and then WAIT until Stacey James tracks YOU down??????

Are you kidding?

I don't know why you're so fixated and ****sure of yourself that the original reporter didn't call some legit sources in addition to asking around with other local media members... or, for that matter, why we are now taking the words of Michael Felger as being the gospel truth... Why don't you just quote Ron Borges while you're at it..? Nope... no agenda from Felger..!! Not him..!! Him and Borges are the epitome of integrity and honesty..!!

 

[shmessy]

I don't know why you're so fixated and ****sure of yourself that the original reporter didn't call some legit sources in addition to asking around with other local media members... or, for that matter, why we are now taking the words of Michael Felger as being the gospel truth... Why don't you just quote Ron Borges while you're at it..? Nope... no agenda from Felger..!! Not him..!! Him and Borges are the epitome of integrity and honesty..!!

........plus Tom Curran, plus Bostonsportsmediawatch.com, plus........

By the way, these are all professionals who are putting their names on this story. They are exposed. Do you think they would make this up in public when telling the story of a fellow journalist. People who attack fellow journalists without proof do it only under assumed names on internet message boards. People who would dare question another journalist better be right on the money if it is under their byline or on the own shows that are named after them.

 

[QuiGon]

Whom did the reporter contact that you consider "official". The guy whose Aunt works in the filing department at Mass General? The teammates?

Please, educate us on your use of the words "official sources".

What happened to you being fine "agreeing to disagree"..? I've spoken my piece, you disagree with me, and we're just going to have to leave it at that. We've debated this to death and your words have demonstrated you just don't really know what you're talking about. You really should re-read my "Reporters A, B, C, D" post and what you'll see is how these things can easily spiral out of control without any one single person acting maliciously or being entirely at fault.

Poor judgement..? Sure. Malicious and wanton disbursement of knowingly false rumors..? Puh-leeze.

Oh and by the way... did I mention that not a single reporter ever once took to the airwaves or press to report this rumor as being true, possibly being true, or even being rumored to be true...?

You're obviously obsessed with having the last word, so have at it...

 

[shmessy]

Poor judgement..? Sure. Malicious and wanton disbursement of knowingly false rumors..? Puh-leeze.

Great example of your dishonesty or lack of reading comprehension.

I have CLEARLY and in ENGLISH, on several occasions in this thread stated that I do not believe it was malicious or intended, but incompetent and a malpractice of journalism. I would imagine you understand the differences between those words.

If not, what in those words do you not understand, or choose not to understand? If you want posters to see you as a credible person (whatever your points of view) you should at least show some respect for others and not so obviously misrepresent their points. No one gets any enlightenment from that.

 

[AirForcePatFan]

Hi QuiGon,

I have been reading this entire thread and feel that the reporter who got the "tip" handled the situation of Tedy Bruischi's so not true death was in the wrong.. You have been very firm in handling this reporter so I feel I have to ask- Are you a member of the media? A reporter? I mean, dude, it's so obvious, you don't have to answer back..

Sincerely,
AirForcePatFan