Patriots Have Reporters All a Twitter

[Rob0729]

Actually, I have been there and done that in real life. Some saw what was happening and adapted, so they remained valuable and useful. Others complained about having a larger workload and earning less. Guess which group is employed and which is not.

The newspaper industry took too narrow of a definition of what they did. They were too focused on the physical delivery of paper to a person's home. But they were really in the business of delivering information to consumers, and selling advertising. The internet came along and the newspaper industry should have embraced it, delivering their information to consumers and delivering those consumers to businesses trying to sell their products. Once again, those who adapt will survive and be employed; those that don't will be out of work (or out of business.)

This is not the first time an industry has made this kind of mistake. For example, the railroad industry did the same thing many years ago. They considered themselves to be in the railroad business, period. But people who used the railroad used it for a purpose: to get themselves or their products from this place to that place. As the trucking industry started to evolve the railroad industry should have looked at that as opportunity; a more effective way of getting people and things from point A to point B. Instead they saw only competition, and the rest is history.

The newspaper industry is not doomed, but they need to re-think what their purpose is, and how they can make their information more valuable than other's. That will draw more readers (consumers), which will attract more businesses (advertisers.) A real challenge for sure, but it is not insurmountable obstacle.

Unfortunately for the sports writers in this town, they have no influence or responsibility for the problems both major papers are having right now. Also, unlike other industries, their job options are limited. It's not like they are in the accounting department and can work in the accounting department of another industry.

 

[BradyFTW!]

If I could, I'd like to open a debate here based on some of the comments I've seen here and elsewhere because of this overblown twitter issue.

I find it interesting that people are openly advocating for others to lose their jobs. Whether or not you believe that what we as sports reporters do is difficult, it is a job. It is the way we provide for our families, and for some of us, it is the realization of a career goal to get to cover the Patriots or NFL. I can only imagine the reaction if I wrote that robots should replace all of the people who work on manufacturing lines, with no concern for the thousands of Americans who would be jobless because of it.

The "we are now useless" quip was a morbid joke between friends that we never believed would be publicized. Regardless, as much as some of us like our jobs, we complain sometimes, just like anyone does.

smy

It's not so much a matter of wanting anyone to lose their job as it is wanting quality reporting to get done. The sense of entitlement that a lot of the Boston sports media seems to have has gone far beyond annoying; a lot of the people out there (and I think we all know who I'm referring to) just sling mud and print it to start controversies. They don't break stories, don't leverage contacts, and, all around, they just don't contribute anything meaningful to our understanding of football and the Patriots. I stopped reading these people years ago, but I still can't get away from them, because they periodically stir up pointless controversies. I don't care if these people lose their jobs, since they're being incredibly irresponsible and lazy at what they do.

As I said in my first post, I hope that Twitter (and other platforms like it) is a wakeup call to these reporters, and they realize that they have to ditch the entitlement complex and start providing real, valuable insight. If they don't, their days are numbered as a reporter.

 

[DaBruinz]

If I could, I'd like to open a debate here based on some of the comments I've seen here and elsewhere because of this overblown twitter issue.

I find it interesting that people are openly advocating for others to lose their jobs. Whether or not you believe that what we as sports reporters do is difficult, it is a job. It is the way we provide for our families, and for some of us, it is the realization of a career goal to get to cover the Patriots or NFL. I can only imagine the reaction if I wrote that robots should replace all of the people who work on manufacturing lines, with no concern for the thousands of Americans who would be jobless because of it.

The "we are now useless" quip was a morbid joke between friends that we never believed would be publicized. Regardless, as much as some of us like our jobs, we complain sometimes, just like anyone does.

smy

SMYoung - Do you not see the irony in the quip and never believing that it would be publicized? In this day and age, one always has to watch what one says in public. Particularly when there is media around. Otherwise, people take it and blow it out of proportion.

