“New Journalism": How It Applies To The Portland Trail Blazers (Jaynes)

[ABM]

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/“new-journalism-how-it-applies-to-the-portland-trail-blazers

Folks, it’s all about controlling the message. And it’s all about your Internet presence.

The Portland Trail Blazers introduced a new general manager Monday. And on the first wave of news, he was introduced to Portland, and Portland learned about him, almost exclusively through the team’s website.

In effect, that allowed the team to control the message and shape the story as much as it possibly could for as long as it could.

Remember what happened? Word got out that Rich Cho would become the team’s general manager and within minutes there was an interview with Cho on the Trail Blazers’ home page. It was taped Sunday night and packaged for web use. A little while later, there was an exclusive interview with team owner Paul Allen on the site — to this day the only interview with the reclusive owner available on the subject.

Mike Barrett, the team’s play-by-play man, did both the interviews.

This is the wave of the future, not only in sports but with news from any major corporation: control the message, control its distribution as much as possible. Own it! Potentially make money off it, through the web, if possible. But mostly, just make sure the message gets sent — at least initially — exactly as the company wants it spelled out.

What happens, of course, is that the story gets only one treatment. One slant. Now you can argue all day that newspapers, blogs, magazines, radio stations all have their ax to grind. That they all shape the message in whatever way they wish. Maybe. Sometimes. Of course. But at least you have the opportunity to take a look at all the points of view, consider the slant and make up your own mind.

But long term, those of us in the media aren’t real happy with the new reality...............................

 

[crandc]

Well, it's a lot less harmful than BP photoshopping pics of the Gulf oil spill. And really nothing new. It's what corporations and politicians have done since forever.

 

[andalusian]

Jaynes is just upset that intelligent people now ignore someone else's message as spin, instead of his own.

 

[Minstrel]

No one goes to the Blazers site looking for unbiased news about the Blazers (I hope). It's their property, so of course they control the message on it. The team still held a press conference for Cho...it's not like they locked down "traditional" forms of access and are now Internet-only. The only difference was that this way you get a softball interview earlier than usual.

I love Jaynes' squawk that they might "potentially make money off it." The media, of course, doesn't seek to make money off getting their message out. If the team wants to charge money for a "sneak preview" softball interview and there are fans who want to pay for that...more power to all of them.

 

[Trader Ed]

Amen Minstrel

Message to the Godfather... times change.... the internet is the new media.... not aging columnists. Its a efficient way of getting the news out. Soon it will probably be delievered to our phones.

 

[Paxil]

I am not really sure what he is complaining about... I guess that the team didn't tell him first? I think the team is perfectly fine with what they did. Yesterday he mentioned that by Pritchard always giving the media bread crumbs... they formed a positive opinion of him and that helped shape the publics opinion of him. Sounds like he wants the bread crumbs back. =)

 

[Idog1976]

Much rather get info from corporate owned talkers like Barret then pieces of shit like shoot Quickly and Clownzano. It's not like those two hacks are going to stop writing and character assassinating any time soon.

 

[Mote]

But long term, those of us in the media aren’t real happy with the new reality...............................

Of course they aren't... and Jaynes pen may be mightier than the sword, but I'll take the Barrett .50 bmg perspective any day.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Like getting our info from a biased-ass source like The Oregonian ("Blazers Hire Rich Cho -- 'Why You Should Hate Cho' on p.8") is any better?! Fuck "journalism" old or new. Portland's Blazer Coverage has been biased *against* the Blazers for decades, and now the same "journalists" who took every opportunity to crap on the team are complaining that *they* don't get to control the message anymore?

Fuck you, Portland columnists. Seriously, just fuck off. You had your chance to provide us with perspective, and you blew it. You are part of why team sports aren't what they used to be, even as you pine for the golden age you helped destroy. Please die in a fire.

 

[julius]

Anyone else starting to think that dwight is starting to believe the "god father" nickname a little too much?

