Critiquing Joey Knight

[Dave_Glaser]

I see Joey is getting pounded by Bulls fans in his Twitter feed for the perception of negative reporting. Honestly, that's not really the issue with Joey Knight. The real issue is that, despite the fact he's been on the beat for several years, it doesn't appear that he's developed any significant sources to help him with his reporting. My sense is that he very rarely gives us any breaking news -  not when it comes to team coverage, coaching searches, recruiting, etc. News outlets outside the Tampa area often seem better plugged in than the local beat writer. That's the real issue. His predecessor built those sources and regularly broke USF news, and when he didn't break the story, he'd do more than just re-report what was already out there, he'd give us more detail or perspective. Joey doesn't.

Edited October 17, 2017 by Dave_Glaser

[dclenden]

I think not only what you've pointed out is true, I'd say Joey's knack for lack of  sources and detail and ambivalence are actually related.  Why would you seek additional information on a subject (USF), when frankly you're mailing it in most days. It's pretty evident and  I've had this same discussion with an executive at the Times who quietly agreed with me stating that he's generally perceived as disinterested in USF and most in the sports dept actually know this.

[TallyBull]

I don't dislike Joey like others do. But to be honest, I've been ignoring him more and more.

Problem is that he insists on creating issues with his readership for really no reason.

For example, he could have noted the attendance issues, without harping on them.

He also insists on retweeting others who clearly grate on Bulls fans. While I can at least understand why he retweets Fennelly - he  also writes for his employer - he regularly retweets McMurphy. Why? Doesn't he know that most USF diehards dislike McMurphy because of past issues with the program? If he does, he's trolling us. If he doesn't, then he's clueless about USF football culture - a problem when you're the beat reporter.

Bottom line: Joey has failed to make us feel like he's one of us. He confuses objectivity with detachment. Greg Auman was great because even though he was objective, we felt like he was part of the club and cared about USF as much as we do. Joey, on the other hand, doesn't seem to know how to join - or does, but doesn't want to.

[OcalaBull2]

I’m not for attacking someone like some have done to him, but it truly seems like he stirs up problems. It’s very clear he doesn’t have a great deal of interest covering USF. I get that these writers shouldn’t necessarily be biased,  but it almost seems like he’s biased against us at times. He’s gone out of his way to be snarky to me for no reason at all before as well, and there’s been a few instances where I’ve come across news breaks for the Bulls long before he reports it. 

I have a feeling google gets heavily used on his computers.  

[FatDaddyBull]

 Joey has not perfected the balance that he should have, but when I read most of his tweets and articles I do think he wants USF to succeed. The majority of beat writers want whatever team they're covering to be successful, because that means many more views. I think Joey is the same, and you can see if he likes a lot of these kids playing for USF

[JTrue]

9 minutes ago, TallyBull said:

I don't dislike Joey like others do. But to be honest, I've been ignoring him more and more.

Problem is that he insists on creating issues with his readership for really no reason.

For example, he could have noted the attendance issues, without harping on them.

He also insists on retweeting others who clearly grate on Bulls fans. While I can at least understand why he retweets Fennelly - he  also writes for his employer - he regularly retweets McMurphy. Why? Doesn't he know that most USF diehards dislike McMurphy because of past issues with the program? If he does, he's trolling us. If he doesn't, then he's clueless about USF football culture - a problem when you're the beat reporter.

Bottom line: Joey has failed to make us feel like he's one of us. He confuses objectivity with detachment. Greg Auman was great because even though he was objective, we felt like he was part of the club and cared about USF as much as we do. Joey, on the other hand, doesn't seem to know how to join - or does, but doesn't want to.

I think this is very true. He also seems to think objectivity or being unbiased means he has to go overboard on the negative so as to prove he's a true journalist covering both sides of an issue. I don't need a homer, but come on. There's a happy medium there where you can have a little passion for what you're covering and still objectively cover a story. Others pointed out the issues with his complete lack of ability to uncover a story. JK gets scooped by the Oracle about twice a season. How is that even possible?

[Bulls On Parade]

I dont hate on Joey...one area he really needs work on is getting breaking news. Even mustache still breaks USF news before him after all these years.

A tad less negative would go along way with him and others...but doesnt need to go full homer.

[NewEnglandBull]

I like Joey. I think his coverage is fair (I don’t need a fan reporting...if we need that then it should come from a columnist). In terms of the attendance reporting, it’s simple...fans need to show up to make it a non issue. As someone who lives out of state I appreciate his reporting and video coverage he provides. The reality is Joey won’t be here forever, someone will replace him and people will piss and moan over the new guy. 

[CyberBull]

i will just say that we are lucky that we have a dedicated beat writer.

It's no secret that the papers have been trimming costs so i won't be surprised if JK's role is expanded to cover other state teams similar to Matt Baker that covers both UF and FSU. He has already been taken off the USF beat to cover UF.....so go figure.

 

[Flowers4Heisman]

Greg Auman  ---his coverage was beyond excellent.