There are very few good reporters in this day and age. Mike Reiss and yourself being two of them. Some of the lesser reporters are people like Ron Borges and John Tomase who think that they shouldn't be held accountable for their writings. Or who think that they are entitled to information. Or that we fans should be thankful that we are graced with their presence. This seems to be prevelant amongst many of the more experienced reporters.

Mike Reiss and yourself have embraced the technology and are making the effort to adapt and adjust to the new world. Those people refusing to change will be left behind and they will have no one to blame but themselves. And that is true in any business. Including manufacturing. Those who refuse to adapt get left behind. Its why the Big 3 are where they are now.

Much of the animosity you see is because we, the fans, have grown tired of the "old guard" reporters and the holier than though attitudes. Guys like Shaughnassy, Borges, Ryan, and Mazzaroti. The ones who think that just because they've been reporting on a team for umpteen years that they know more than the fans do and that they have the right to tell the fans what they should think. They are the ones who aren't able to report things without throwing in their obvious bias.

Ms. Young, one of the things that reporters forget is that they don't have one boss. They have two. They have their editor and then they have the people that read their articles. If the people stop reading the articles, then the reporter has failed at their job. And a perfect example is John Tomase. Many Pats fans have stopped reading the Herald and even going to their website because of the lack of integrity they've shown. The same is said about ESPN. No one WISHES for another to lose their job. But if you aren't performing up to the standards that your customers expect, shouldn't you either improve or be fired?

 

[DaBruinz]

Unfortunately for the sports writers in this town, they have no influence or responsibility for the problems both major papers are having right now. Also, unlike other industries, their job options are limited. It's not like they are in the accounting department and can work in the accounting department of another industry.

Rob - I have to disagree with this. I think that the actions of certain sports writers had a direct influence on how the papers are doing financially. The number of people who cancelled their subscriptions, outright, after what Tomase did during lead up to the SB was astounding. Regardless of what apology was given after the fact.

Look at how many people cheered when Borges was forced to resign from the Globe.

I have to agree that the reporting industry has been very slow on the uptake in regards to the changing times. Had one of the companies gotten behind an electronic Tablet Newspaper that would be delivered to by 6 am and would have exclusive content not found on the web, we'd not be having this conversation. Heck, Amazon trumped them with the development of the Kindle. And I am not sure that anyone is actively using that to get to their subscribers.

These media companies are plagued by the same thing that is plaguing the car industry. An unwillingness to change and an unwillingness to meet the customer's needs. They are too used to telling the customer what they want.

 

[Deus Irae]

Rob - I have to disagree with this. I think that the actions of certain sports writers had a direct influence on how the papers are doing financially. The number of people who cancelled their subscriptions, outright, after what Tomase did during lead up to the SB was astounding. Regardless of what apology was given after the fact.

Look at how many people cheered when Borges was forced to resign from the Globe.

I have to agree that the reporting industry has been very slow on the uptake in regards to the changing times. Had one of the companies gotten behind an electronic Tablet Newspaper that would be delivered to by 6 am and would have exclusive content not found on the web, we'd not be having this conversation. Heck, Amazon trumped them with the development of the Kindle. And I am not sure that anyone is actively using that to get to their subscribers.

These media companies are plagued by the same thing that is plaguing the car industry. An unwillingness to change and an unwillingness to meet the customer's needs. They are too used to telling the customer what they want.

Well another reason industries are struggling is something that goes right back to them. When business began shedding everything but pursuit of every last penny from their business models, people slowly took on the same persona. Why pay $20K for a car when there's another one available for $18k? Why pay money for a paper when the internet really swallows the cost of a monthly subscription and gives you info from millions of sources?

When "good enough profit" suddenly became not good enough, people got shafted. Now they're striking back. It'll hit the consumers back soon enough, when all that's available is crap imported from China because nobody survived making quality items anywhere else.

Sooner or later, "good enough" will be good enough again.

