Quote:
Originally Posted by BigHairedAristocrat
I appreciate your willingness to play devil's advocate here, but you can't distinguish between his blogging and his reporting:
First of all, JLCs blog was more than just a place for him to place his opinion. It was titled Redskins Insider and was presented as a place to get inside information on the skins before anyone else. And for a while, thats exactly what it was. However, JLC decided to use his blog to make thinly vieled jabs at the skins. As a result, the skins stopped providing him as much information. So JLC retaliated by becoming more overt in his attacks, going so far as to accuse the de-facto GM of the team as being a slanderer and its owner as essentially being an idiot. As a result, the Skins completely blacklisted him. Not only did this affect his ability to provide inside information on his blog, but it also affected his primary job:
For a while, JLC was the primary WP reporter for the Skins. However, because of everything he did in his blog, was left without sources. What reporter can continue to do his job without multiple reliable sources?
JLC built up so much ill-will with the Redskins that it ruined his ability to be effective in both his "blog" and his "real job." Perhaps it was all part of a plan to distinguish himself and get his name out there so he could advance to the type of position he has now. If so, he did a marvelous job of it. But what JLC stopped being, a long time ago, was a good source for redskins fans to get inside information about the team.
I dont give a crap what a reskins beat reporter (whoever it is) thinks about my team. I don't want his opinion. I can form my own opinion based on the information he provides. If i need help forming an opinion, or want someone elses opinion, i can go to a forum like this one or read a different sports columnists' take on a certain situation.
Bottom line is this: that the guy who reports the news shouldn't opinionate on the news - otherwise, his ability to report becomes compromised. Hopefully Jason Reid will take note.
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BHA, you provide a good analysis & I agree to an extent, but ONLY IF you're truly prepared to practice what you preach. You say that you don't need any reporter's opinion.
Well, true journalism & reporting doesn't involve opinions (except reporting others opinions), but a blog is primarily about opinion. So based on what you said, if you truly don't want a reporter's opinion, then you really shouldn't read a blog by a reporter.