 

[Sug]

I don't agree with his view at all. It was covered by every media outlet in town, and he was on just about every show he could be on. He did Canzano, 1080, and the MSP the next morning.

 

[THE HCP]

I'm not saying that I heard this from anybody............. but let's just say that this is the 1st example of a new way of doing things. Not so much info being leaked as in the past. Shhhhhh.........

 

[Paxil]

Funny... a leak about no more leaks. =)

 

[julius]

I'm not saying that I heard this from anybody............. but let's just say that this is the 1st example of a new way of doing things. Not so much info being leaked as in the past. Shhhhhh.........

Hey, where did HCP go? He was such a good poster. He was...um..funny....seriously, does anyone else remember PCP? Um...LSD? OLD? what the hell was his name? Wait, who was I talking about?

Funny, it's like I'm remembering someone, but I don't know why. Oh well. I guess it wasn't important.

Oh I remember what it was. "Jane, you ignorant slut!" That's what I was talking about!

 

[crandc]

I expect the Blazers, like any corporation, to put their own spin on things that affect them. That stands to reason. But they don't pretend to be unbiased. I have a much bigger gripe about those who pretend to be unbiased, just the facts, we report you decide, while printing innunedo, rumor, and just plan fantasy as "fact", airing doctored videos without investigation, presenting "both sides" as equal when the facts are on one side and saying slander like "I'm not saying the president is a nazi socialist Muslim who eats puppies but you know I don't really know he is not" and using totally inaccurate words (like the Washington Post saying Polanski "seduced" a 13 year old) to distort facts.

 

[Paxil]

Yep Crandc... in general journalism has gone down the toilet in the US the past 15-20 years. I got an AA in Journalism in about 15 years ago and I could tell it was starting to slide down an ugly slope back then... which is why I decided to go a different direction with my career. I am very glad I did. I don’t think it is unique to journalism… in general there are a lot of practices that were unacceptable back then that are common place now… being untruthful on your resume… stealing things from work, cheating on your school work, not paying for music or movie, cheating on your taxes… you name it. I am not saying everyone does it… just that it has become so accepted that we hardly think it is wrong anymore.

 

[crandc]

Yep Crandc... in general journalism has gone down the toilet in the US the past 15-20 years. I got an AA in Journalism in about 15 years ago and I could tell it was starting to slide down an ugly slope back then... which is why I decided to go a different direction with my career. I am very glad I did. I don’t think it is unique to journalism… in general there are a lot of practices that were unacceptable back then that are common place now… being untruthful on your resume… stealing things from work, cheating on your school work, not paying for music or movie, cheating on your taxes… you name it. I am not saying everyone does it… just that it has become so accepted that we hardly think it is wrong anymore.

Well, I'm a tech writer, if I fudge I get the FDA on my ass.

 

[oldmangrouch]

Like getting our info from a biased-ass source like The Oregonian ("Blazers Hire Rich Cho -- 'Why You Should Hate Cho' on p.8") is any better?! Fuck "journalism" old or new. Portland's Blazer Coverage has been biased *against* the Blazers for decades, and now the same "journalists" who took every opportunity to crap on the team are complaining that *they* don't get to control the message anymore?

Fuck you, Portland columnists. Seriously, just fuck off. You had your chance to provide us with perspective, and you blew it. You are part of why team sports aren't what they used to be, even as you pine for the golden age you helped destroy. Please die in a fire.

That deserves a sitting ovation!

 

[jlprk]

The Oregonian brought this upon itself with its current anti-Allen blitzkrieg. Now the team feels it must do its own interviews to get the story out without the media slanting it.

There are 3 ways for Blazer management to go. The new policy is 3).

1) Do nothing. Accept slanted or lying reporting that hates the team.
2) Record interviews so the paper can't lie (Steve Patterson's policy).
3) Do the breaking news interviews in-house, and then let the paper do follow-up interviews, but fewer.