Or, this could be called how to piss off a room of journalists.
This video, linked by Michael Silence yesterday, explains a lot of things on different levels about how both print and broadcast journalists in Knoxville had to deal with Lane Kiffin earlier this week. It’s long, but watch it and you are going to see some things that will literally boggle your mind.
The news director from Ch. 10 isn’t going to take any B.S. That was rather refreshing.
UPDATED: Please read Katie Allison Granju’s update on this story and our hero from this throw down, Bill Shory from WBIR.
This is beside the point, but that isn’t his building as he states. That building belongs to the state of Tennessee and the tax payer.
Kudos to the tough son of a bitch in the room, and sorry to hear so many people unwilling to come away with nothing for the sake of demanding information from employees of the Tennessee tax payer. UT doesn’t belong to the SEC or any other private venture. They will answer to the media and the tax payer whenever and wherever both demand it… that is as long as someone has the balls to demand it.
I think that is what the news director said when he brought up that Kiffin was a state employee in a state building. I did love that guy raising hell.
Did Bud Ford not realize that a camera WAS rolling? Jeez, he came off as an asshat.
Very, very interesting.
Respect for WBIR went up tenfold just now, for being willing to call a scummy move a scummy move, and for sticking to his guns in front of the entire room.
And wow, could Heather Harrington be any more shrill? She’s pretty much the reason I gave up on local sports radio anyway….
Yeah, it’s *totally* ok to manipulate the media into doing exactly what you want…um.. wait no it’s not.
Bingo! But boy did they try to do it. I love the fact that this is out there.
Actually, seeing this online sort of gives me a big happy.
This video reminds me yet again why I am so proud to have worked for four years in a newsroom led by WBIR’s Bill Shory, and why I am proud to call him a good friend. I hope this video gets attention nationally. It proves why journalism as a real profession with real ethics and standards still matters.
It’s times like these that make happy that I have no interest in college sports whatsoever.
Newscoma, I was there and Bill Shory wasn’t standing up for what everyone seems to think he was. We were given two options: time with Kiffin w/o the cameras rolling (but TV reporters were allowed to be there) plus time w/ the cameras rolling (but not rolling live) or NOTHING AT ALL. Yes, it was a crappy proposition but it was 10 p.m., we’d just been blindsided with this and it’s so rare that a bolting coach takes any time to address the media from where he is bolting, that we wanted something. Shory was arguing that he wanted it to all be on camera. I understand what he wanted, he wanted something candid. He didn’t get it either way and in holding his position, he kept everyone — including TV reporters — from getting extra time and comment from Kiffin. The off-camera comments could have as easily been repeated by the TV reporters in their stand-ups as the print reporters could have printed them. He was arguing for competitive advantage, not a more open press.
Thanks for the feedback, Reader in Knoxville, because I know there are always two sides to every story. Thanks for coming here and telling your observations about this as well.