June 20, 2013

What are words worth?

March 8, 2013 by 45 Comments

benjaminsWhat are words worth? This is the question I found myself pondering over the course of the last few days. We have had our fair share of media-based discussions here at WFNY, most recently within the podcast with Brian Spaeth where he and Craig discussed a bare-bones cure for what ails The Plain Dealer. But just as a good portion of print-based media finds itself in self-made quicksand, it has become even more apparent that this is far from a “print” issue as much as it is one for all of journalism.

For those who have not been following, Nate Thayer has been the protagonist of a recent debate. Thayer is a highly-decorated freelance journalist who has made his name over the course of 25 years. He has won, among other accolades, a World Press Award, a Francis Frost Wood Award and a Peabody. He has won the SAIS-Novartis “Award for Excellence in International Reporting.” He has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Earlier this week, Thayer published a correspondence between he and the global editor from The Atlantic wherein said editor was interested in running some of the author’s work. Their compensation for what was looking to be roughly 1,200 words: nothing.

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Ohio State Wins ESPN’s Lawsuit Over Public Records

June 19, 2012 by 5 Comments

If you recall a while back, we talked a little bit about the ESPN lawsuit they brought against the Ohio State administration. The basis of the case is that when the Jim Tressel scandal broke, ESPN’s Tom Farrey made repeated requests for information from the University, citing Ohio’s Open Records Laws.

While OSU did turn over much of what Farrey and ESPN requested, some items were withheld by the University with the school arguing that turning over the records would violate FERPA’s student privacy protection guidelines. ESPN wasn’t satisfied with that answer, and took it to the courts to try to get the documents handed over to them.

It was an interesting case with some fairly serious ramifications no matter which way the courts decided. After several months of arguments, the court has reached it’s decision:

The court on Tuesday unanimously ruled that for the most part Ohio State properly shielded records as either protected by federal privacy laws or attorney-client privilege.

The court said in a few cases Ohio State must remove certain names from documents which it then must provide ESPN.

The court also denied ESPN’s request for attorney fees.

This is a big decision, not just for Ohio State, but for all public Universities with high profile athletic departments. While many media outlets were aligning with ESPN in the case, several educational institutions were siding with Ohio State. By upholding Ohio State’s right to protect the privacy of its students, a precedent has been set for similar future cases with other schools.

[Related: ESPN v Ohio State: The Lawsuit and What It Means]

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LeBron James and the Psychology of Media and Information

June 17, 2010 by 72 Comments

No matter how sick anyone is right now of hearing about LeBron James and the speculation of what he’s going to do next month, it’s hard to overlook that from a certain perspective the many different levels of this story are endlessly fascinating. Some day a book will probably be written, not about LeBron’s decision, but the way this “quiet” period has been covered and the reaction of NBA fans and media analysts across the country have reacted to it.

There seem to be no shortage of opinions on what LeBron should or should not be doing and what the right way to handle his free agency should be. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been turned off by much of what I’ve observed in the time since the Cavaliers were eliminated from the playoffs. Yet here we are, the NBA Finals aren’t even over yet, and already we’re wish we could be done with talking about free agency. Of course, the crux of the issue is that free agency hasn’t even started yet.   [Read more...]

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Some Clarification On The Izzo Story

June 9, 2010 by 162 Comments

To borrow from Brian Cook, “apologies to the locals: this is pure meta”. Disclaimer up front: I am not trying to be self-congratulatory or shower ourselves with praise. I want to put things out there so that we can all be on the same page.

Earlier today, we broke the news that Tom Izzo told his team he is going to take the Cavaliers’ coaching job. We have since been bandied about as ‘some blog’, had our credibility denounced, and been generally cast aside. There are numerous people who claim contrary to our reports. We stand by what we have reported. This post isn’t about the rumors in specific, but a look at what transpired today, and how it all fits into journalism, bloggery, and where we fit into all of this.

All of this began over the weekend, when we got a report that Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert is pushing very hard to get Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. I published this information Sunday afternoon along with other rumors that had been covered elsewhere. At this point, Izzo had been rumored but we had the first report that things really were picking up. Soon afterwards, Brian Windhorst and Adrian Wojnarowski put out tweets that solidified our story that talks were picking up. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Delonte and the Media, Dirty Hines Ward, and Dysfunctional Browns

November 5, 2009 by 19 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email in the sidebar.

delonte_west tattoosYour must-read article of the day: “There are no best practices or guides for dealing with an athlete with a diagnosed mental illness.  The Cavaliers have been patient with Delonte West. Every decision regarding their talented but troubled guard is made with caution because, although they dealt with West last year, the situation is an unfinished puzzle of doctors, coaches, front-office execs and counselors. [...] The organization and the league aren’t the only ones in uncharted waters. The media that regularly cover the team are in a similar position. How do you couch analysis or report information when the affliction is mental, not physical?” [Vince Grzegorek/'64 and Counting]

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Donte Stallworth, Punishment, and the Media

June 19, 2009 by 40 Comments

When I wrote a couple weeks ago about LeBron James and “Handshake-Gate” I stayed away from the actual “crime” perpetrated by James and focused on the media coverage.  The coverage for that situation got disproportionately outraged for the level of the “crime” perpetrated.  In that case, I whole-heartedly agreed that what James did was wrong.  At the same time, watching everyone scramble to find a taller soap box to stand on in order to say just how despicable LeBron’s actions were, was starting to get on my nerves.

Now that we are talking about Stallworth which is a situation with a real crime and a real victim, I was going to try and keep my mouth shut.  Over the last few days, I have finally lost my will to just not talk about it.  Just remember that each writer here at the site has their own opinions and thoughts, and I only speak for myself.

The moral grandstanding and oversimplification of this Donte Stallworth case has reached a fever pitch.  I would never and will never try to justify what Donte Stallworth did by drinking and driving.  Still, after the sentence was handed down, people couldn’t run quickly enough to microphones, cameras and computers to talk about how much of an injustice it was.  They drew comparisons to Michael Vick, Leonard Little and even O.J. in some cases.  Really? [Read more...]

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