 

[Leave No Doubt]

In fact, there was something of a mini dust-up in the press box at Gillette Saturday night with reporters pissed by the fact that the Patriots were posting their picks on Twitter before announcing them to the media. Essentially, the NFL, and individual teams like the Patriots, are eliminating the middle man called the traditional reporter – and reporters are not happy.

So after getting beat again by Twitter, one reporter blew up at Patriots staffers, yelling that “these guys own everything” (apparently referring to the organization)”

Boston Sports Media Watch Patriots Have Reporters All a Twitter

Well there lies a fundamental lack of understanding about not only the purpose of Twitter and the fact it's alive and well, but also a fundamental lack of understanding of their own role within this "high-tech" world.

Twitter is just another tool and it's perfect for an event like draft day when all most fans want at that time is to find out who was drafted. In between draft picks is when you start looking for some analysis and in some cases bios and interviews. Or even after the draft,but when your team's on the clock all you want is the name and position,or the trade info.

The Patriots understand this,why can't the media. I don't look at twitter to get analysis or stories or insight;that's the job of the print media,bloggers,or whatever.

Like many others here I've stopped reading most of the Patriot reporters because I've been very unhappy with their product,it's just that simple. I look at this forum(posters and media who post here) or Reiss' Pieces. I'm tired of the media trying to be the story,though they seem successful at making themselves exactly that,positive or negative.

On a side note,kudos once again to smy for stepping up and actually trying to understand and/or get in touch with how fans perceive this media instead of badmouthing and blaming them for all woes.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Too many points to comment, but a start...

First Twitter is a web 2.0 tool that in this instance gets the breaking info out minutes than the 'old' media. So yes, someone who has to know who was picked 2 minutes before anyone else, will have their netbook, blackberry, or iPhone set for the latest tweet. But what does the recipient want when he first learns that Sebastian Vollmer was selected? Stories about the guy. Stats, Background. Sea Bass stuff. All information that true journalists should provide for the consuming public. Twitter simply primes the pump for the writers' stories. Think of Twitter that way and capatilize on it better than your enemy jurnos.

Secondly, no profession has a 'right' to exist such that innovation desired by the public must be supressed. I worked in Hi-Tech. We were constantly either out of work or forced to adapt to new technologies. Back in the 60s and 70s Digital Equipment (DEC) ruled. But along came microprocessors forcing engineers to retrain totally, on their own time or be out of work. DEC eventually imploded because it along with dozens of others failed to adapt to the PC world. Traditional PC companies either adjust to the web, wireless or cloud computing or die. Most folks are unaware of this turmoil except when a sacred cow like the auto industry or the mainstream media gets gored and squeals. Adapt or die is what has driven life since the first single cell arose. It ain't gonna change.

 

[smyoung]

Thanks one and all for the responses. Once upon a time -- it was only a few years ago, but it seems like a lifetime -- blogging seemed like the way for newspaper reporters to keep up with the instant results given by espn and the like.

I can only speak from my shop, but the Journal has tried to be on the frontline in terms of blogging, putting stories online as soon as they're written rather than the next morning. I linked the ProJo PatsBlog to twitter a few weeks ago (twitter.com/projopatsblog) with the intention of not just our blog posts being tweeted, but also with an eye toward times like the upcoming rookie mini-camp and full team mini-camp, when I could send small bits of instant info ("Brady is moving well", "Hoyer has a big arm", etc) to subscribers.

The assessment that on draft weekend our role was to evaluate the picks is absolutely true, and we did that. And it's also true that in these days and times, when anyone with a cell phone camera is a paparazzo, I shouldn't be surprised that a joke between myself and a friend in the press box became public. But there's such a thing as professional courtesy, and in this case there wasn't any. The press box is our water cooler, and dozens of things -- serious and silly -- are bandied about when reporters are in there; those among us who are professionals realize and honor that.

Thanks for offering your opinions
smy

 

[cavtroop]

Thanks one and all for the responses. Once upon a time -- it was only a few years ago, but it seems like a lifetime -- blogging seemed like the way for newspaper reporters to keep up with the instant results given by espn and the like.

