3C
SPORTSAl^e Cl^arlotte
Thursday, October 5, 2006
Media’s job is Season brings closure, changes
to report news,
not hire on for
public relations
Continued from page 1C
charges-
The story made the national wire. I was quite impressed with
tire scope and depth of the article, not to mention the guts it
took to print it in a student paper,
A few da}^ after their story broke, Roland overheard two stu
dents blasting the newspaper for “putting FAMU out like that.”
The hotel didn’t press charges so why was there a story
I love what Roland wrote next in her editorial: “These critics
xdixst not understand the role of the newspaper. It is our job to
provide an accurate record of contemporary history We did not
report the story badly, we just reported a bad story”
Can’t be said any better.
As long as I stay in this business, I will never imderstand how
the messenger became more hated than the perpetrator.
“Report a bad story” about black folks, and the first thing peo
ple ask is “How coxfid you write that?”, when they should be
asking “How could they do that7’
A victim choosir^ not to press chaiges doesn't mean he was
n’t victimized. The Marching 100 is a pujjfic relations recruiting
tool for FAMU. The band travels all over the coxmtry repre
senting not just themselves but the university as a whole. So
acting like a bimch of hoodlums with no home training IS a big
deal.
What do you think that hotel’s perception of FAMU is now?
And, although it’s grossly unfair, they may or may not book
another black university for a 1-o-n-g time
Do white people steal and cut-up? Of course they do - worse
in some cases, but there’s a double standard in this coimtry
that’s not going away any time soon. Instead of worrying about
“putting FAMU out tha«,” those students and more should
have j acked up the band members as soon as they stepped foot'
on campus for embarrassing the university
I still won’t forget a local men’s basketball coach who, after
getting hired, made the mistake of telling a reporter - not me -
that the players needed discipline and more time in study hall.
His phone didn’t stop rir^ing for a week. Coach was getting so
many daggers thrown at his back that he asked another
reporter - again not me - to write another more favorable aiti-
cle.
The one question I ask is did those same folks who lambasted
him for basically telling the truth, also vent their anger towards
the folks who allowed the undisciplined behavior in the first
place? I think not.
How many times can it be said? We, i.e. the black press, are
not your public relations ^ency
If you don’t want to get caught with your hand in the cookie
jar, wipe the crumbs off your face.
BONITTA BEST is sports editor of The Triangle Tribune in Durham.
Continued from page 1C
made the playoffs for the first
time in 19 years and prompt
ly went through 220 bottles of
champagne to celebrate. The
Motor City desperately need
ed something good to happen
at a time when tens of thou
sands who have lost jobs in
the auto industry are drown
ing their sorrows with some
thing cheaper.
• A slu^er chasing Roger
Maris and the Babe, though
no one outside of
Philadelphia really seemed to
care. Ryan Howard wcmld
have been huge news a few
years ago, but home run
records are now a joke and
making sense of any of it is
just too much for the average
fan.
• The return of Mopeyball
in Oakland, where the A’s
made the playoffs for the first
Cougars
on track
Continued from page 1C ^
but a shoo-in with first-year
Ardrey KeU at Independence
Friday
BACK ON TRACK:
Charlotte Catholic. The
Cougars are nothing like the
crew that lost a couple of
games early in the season.
The Cougars’ wing-T offense
is moving the ball with con
viction and the defense is
playing better. Catholic has
already cleared its biggest
hurdle to the Queen City
3A/4A title when the Cougars
beat Olympic last month. In
reahty they should be play
ing for postseason positioning
now.
ROAR RESTORED? The
only blemishes on West
Charlotte's- 4-2 record are
losses to 4A powers
Independence and
Wilmington Hoggard, but
how good are the Lions? WC’s
Quintero Long is the best
kick returner in Mecklenburg
County and the defense is
quick if a bit undersized.
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