So Jenni Carlson wrote
a story about a college QB. The coach of that QB ripped her and her editor to shreds in a press conference, yelling about how terrible the story was. He criticized it for two basic reasons: it was inaccurate, and it was excessively negative, since this is just a college kid she was writing about.
As to whether it was excessively negative, I have no comment, except to say that Carlson's claim that the player's mother feeding him chicken "said so much" about him is pretty retarded: her interpretation of his relationship with his mother, of inappropriately laughing on the sidelines, of whether he has "the fire in the belly" or whether he's proven he's "the toughest" QB is just uninteresting and dumb.
As to whether it was inaccurate: how could any of us know? The story sucked. It was poorly written, by definition, because we as readers cannot know if the story is accurate. She did not give any sources for anything. She says "I firmly believe that my reporting is solid, my sources are solid, my observations are solid; so I stand firmly on the facts of the column."
No. Your sources are not solid unless you tell us who they are. What do they teach in journalism school these days? Almost the entire story was unattributed.
"If you believe the rumors and the rumblings, Reid has been pushing coaches that way for quite some time."
"Word is that Reid has considered transferring a couple different times
..."
"... Reid considered leaving OSU just because he had to compete for the spot."
"... Reid has been nicked in games and sat it out instead of gutting it out."
"Reid's injury against Florida Atlantic -- whatever it was -- appeared minor but just might have been the thing that pushed Cowboy coaches over the edge."
"... insiders say that the coaches decided to bench Reid early in the week. The bottom line: The switch is less about Robinson's play and more about Reid's attitude."
"If you listen to the rumblings and the rumors, Cowboy coaches simply grew weary of it."
It's just terrible writing, and even if everything she said is true, she opened herself up to getting slapped around by writing so poorly. But she probably learned how to report the same place most journalists do, which is at a school that doesn't teach how to be responsible, and respectful of both interview subjects and audience.
