Famous Out of USF?

[Jamie]

USF needs to consider pulling the plug on Brett. Certainly the Tribune can find someone to cover the Bulls who doesn't clearly loathe the subject they've been assigned to cover for what, over a decade now? I mean what is this, the fourth or fifth most important sports beat at a failing newspaper, and he's been there that long?

At this point, no coverage from the Tribune would be better. What news has Brett broken lately? That he didn't basically make up by manipulating numbers?

[Matt]

USF needs to consider pulling the plug on Brett.

havent they pretty much done that already?

[Jamie]

USF needs to consider pulling the plug on Brett.

havent they pretty much done that already?

They still give him a credential, right?

[Costa]

Hopefully he stays. This kid has the potential to be a big part of turning this basketball program around. Hopefully he sees that.

[windbane]

USF needs to consider pulling the plug on Brett. Certainly the Tribune can find someone to cover the Bulls who doesn't clearly loathe the subject they've been assigned to cover for what, over a decade now? I mean what is this, the fourth or fifth most important sports beat at a failing newspaper, and he's been there that long?

At this point, no coverage from the Tribune would be better. What news has Brett broken lately? That he didn't basically make up by manipulating numbers?

That's rather over the top.  The paper choses who they want to cover the team.  USF could refuse to talk to him but that's really more trouble than it's worth.  For the most part, Brett does no harm to USF.  I'm not saying he's doing a lot of good, but he does his job of reporting on the Bulls, negative slants or not.

[Brad]

Brett's "investigative journalism" has them all fired up now...

Missouri:  http://www.columbiatribune.com/weblogs/courtside-view/2009/may/28/is-famous-going-back-on-market/

Arizona:  http://www.azstarnet.com/sports/294743

Sort of like the head coaching and other opinions issued by our beat writer, they get picked up and printed all over the place. 

[Triple B]

USF needs to consider pulling the plug on Brett. Certainly the Tribune can find someone to cover the Bulls who doesn't clearly loathe the subject they've been assigned to cover for what, over a decade now? I mean what is this, the fourth or fifth most important sports beat at a failing newspaper, and he's been there that long?

At this point, no coverage from the Tribune would be better. What news has Brett broken lately? That he didn't basically make up by manipulating numbers?

That's rather over the top.  The paper choses who they want to cover the team.  USF could refuse to talk to him but that's really more trouble than it's worth.  For the most part, Brett does no harm to USF.  I'm not saying he's doing a lot of good, but he does his job of reporting on the Bulls, negative slants or not.

I honestly don't mind honest-to-God news reporting but this isn't news until he actually asks for his release. I realize that this is mostly the way things are done today with having to fill up space on blogs and what-not but it's still ******** journalism, and the all-important first paragraph of the blog report is exemplifies this perfectly:

Westchester (N.Y.) Community College center Jarrid Famous, regarded as the prize of the University of South Florida’s incoming men’s basketball recruiting class, no longer wants to attend USF and is seeking a release from his letter-of-intent.

The words "allegedly", "according to reports" or the like should be somewhere in there ... I realize he goes on to say it's the assistant coach talking but the first paragraph is the tone setter for most stories .... it smacks of tabloid journalism.

[Mama_Bull]

USF needs to consider pulling the plug on Brett. Certainly the Tribune can find someone to cover the Bulls who doesn't clearly loathe the subject they've been assigned to cover for what, over a decade now? I mean what is this, the fourth or fifth most important sports beat at a failing newspaper, and he's been there that long?

At this point, no coverage from the Tribune would be better. What news has Brett broken lately? That he didn't basically make up by manipulating numbers?

That's rather over the top.  The paper choses who they want to cover the team.  USF could refuse to talk to him but that's really more trouble than it's worth.  For the most part, Brett does no harm to USF.  I'm not saying he's doing a lot of good, but he does his job of reporting on the Bulls, negative slants or not.

I honestly don't mind honest-to-God news reporting but this isn't news until he actually asks for his release. I realize that this is mostly the way things are done today with having to fill up space on blogs and what-not but it's still ******** journalism, and the all-important first paragraph of the blog report is exemplifies this perfectly:

Westchester (N.Y.) Community College center Jarrid Famous, regarded as the prize of the University of South Florida’s incoming men’s basketball recruiting class, no longer wants to attend USF and is seeking a release from his letter-of-intent.

The words "allegedly", "according to reports" or the like should be somewhere in there ... I realize he goes on to say it's the assistant coach talking but the first paragraph is the tone setter for most stories .... it smacks of tabloid journalism.

Exactly.

It really is unconscionable for the story to run without speaking to Famous, his father, his head coach or Heath and just taske the word of an asst coach as being the truth.

Even the follow up story, which ran today in the trib, after they already knew that Brett's conclusions had been called into question by their own sources and those mentioned by Greg, was still trying to justify what he had written.

[Triple B]

USF needs to consider pulling the plug on Brett. Certainly the Tribune can find someone to cover the Bulls who doesn't clearly loathe the subject they've been assigned to cover for what, over a decade now? I mean what is this, the fourth or fifth most important sports beat at a failing newspaper, and he's been there that long?

At this point, no coverage from the Tribune would be better. What news has Brett broken lately? That he didn't basically make up by manipulating numbers?

That's rather over the top.  The paper choses who they want to cover the team.  USF could refuse to talk to him but that's really more trouble than it's worth.  For the most part, Brett does no harm to USF.  I'm not saying he's doing a lot of good, but he does his job of reporting on the Bulls, negative slants or not.

I honestly don't mind honest-to-God news reporting but this isn't news until he actually asks for his release. I realize that this is mostly the way things are done today with having to fill up space on blogs and what-not but it's still ******** journalism, and the all-important first paragraph of the blog report is exemplifies this perfectly:

Westchester (N.Y.) Community College center Jarrid Famous, regarded as the prize of the University of South Florida’s incoming men’s basketball recruiting class, no longer wants to attend USF and is seeking a release from his letter-of-intent.

The words "allegedly", "according to reports" or the like should be somewhere in there ... I realize he goes on to say it's the assistant coach talking but the first paragraph is the tone setter for most stories .... it smacks of tabloid journalism.

Exactly.

It really is unconscionable for the story to run without speaking to Famous, his father, his head coach or Heath and just taske the word of an asst coach as being the truth.

Even the follow up story, which ran today in the trib, after they already knew that Brett's conclusions had been called into question by their own sources and those mentioned by Greg, was still trying to justify what he had written.

To be accurate, Mama, he did quote CSH in the article ....... but the bottom line is, to some it's more important to be first with a story than to be accurate. If it turns out that Famous does leave, Brett and the Trib broke the story. If he doesn't, oh well .... no skin off the Trib's nose .... And being honest again, this is a lot more the norm in journalism today rather than the aberration.

[Brad]

Even the follow up story, which ran today in the trib, after they already knew that Brett's conclusions had been called into question by their own sources and those mentioned by Greg, was still trying to justify what he had written.

For those of us without hamsters, what did the follow up story say?  Anything factual or interesting - something out of the ordinary for the Fib?