what can be more fun than calling out someone , in this case the Dallas Morning News and having them respond. The marketplace of ideas. Its a beautiful thing.
:Of course the fun in all of this comes from being able to respond right back. So here I go:
From the DMN
“See, that’s the thing. Media don’t present assertions in a “wanna bet” fashion. They use credible sources like the AP wire, hardly a sports blog. Transactions is a wire feature picked up and run by papers all over the country. It’s not some blog rumor mill put together here. But Mark Cuban would rather rant than ask questions.”
I have to admit that I wasn’t sure how they filtered the materials they got from the wire services. I actually was giving them the benefit of the doubt when i asked if they had pulled the information from a blog. I thought they were trying to ‘keep up”. But they weren’t . I took that position because I had spoken to Chauncey’s agent the day i wrote the blog, so I knew that there was no “transaction”. I guess it was unfair of me to pick on the Morning News. They were using unreliable sources. Its not their fault.
Today, in hindsight it also occurs to me that in the NBA there can’t be any free agent transactions till July 11th. So unfortunately for both the DMN and the AP, there can’t actually be a transaction till then. Maybe they should rename the section of the sports page “Possible Transactions ” ?
The DMN then went on to say:
“Journalism, at its core, is curiosity. No one has all the facts, but the search is there in black and white every day, and we’re accountable. Besides, do a quick search on Billups and it seems he really has re-signed with the Pistons, at least that’s what Sports Illustrated, ESPN, AP and the Detroit papers are reporting. What made Cuban think this was all some media lie? A blog. Doesn’t he see the irony in that?
I certainly see the irony. He just got it backwards. He makes my point that the big media companies share in their inability to distinguish fact from rumor. As I write this, ESPNs Ric Bucher is reporting that there is something to report, I guess all the references he made really did get it wrong.
He also makes my point that if enough places write that its true, the media thinks it must be.
Newspapers also have the problem that their readers are never quite sure when a newspapers’ curiosity returns a fact or opinion.
What is the distinction between what a reporter can write in an online blog vs what they say in the paper vs what they say when interviewed by a radio or tv station/network. Just which of these has the “accountability” the DMN requires,?
Which allows opinion ? How do readers.viewers.listeners know which is which and when ?
I know im never quite sure which job your employees are representing when i speak to them
im going to give you a suggestion that may be worth exactly what you are paying for it. Nothing
here you go…
Let your reporters be reporters and let bloggers be bloggers. Reporters dig in and find facts that bloggers usually dont have the resources to uncover. Take pride and PROVE that all of your stories written by reporters are fact checked. Dont rush stories to print, print stories that cant be rushed.
nice article..
Comment by Makina -
just find it hysterical that they call the AP wire a credible source. More often than not AP stories are riddled with errors.
Comment by Mortgage -
Well, I prefer News in a newspaper then News from a blog. It\’s more polite I think.
Comment by Stuart Weitzman -
\”Journalism, at its core, is curiosity\” is a stupid way to describe what what should drive a journalist. As a reader, or media follower, Im not interested in what makes a reporter curious – thats too subjective – I just want an objective account of what happened.
Comment by jay-jet -
Mark,
A perfect example happened today! And it was all captured on film and CNN still didn\’t get it right in the report. A young lady was questioning Senator Thompson when HPD grabbed her and took her outside against her will, with no cause.
CNN stated she was \”protester\” who then misquoted Thompson (even though he was on camera when he said it). He said he was unaware what the Council on Foreign Relations, the North American Union and the Trans-Texas Corridor stood for, even though he has been a long time member and after some babbling stated, I just want to know all sides. What he really said was if it gets me votes I am for it but CNN picked through the lies for their quote and grossly misrepresented what he said. I bet you 10k cash money right now no pun intended that quote comes back during the election as a point of Flip Flop reference! Why else was CNN there they knew someone would ask the question and wanted to trap him.
The idiot at CNN reporting stated she was screaming and yelling at him so they were forced to remove her to behind the security fence at the facility. FACT is they just randomly grabbed her with no warning or cause (other than tough questions) and forced her to leave. After repeatedly requesting to be let go and leave on her own they forced her out, where she questioned his conservatism.
The best part is CNN and her camera man got it all on film. CNN posted it as a news story where her, myself and 1000s of people called them out on the lie, but comments never were reflected on CNN Political Tracker Blog. She has one of the hottest posts on WordPress right now showing the actual footage of the incident, but CNN has yet to correct itself.
All to make headlines. Steve Brusk of CNN you are f*** idiot!
Jerry R. Reynolds
Blog: Alimoe The General
Comment by Jerry R. Reynolds -
I just find it hysterical that they call the AP wire a credible source. More often than not AP stories are riddled with errors.
Comment by Blake -
Wait a second, did they say:\”They use credible sources like the AP wire?\” Huh? Is that the same AP wire that thought that Pacman\’s traffic tickets were newsworthy, but did not send out a wire on Stephon Marbury\’s FOUR MILLION DOLLAR pledge a couple of weeks ago?
The AP wire and ESPN should be ashamed of themselves for their coverage priorities! But if you want the whole truth forget the AP it is right here:
ESPN\’s RAP SHEET: \”Pacman as Black Man\”
http://killbigotry.blogspot.com/2007/07/espns-rap-sheet-pacman-as-black-man.html
Comment by Charles Modiano -
All I have to say is AMEN!!!!!