I can only speak from my shop, but the Journal has tried to be on the frontline in terms of blogging, putting stories online as soon as they're written rather than the next morning. I linked the ProJo PatsBlog to twitter a few weeks ago (twitter.com/projopatsblog) with the intention of not just our blog posts being tweeted, but also with an eye toward times like the upcoming rookie mini-camp and full team mini-camp, when I could send small bits of instant info ("Brady is moving well", "Hoyer has a big arm", etc) to subscribers.

The assessment that on draft weekend our role was to evaluate the picks is absolutely true, and we did that. And it's also true that in these days and times, when anyone with a cell phone camera is a paparazzo, I shouldn't be surprised that a joke between myself and a friend in the press box became public. But there's such a thing as professional courtesy, and in this case there wasn't any. The press box is our water cooler, and dozens of things -- serious and silly -- are bandied about when reporters are in there; those among us who are professionals realize and honor that.

Thanks for offering your opinions
smy

And this is why we consider you a pretty good reporter You GET it about the new media, and how we want information delivered. I'll subscribe to your Twitter feed today, didn't know it existed.

As for the comment between friends in the pressbox - it's a shame that it worked out like that, and that you have to watch what you say in front of 'colleagues' like that.

 

[everlong]

If I could, I'd like to open a debate here based on some of the comments I've seen here and elsewhere because of this overblown twitter issue.

I find it interesting that people are openly advocating for others to lose their jobs. Whether or not you believe that what we as sports reporters do is difficult, it is a job. It is the way we provide for our families, and for some of us, it is the realization of a career goal to get to cover the Patriots or NFL. I can only imagine the reaction if I wrote that robots should replace all of the people who work on manufacturing lines, with no concern for the thousands of Americans who would be jobless because of it.

The "we are now useless" quip was a morbid joke between friends that we never believed would be publicized. Regardless, as much as some of us like our jobs, we complain sometimes, just like anyone does.

smy

I don't think anybody here really wants anybody to lose their job. Much like your joke about being useless it's more hyperbole based on the fact that many Pats fans do not like the media in general for their slights on our favorite team real or perceived. The media is generally being lumped into one mass where everybody is paying for the sins of ESPN, Ron Borges, John Thomase, etc.

From the Patriots perspective blogging makes a ton of sense. They are able to provide and filter the message they want presented to the public. I'm sure there's no love loss in Foxboro for most of the media.

 

[BrianPat]

After reading the story and the postings on bostonsprotsmedia.com, including the one by SMY and the ones posted on this site, again including the ones by SMY, I've come to the conclusion that the person who leaked the story crossed the line. First off, it's sneaky, if that press box is their water cooler, then the person's character who published the comments can be called into question. Also, even worse and even larger problem, they made the story into something it's not, at the expense of others to make money ! This problem is the cancer of all media in the US and will lead to more issues. In general news is not news anymore, it's entertainment ! I feel like I have to find and read EVERY source on a story to be sure I know what the true facts of the matter are !

 

[Patjew]

After reading the story and the postings on bostonsprotsmedia.com, including the one by SMY and the ones posted on this site, again including the ones by SMY, I've come to the conclusion that the person who leaked the story crossed the line. First off, it's sneaky, if that press box is their water cooler, then the person's character who published the comments can be called into question. Also, even worse and even larger problem, they made the story into something it's not, at the expense of others to make money ! This problem is the cancer of all media in the US and will lead to more issues. In general news is not news anymore, it's entertainment ! I feel like I have to find and read EVER source on a story to be sure I know what the true facts of the matter are !

I wonder if whoever leaked that story may be in the doghouse now.

 

[Leave No Doubt]

I wonder if whoever leaked that story may be in the doghouse now.

LMAO good one

 

[Rob0729]

Rob - I have to disagree with this. I think that the actions of certain sports writers had a direct influence on how the papers are doing financially. The number of people who cancelled their subscriptions, outright, after what Tomase did during lead up to the SB was astounding. Regardless of what apology was given after the fact.

