Comments on: L’Affaire McFarland and The Media

By: ponderos

ponderos — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 23:11:36 +0000

Hearst has put the Seattle P-I up for sale. If they can’t find a buyer, they’ll go to online-only. Interesting because they could take part of the print production costs and maybe do some innovative stuff online. If they do, I wonder if we’ll see more major papers go softcopy only.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Seattle-PostIntelligencer-is-apf-14021451.html

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:20:27 +0000

I’m sorry, but a man who has a “hairdo” will never, in my opinion, be a journalist.

By: Doperbo

Doperbo — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 22:18:48 +0000

You underate yourself considerably Sailor. What you’ve put together here is masterful. It’s lazy guys like chooky who don’t post more we have to worry about.

:TechnoViking Finger Pointing and Slowly Backing Away

By: Staghorn

Staghorn — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 18:53:54 +0000

Beeve,

At least this most recent article was in the print edition and was WAY up at the top on “most emailed” story on the right banner section on the NYTimes.com site the following day.

By: TheBeeve

TheBeeve — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 03:36:33 +0000

Is this guy actually published in the hardcopy edition of the NYT or is he just another blogger? From my googling, while he is credited with both NYT and Houston Chronicle bios, I couldn’t find anything but blog entries for the last few years. If anything, it appears he’s all that is wrong with “new media”. “New” is not “improved”. While we want the MSM to adapt to the times, just putting their moniker on this kind of crap is dreadful. I’m guessing a complaint letter to the editor would bring you a “What in the world is he talking about?” reaction.

By: DBH

DBH — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 01:09:35 +0000

Two points:

1. The lack of journalistic integrity at the New York Times has a lot to do with the company being in the toilet. They’re going to get theirs soon enough, so fuck ‘em.

2. I’m glad we missed on this year’s recruiting drama queen. I happened to be at the state track meet last spring and saw him compete in the discus. I was thoroughly unimpressed with his attitude and demeanor. I noted a distinct lack of intensity. I’m glad he’s going to be blowU’s problem.

By: Facebook User

Facebook User — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 20:17:22 +0000

Bob – I don’t think you and I are in much disagreement.

The web has altered every aspect of this debate by cannibalizing print’s classified and display advertising but opening up a vast new communication medium unencumbered by physical printing and distribution costs and with a potentially different set of rules.

This blog (and possibly many others), are keeping the discussion alive, creating more page views for this story on their site and potentially turning the writer into a revenue producing hero. The only question is at what larger cost for the NYT.

“Putting out a newspaper without promotion is like winking at a girl in the dark — well-intentioned, but ineffective.”

Interesting times for sure.

By: Bob in Houston

Bob in Houston — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 20:03:48 +0000

Sailor, the journalism world is and always has been replete with stringers. For the NYT and other “reputable” newspapers, it can be a way of judging if the writer is worthy of a full-time position, if one is available, or of covering an area not regularly covered (the more likely case here).

I’d guess that nine out of 10 readers of this story don’t attach any significance to it. On this board, the obvious focus of the author on the Sooners and his willingness to print the family views unfiltered show that this piece is not what it seems to be on the surface.

What I’m saying is that internet or no internet, the NYT got what it wanted, but not because it set out to twist the truth.

I agree that the internet, with its limitless ability to provide space, does allow sites like this one to give appropriate context to the situation.

If Evans is a Sooner hack, it will become clear in due time (avoiding “sooner or later”). It will be a speed bump for a while for Mack in terms of recruiting, but it also will give him a great opportunity to talk about what Texas will and will not do. That’s not so bad.

By: Facebook User

Facebook User — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:42:37 +0000

Now Deadspin takes a crack at it, proving that lazy thinking exists in the blogosphere as well. Hi Dashiell. Oh, and I wonder if someone reading this article might decide they want to take a look at Texas' booster situation. Someone who isn't looking for free drugs, that is. Are you kidding me? We're in a discussion about Texas and OU. And Texas is being chided for its boosters? Unbelievable.

By: JustAGuy

JustAGuy — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:11:57 +0000

I don’t follow recruiting intimately, but I do have to think that this again is a case of being better off apart much like a woman I was positive was the one when I was younger, was crushed when it needed, and now damn glad of it.

Aside from Darrell Scott and Rhett Bomar can only think of any recruits or their family who seemed more than happy to throw a parting shot?

Most likely Mack and Texas could have done some things better, maybe Shipp did more than open the bank vault, and there might be some truth in what the McFarland’s said.

My biggest issue with the article is that there is no way to verify anything said by the information given by the family and that the author is given validation by allowing to make such comments under the umbrella of the NYT.