Legit Question

[tigeraddikt 1,600]

Does the Auburn Athletics Department have any say on which media members are allowed access to its teams, coaches, and players? I know the University has no say in what people write or say,  but I am fed up with James Crepea's "beat" coverage of Auburn sports. He has never attempted to hide his lack of respect for Auburn sports, and I'm just absolutely fed up with it. I think the primary state news media outlet should employ beat writers who are professional and unbiased. Crepea's comes across as neither. I won't link his articles here,  but suffice it to say they are salt-in-the-wound, over the top middle-finger pieces not fit to be read. Yeah, AU bombed their 2nd round game, but using words like "ravaged" and other snarky commentary like "they didn't care anymore" is bush league.

I assume all Bama beat writers have some sort of Masonic-type initiation ceremony where they swear fan allegiance to the Tahd on the lives of their children. And conversely Auburn beat writers are sworn to an oath of covering AU with obvious bias against the Tigers. It's sickening and sad and it pisses me off. Rant over.

[tigereye78 61]

All I can say is that I totally agree. Crepea is by far the biggest jerk in a media room and on the printed page. Every question he poses to Auburn coaches in a press conference is dripping with sarcasm, bias,and disadain for the AU coach. He is immature and lacks any professionalism. 

[AFTiger 282]

He is also ugly.

[TigerOne 1,140]

All media hacks in this state are bammers. They are required to be and write negatively about Auburn.

Auburn writers for the most part are moles in the Athletic offices. They feed important info to their fellow updyke hacks.

If they follow this requirement they receive favors from the updyke cult

[bigbird 60,487]

26 minutes ago, AFTiger said:

He is also ugly.

And kicks kittens

[AU64 10,122]

All of the beat writers publish their work hoping for the largest possible audience....so in the state of Alabama that means writing or slanting stories in a way that will get the attention of the bammers and get as many of them as possible to click the site and then fill it up with snarky comments.   I'm thinking to a great extent sites like al.com have mostly written off AU fans....but apparently they have solidified their position with the bammers who seem to hang on every word written about AU.   

For the life to me I will never understand that view.   I can count on one hand the number of times this year that I've looked at anything regarding bama.  Strange fan base over there but guess if I were a beat writer for the AU side, I would still know the best way to attract an audience for my work...and to maximize my income. 

If  I were involved with the athletic department,  I would show them as little courtesy as possible.    Unfortunately the AU "house organ" guys are not that great so we can't count on them for very much useful or interesting information unless we sign up for a paid site.  

The Sports Information situation at AU is really sad. 

[TigerOne 1,140]

If you own the media as uat does you control public opinion. Saban and his minions know this and have made it a mandate

for all public media to work for them or suffer. updyke.com is just an extension of uat and is a big marketing, recruiting tool for them.

Each day you can probably find no less than 3-5 updyke related pieces.

If you want to get ahead or not lose your job in this states media wasteland don't write anything negative about uat.

[keesler 5,924]

I got an idea!

How 'bout Auburn University open the wallet and build a first class journalism school?  That way Auburn can put their own people behind the pen and get the respect they deserve once and for all.

How 'bout some of our wealthy alum open their money bags and buy out some of the media outlets in the State?  Then Auburn can control the flow of information get their fair share of glowing articles?

I'm a firm believer that if you don't like the status quo, CHANGE it yourself.  Rather than complain, bitch, moan, belly ache - actually do something about it.  AU could make a stand, they could change the status quo with a state of the art school of journalism - crank out Auburn men and women journalists for a change.  Pool money together and buy out the local media and broadcasting and actually put Auburn people in charge.

 

[AU64 10,122]

24 minutes ago, keesler said:

I got an idea!

How 'bout Auburn University open the wallet and build a first class journalism school?  That way Auburn can put their own people behind the pen and get the respect they deserve once and for all.

How 'bout some of our wealthy alum open their money bags and buy out some of the media outlets in the State?  Then Auburn can control the flow of information get their fair share of glowing articles?

I'm a firm believer that if you don't like the status quo, CHANGE it yourself.  Rather than complain, bitch, moan, belly ache - actually do something about it.  AU could make a stand, they could change the status quo with a state of the art school of journalism - crank out Auburn men and women journalists for a change.  Pool money together and buy out the local media and broadcasting and actually put Auburn people in charge.

 

Basically a reasonable idea but most of these guys we despise are not trained journalists ....at least from top schools.  Funny too, the most prominent and recent grads of Auburn's Journalism School have turned on their school and made an effort to do us harm. 

http://www.cla.auburn.edu/cmjn/journalism/    

Might be that if we quit giving the muckrakers so much ammunition this would not be a problem. 

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

10 minutes ago, AU64 said:

Basically a reasonable idea but most of these guys we despise are not trained journalists ....at least from top schools.  Funny too, the most prominent and recent grads of Auburn's Journalism School have turned on their school and made an effort to do us harm. 

http://www.cla.auburn.edu/cmjn/journalism/    

Might be that if we quit giving the muckrakers so much ammunition this would not be a problem. 

Huh?  So if they report facts, that's turning on your school?  Do y'all remember how many times The Plainsman has broken big news about AU that needed to come to light, particularly during the Lowder years?

Journalists aren't the enemy.  As you said in the last sentence, if AU would stop being a part of so many stupid things, then negative articles would stop too.  In the last year alone, our athletic departments has given us these three things:

- The softball scandal

- An assistant bball coach being arrested by the Feds for arranging payments

- A discrimination lawsuit from track

- An Athletic Director effectively being forced out (including images of fans wearing shirts with his face made up to be a clown).

From an objective POV, that looks like a department that has a lot of issues keeping it's house in order.

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

14 hours ago, TigerOne said:

All media hacks in this state are bammers. They are required to be and write negatively about Auburn.

Auburn writers for the most part are moles in the Athletic offices. They feed important info to their fellow updyke hacks.

If they follow this requirement they receive favors from the updyke cult

[AU64 10,122]

Brad...generally don't disagree....and I've said for years that about every bad thing that I have read in the media about Auburn had it's origin in our athletic program and I go way back as you know.  We have made it really easy for anyone wanting to take shots at AU for whatever reason....career advancement or personal animosity.

The rest of the university spends a great deal of time and effort trying to overcome the reputational smudges left by the athletic department.  Not going to get in a debate over what a couple former AU journalists have written about the school but the ones that come to my mind were incidental and had no reason to show up in the NYT or AJC.  Not looking for them to sugar coat things but as AU grads I would have expected a fair reporting which I don't think we got. 

But you are right ....a great Journalism School will not solve our problem....look at U of Missouri...probably one of the absolute best...and if I recall one of the instructors leading the "uprising a couple years ago" and asking for some "muscle over here" was a Journalism instructor....a fighter for free speech no doubt. .

[keesler 5,924]

So a 'Nip it in the Bud' approach would service Auburn much more so than taking over the media machine in this state?

Don't spark the fire and the media won't be able to fuel the flames!

Don't screw players and sexually harass 'em resulting in a Title IX lawsuit for sexual discrimination, try to operate a department that accepts all races and doesn't result in racial discrimination lawsuits, try not to choke your asst coach (chuckle), don't give the Feds ammunition, don't pay student athletes or their family members even if they are some of your old AU chums, don't set up your baseball coach or try to pin infractions on him in a effort to s#itcan him with cause while the AD tells blabs out, "We're not gonna pay you a dime brotha" only to have to settle a federal lawsuit later when it's determined he was wrongfully terminated, etc.  

Cheers to a New Day with a new Prez and a new AD!