Comment by Tina -
Assuming you cut and pasted the quotes from DMN, I think they need to get someone on staff to proofread their stories. \”Media don\’t present\” and \”transactions is a wire feature\”? I\’d stop listening to the DMN for poor grammar.
I expect spelling and grammatical errors in a blog (although normally there\’s a spell check built in), but not from journalists trying to make a point. Apparently, they didn\’t have very effective English classes as part of that reporter\’s journalism degree!
Comment by Kristin -
That\’s a pretty negative comment for morning news. I prefer friendly news in the morning it feels better on the hangover.
Comment by Lilacs -
blogging networks, which pay $10 per post, are destroying new media by introducing commodity pricing to journalism.
I just hope that the market fairly rewards those who go the extra mile.
Comment by sohbet -
Looks like the DMn reporters need to go back to school. I graduated last year from UNT with a journalism major and let me tell you, every story we wrote for our apper, you better have your sources and facts clear because they were checked and double checked for accuracy before print. Isn\’t this how it should be? Funny how a college paper can do it but one with unlimited resources cannot. Magazines are guilty too – I love where the quote is \”a source close to the actress\” or \”a friend of the person.\” Hello – can we get a name please??? Things like that scream inaccuracy! But don\’t hate on all radio \”idiots,\” they keep me entertained in rush hour, not an easy task 🙂 Great post.
Comment by Nina -
The time is fast approaching when there will be no line between reporters and bloggers, they\’ll be one in the same. The newspaper reading population is not going to be around forever, digital media will be the norm. When this occurs, what will the difference be between a blog post and a published story if they\’re both on the same site?
I would agree that the notion of a \”blog\” currently lacks credibility and formality. However, as larger media outlets continue to adopt to the social web this stigma will change. Even nay-sayers like Colin Cowherd will be blogging!
Comment by Jay Srinivasan -
This blog\’s information is very rich.i very like it
Comment by money -
I have no faith left in the typical mass-news organizations. I feel that smaller under represented news blogs are more reliable and trusted resources anymore.
Comment by Dodd -
For many bloggers, the margins are simply not there for fact checking. I also feel that the blogging networks, which pay $10 per post, are destroying new media by introducing commodity pricing to journalism.
I just hope that the market fairly rewards those who go the extra mile.
Comment by Wholesaler -
Years ago in the computer business, when you interviewed someone with \”ten years\’ experience\” we were taught to be sure it was not just \”one year\’s experience ten times\”. Similarly, the media need to be careful that \”ten sources\” is not really \”one source ten times.\”
Comment by Bill -
2. So, I noticed that there is a lot of missed punctuation, grammatical error, uncapitalized letters, and poor sentences in your post – not up to your usual standard, I\’m afraid. I\’m guessing that you\’re silently making fun of the amazingly poor writing in that guy\’s blog post. Well done. He actually works for a newspaper? I would have thought that maybe he was in an 8th grade remedial writing class if all I\’d seen was an excerpt of his post.
Comment by Michael Erler -
I used to work in the newspaper industry and more than a few people are happy to see its decline. I always wondered why the demagoguery found in the mainstream press was so popular. As Thomas Jefferson said, \”a man who cant read is better informed than someone who reads the newspapers.\”
Comment by Phillip Conti -
It\’s amazing to me how Newspapers are so quick to put out a story that it seems in some cases are not true, but someone made a comment or all the news agencies rush to print. It\’s become quite the circus.
At least with most bloggers you get the people who in most cases do not have a bosses they need to create stories for…
Comment by PPC Management -
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Comment by jame -
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Comment by CRACK head bog -
Amen to that – each has a different role. Newspapers have to play to their strengths.
It\’s as if the Mavs tried to slow it down when playing a low seed in the playoffs . . . . sorry, cheap shot!
Great post.
Comment by Rich -
The fact that DMN uses a section of their paper to publicly respond to comments made by a man\’s \”opinion is complete validation of the point they are trying to rebuke!
DMN Board Meeting: Friday July 5th, 2007 7:13AM
\”Well gents we have nothing to report, lets go to Cuball\’s blog and see how we can prolong the Nellie/Cuban saga\”.
\”Great idea boss! But after I am done kissing your ass clean of course.\”
You know this is how these companies do business which is the bigger point, they are business not news. Apply the IPO Hedge Fund concept to media outlets, turns out you have an exact model. They want readers only so they can entice advertising. The only difference between the two is, Funds have no control over the market but media does. That is neither responsible nor credible. Media is always way behind, well if youre going to be so flipping far behind, at least read the facts before you report something.
Mark, I want to bring my company to Wall Street and request your help. I as for one opportunity to present my case!
Jerry R. Reynolds
http://www.ushomewatchers.com
Comment by Jerry R. Reynolds -
So, I noticed that there is a lot of missed punctuation, grammatical error, uncapitalized letters, and poor sentences in your post – not up to your usual standard, I\’m afraid. I\’m guessing that you\’re silently making fun of the amazingly poor writing in that guy\’s blog post. Well done. He actually works for a newspaper? I would have thought that maybe he was in an 8th grade remedial writing class if all I\’d seen was an excerpt of his post.
Comment by Brian Ramsay -
i said it before.. i\’ll say it again..
the major dallas media outlets care about their advertisers not their readers.. hence the crap that comes out of the observer, the dallas morning news, and all the clear channel stations..
true story
Comment by cliff notes -