What is the difference between a newspaper, a failed lawyer turned writer and a good college football blog?
Nothing.
All three run photographs of players and then provide ominous interpretations of what these photographs mean.
This is actually good for blogs and Internet sites.
Not so good for a respected media outlet.
While the NCAA conducts a massive multi-front investigation of Auburn, the Birmingham News and its reporters have ignored the story. The Birmingham News and al.com have consistently been scooped by outside newspapers and media outlets. Why investigate when you can reprint what the New York Times reports and ESPN exposes and HBO’s Real Sports uncovers.
Getting scooped by Bryant Gumble must freaking suck. A real editor and a real publisher would be enraged over such an outcome.
Scooped was once a bad word in the newspaper business.
That was back when newspapers had pride. That was back when newspapers had competition—does anyone remember when Birmingham had two newspapers?
Oh for those good old days.
Today the state is forced to endure a failed newspaper with a shrinking influence that is too lazy to pursue a major NCAA investigation. Would the news and political sections of the newsroom allow this kind of sloppiness?
It wasn’t long ago when the Birmingham News won a Pulitzer Prize for its investigative reporting on the corruption in Alabama’s Two-Year College System.
With an Auburn-fan as publisher, the Birmingham News was scooped and scooped and scooped again when it comes to reporting on Auburn.
Coincidence?
It is either incompetent leadership, or something else is going on at the Birmingham News and in all of Advance Publication’s Alabama properties. When the New York Times comes into your backyard and beats you on a story about the Southeastern Conference—something is wrong.
Aren’t local papers supposed to do a better job because they have a local focus? The SEC’s office is right here in Birmingham. Advance has beat writers for both Alabama and Auburn. How could these reporters have failed to get the news about the NCAA’s confrontational exchange with Auburn coach Gene Chizik at the SEC’s spring meeting in Sandestin?
Why is the Birmingham News so interested in a men’s clothing store in Tuscaloosa or some other rabid fan that knows the men’s store owner and football players, but has failed to break news about Auburn’s NCAA troubles?
When you compare the reporting in the newspaper, it is clear there is a serious problem in the newsroom.
Again, is it leadership or something else?
18 thoughts on “Scooped again, and again and again”
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Well there are three very good reason it sucks. 1. It’s run by Barnturds. 2. There’s no Post Herald for competition. 3. It’s owned by fucking Gannett. But I tell you another thing. The damn Tide Sports web site is a universal piece of shyt too since they went over to phucking Rivals. The damn thing isn’t fit to download. I’m fixing to take it off my favorites list.
If it were not so sad, you could laugh at the whole situation. An entire “fambly” acting like a bunch of two year olds – blaming everyone but themselves! The truth is this, it is a violation of NCAA bylaws for anyone to shop a player. Mr. Newton admitted that fact openly. At that very moment, Cam became an ineligible player no matter what team he landed with. Besides all the additional conspiracy stuff floating around, this is what Auburn gets nailed on. It’s a part of the record, no ambiguity here. Scabo can deflect like my two year old all he wants, facts is facts.
I’m VERY surprised they’re allowed to get away with shoddy journalism like that despite the lack of competition from another newspaper. The actual print business is going under.
Perhaps the B’ham news isn’t reporting on the AU investigation because there is nothing new to report… No evidence. You can bet if the NCAA ruled that AU is in violation, the B’ham news will cover it.
Bamamike, if you’re holding out hope that AU will be sanctioned because Cam’s father shopped him, get over it because they have already cleared him on that issue.
Lastly, it speaks volumes that you guys get so angry that someone has the audacity to even write a story that questions these player and boosters’ activities. I’m not saying that I know UA will eventually get in trouble for it. However, the fact that you guys aren’t even willing to consider the possibility tells me you must be pretty worried.
FYI, wrong again…
The branch of the NCAA dealing with eligibility cleared Cam based on what they knew…key words here…”at that time.” If AU was covering up, which we know they were, this info coming to light opens a whole new case against asterisk U.