Look at how many people cheered when Borges was forced to resign from the Globe.

I have to agree that the reporting industry has been very slow on the uptake in regards to the changing times. Had one of the companies gotten behind an electronic Tablet Newspaper that would be delivered to by 6 am and would have exclusive content not found on the web, we'd not be having this conversation. Heck, Amazon trumped them with the development of the Kindle. And I am not sure that anyone is actively using that to get to their subscribers.

These media companies are plagued by the same thing that is plaguing the car industry. An unwillingness to change and an unwillingness to meet the customer's needs. They are too used to telling the customer what they want.

I disagree with this. The newspaper industry in general is in the crapper with larger newspapers around the country closing their doors (Rocky Mountain News) or in serious financial trouble (New York Times). Even magazines are shutting down left and right. The sports writers have nothing to do with this.

As for Borges, he is hated, but his column is very well read. Borges was smart enough to become the guy everyone loves to hate. There are more discussions about his articles on this board than any other writer probably even Tomase. Borges was easily one of the most read writers in the Globe. I remembered how virtually everyone on this board read and discussed the AD article (I think it was his last major article before the plagiarized article).

Tomase had some effect on the Herald's problems, but not enough that they would be in good or even decent shape if he never wrote Rams walkthrough story. Besides, that is an isolated incidence.

I do agree that the print industry has been resistent to change, but the problem is that you can get just as indepth news with more immediacy on the Internet. I think where the newspaper industry went wrong is giving away all their content on the Internet for free. People are now reading the same news they were reading in the newspaper on the Internet now.

 

[Isaac]

SMY--this is an interesting discussion but I wonder if we are seeing the forest here. The general relationship between the media, the Patriots, and the fans is abhorrent in New England--that is the story and the problem that needs attention. What is needed is a mutual improvement of the relationship--this is how the local media is going to keep their jobs (i.e. sell papers and increase web hits). Doesn't anyone in that press box ever step back and say "We have a dysfunctional situation here, let's fix the problem."?

I've lived in four states with great local sports media (NY, IL, PA, DC) (OK, NY is in some regards a different story). All of them loved their local teams, rooted for them with heart and soul, and criticized them mercilessly. In New England, reporters have it backwards. They have this notion that they can't root for their team otherwise they wouldn't be impartial. This is what bothers the fans (and likely the team) so much--we are fans here, this isn't politics, we want our media to love our local teams. This doesn't mean you can't criticize, quite the opposite. A true fan screams in anger when their team does something they think isn't wise, but does it with love.

(My pardon if this is somewhat of a thread hijack, but it seems relevant to the bigger picture.)

 

[Leave No Doubt]

And it's also true that in these days and times, when anyone with a cell phone camera is a paparazzo, I shouldn't be surprised that a joke between myself and a friend in the press box became public. But there's such a thing as professional courtesy, and in this case there wasn't any. The press box is our water cooler, and dozens of things -- serious and silly -- are bandied about when reporters are in there; those among us who are professionals realize and honor that.smy

Sad commentary on people and that sort of mentality isn't limited to the press unfortunately,the sort of "snitch" attitude is fairly pervasive in many venues and I suppose it's popularity is at least partly due to the fact it gets rewarded.

Good luck and if you have a party make sure to collect all cellies at the door

 

[Isaac]

SMY--this is an interesting discussion but I wonder if we are seeing the forest here. The general relationship between the media, the Patriots, and the fans is abhorrent in New England--that is the story and the problem that needs attention. What is needed is a mutual improvement of the relationship--this is how the local media is going to keep their jobs (i.e. sell papers and increase web hits). Doesn't anyone in that press box ever step back and say "We have a dysfunctional situation here, let's fix the problem."?