Secondly, if you honestly believe the B’ham News “will cover” AU wrongdoing, you also believe PRAVDA would have exposed Lenin and Stalin for their corruption in the early 1900’s.
Finally, if you believe a University already walking the tightrope of probation would release a statement like Mike Ward did regarding the T-Town Menswear issue and not be 100% sure they were in the clear, you’re just not very intelligent. No offense, and there is plenty of good an unintelligent person can offer society. But that’s just simply the case.
I read the article about Hanks just a Minuit ago on him sitting out on rollbamaroll. Com and it was funny to me to read this .
(Editor’s Note: Word on the street is Clay Travis is working on a breaking news piece based on exclusive photos he obtained which prove beyond a preponderance of the evidence that Hanks received impermissible benefits at Dreamland in the form of free white bread and barbeque sauce refills).
Lol apparently this site isn’t the only one that thinks Clay is a piece of garbage.
It pisses me off that those redneck ignorant racist fuckers at *burn have internet asshats like brooks and travis doing their dastardly little deeds posting pictures of our players legitimately signing jerseys for Mr. Albetar’s personal collection. Meanwhile fucking monkey ass Newton and his personal salesman (owner) are getting off scott free. Even though Scott Moore has authentic audio tapes he is going to release and Dan Sheridan has proof positive evidence via a source in the NCAA our story is somehow being discredited. How is that possible? The NCAA has opened multiple investigations! How many emails do I have to send to them before they find something? The only explanation is that Auburn paid them off and will never uncover the obvious cheating that occurs.
Newton has been cleared? Really?! So the NCAA Enforcement President is toying with Chizik and Chizik’s dick shriveled to a tootsie roll in her presence over nothing??!! Idiot Barners, the INVESTIGATIONS CONTINUE ACCORDING TO MY SOURCE
Word is out that the NCAA has been closing in on the third party that was the ‘bagman’ for Auburn, and just recently they have identified him and are in the process of verifying his story… stay tuned, the next few weeks are going to be looking bad for Auburn.
Thank god that the NYT and HBO need the job of
reporting the cow college dirty program and of the
local Birmingham paper they SUCK!! RTR
I’ve been very critical of the Birmingham news and I agree that the clowns that work for them are lazy, but I think the lack of reporting on the Auburn issues is mainly due to lack of funding. The Alabama rumor was focused on one place in Tuscaloosa. The Auburn stories are spread from Arkansas to Louisiana to Montgomery and possibly Florida. I don’t think the reporters for the B’ham news know where to start on the Auburn stories. I thnk their approch is to let others (New York Times) do the investigating and try to appease Auburn fans by picking it apart. It’s very disappointing that the paper can no longer put out a good investigative piece, but it’s the nature of the local newspaper buisiness now. In the next 10 – 15 years, there may not be a Birmingham News.
I could see that argument except for stories like the Sandestin SEC meeting. How and Why did the state’s newspapers miss that one? They have beat writers…
I agree that someone should’ve picked up on a story like that. It was right in front of them and was no doubt the biggest story coming out of Sandestin. How did any of the SEC media miss that one?
It’s apparent to me and should to others, that the ncaa is such a weak establishment. They clear Mr. Everthing of any wrong doing becasue of his father shopping his services to the highest bidder,and now all of a sudden, they are going to “plug that loop hole’ so it won’t happen again, I guess there is something to the saying ‘make up the rules as you go…..give me a break!! RTR
Unless they have found the Auburn moneyman… which it is looking like they have… it is going to be really bad for Auburn.
I was under the impression the NY Times and B’ham News are sister publications with the same parent company. If so, it would appear the News is the “redheaded stepchild” of the family.
New York Times Company owns the Tuscaloosa News and Gadsden paper–it recently sold its other property in the state—the Times Daily in Florence.
Anyway, the Birmingham News is owned by Advance the new name for Newhouse. Newhouse owns several newspapers and was universally respected. Was.
Warning – Ray Melick is back on the scene – unemployed. Spotted tonight on the Raita Show – spewing his smug s*it view of the world. He is fresh from being paid as a professional liar for BP.