I've lived in four states with great local sports media (NY, IL, PA, DC) (OK, NY is in some regards a different story). All of them loved their local teams, rooted for them with heart and soul, and criticized them mercilessly. In New England, reporters have it backwards. They have this notion that they can't root for their team otherwise they wouldn't be impartial. This is what bothers the fans (and likely the team) so much--we are fans here, this isn't politics, we want our media to love our local teams. This doesn't mean you can't criticize, quite the opposite. A true fan screams in anger when their team does something they think isn't wise, but does it with love.

Just to follow up with an example, take your recent "doghouse" story. I hope this isn't a sore point (and you certainly aren't the problem in our local media!), but imagine for a moment how that story would have been received if you had written something with the flavor of: "I hope this isn't true because the team could really use a big contribution from Crable this year, but I got the impression that BB may not be too happy with his offseason thus far for this reason..." That is night-and-day from what you wrote, yet the content is virtually identical. As a fan I could have read that and agreed with you, felt that you were feeling the same hope and potential disappointment that I was.

 

[Christopher_Price]

Huzzah to SMY for this thread -- really good and even-handed discussion. Makes me proud to be a member of the Patsfans.com forum.

Considering the history here, I know the first thought for many folks is to jump ugly with reporters, and I know that many reporters are having trouble wrapping their collective heads around all the new technology these days. It's a dizzying time for us in the industry. I'm lucky enough to have a twitter account (follow me at twitter.com/capeleaguer, or at twitter.com/weeisports) and work for a web site, but I'm still trying to keep up with everything. We have to adapt -- it's the law of the jungle.

But SMY put it properly -- the press box is essentially a water cooler for many reporters. We kick around ideas here and there, and engage in a little back-and-forth -- none of which is meant for print. It's all understood that it's all off the record. Call it an unwritten rule of journalistic etiquette.

I welcome any and all thoughts on the topic. And again, kudos for SMY for stepping to the plate and addressing this head on.

 

[Clonamery]

Thanks one and all for the responses. Once upon a time -- it was only a few years ago, but it seems like a lifetime -- blogging seemed like the way for newspaper reporters to keep up with the instant results given by espn and the like.

I can only speak from my shop, but the Journal has tried to be on the frontline in terms of blogging, putting stories online as soon as they're written rather than the next morning. I linked the ProJo PatsBlog to twitter a few weeks ago (twitter.com/projopatsblog) with the intention of not just our blog posts being tweeted, but also with an eye toward times like the upcoming rookie mini-camp and full team mini-camp, when I could send small bits of instant info ("Brady is moving well", "Hoyer has a big arm", etc) to subscribers.

The assessment that on draft weekend our role was to evaluate the picks is absolutely true, and we did that. And it's also true that in these days and times, when anyone with a cell phone camera is a paparazzo, I shouldn't be surprised that a joke between myself and a friend in the press box became public. But there's such a thing as professional courtesy, and in this case there wasn't any. The press box is our water cooler, and dozens of things -- serious and silly -- are bandied about when reporters are in there; those among us who are professionals realize and honor that.

Thanks for offering your opinions
smy

....honor, it's a vanishing trait no matter the profession.

....journalism, it's a vanishing profession.

 

[Deus Irae]

Just to follow up with an example, take your recent "doghouse" story. I hope this isn't a sore point (and you certainly aren't the problem in our local media!), but imagine for a moment how that story would have been received if you had written something with the flavor of: "I hope this isn't true because the team could really use a big contribution from Crable this year, but I got the impression that BB may not be too happy with his offseason thus far for this reason..." That is night-and-day from what you wrote, yet the content is virtually identical. As a fan I could have read that and agreed with you, felt that you were feeling the same hope and potential disappointment that I was.

They are reporters, not cheerleaders. Perhaps if people on message boards would remember that they are bagging on people for doing their jobs, rather than demanding perfection when they themselves don't get close to it, things could improve. SMY, Christoper Price, Peter King, Mike Reiss, et al. will make mistakes: it comes with being human beings. If people didn't take every perceived mistake as an opportunity to slam the reporter, the newspaper and the media in general, we'd all be better off.