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The Oilers, Blogging, & The Sith
by Mike Chen on 10/20/08 at 09:58 PM ET
Comments (10)
I’ve been asked about my thoughts on the whole Covered In Oil/Edmonton Oilers controversy and I’ve been trying to come up with the right way to express my feelings about it.
A quick look at Dave’s description shows how irrational and disrespectful the Oilers staff were to him. I mean, treat the guy with a little decency; if he’s breaking your standards and rules, let him know but don’t give him a metaphorical kick to the groin. That’s uncalled for.
On the other hand, I do understand their need to try and regulate what their press pass is used for. I’ll admit, I started my hockey blogging as a hobby/off-shoot of my freelance writing business. I didn’t know where it would take me, but as my readership grew, I knew what I wanted to represent myself as. I wouldn’t hide my identity and I’d keep my content at a certain level of decency. Humor and insults are fine as long as they hit the right satirical tone and aren’t thrown for the sake of being nasty.
When I was approached to begin contributing over at FoxSports, I now had editors to oversee my work. They wanted provoking content, but they also wanted it to hit a professional chord. Makes sense; after all, they’re a mainstream sports site. If you notice the pieces I post there (most of them are cross-posted here), it’s definitely more professional in tone than the more casual fare I write in my posts, and much more so than the often irreverent stuff I put together for Battle of California. I’ve tried to maintain that style, not only to keep the content unique, but to keep my own internal boundaries about what goes where.
Elliot Friedman of the CBC had a great post over at Puck Daddy regarding where he believed the Oilers found objectionable material in Dave’s liveblogging. I didn’t read Dave’s liveblog at first, but I could understand that perspective based on what Elliot highlighted.
Still, that really begs the question: What was Dave’s purpose there? And was what he was doing necessarily disrespectful to the team or the organization he represented?
I often live by the philosophy that any sort of absolute reaction on either side is the wrong reaction. Shades of gray and an understanding of the other perspective are, in my experience, often the best way to achieve some sort of goal or agreement.
In this case, Dave’s purpose – his press pass – was to get quotes for his media organization. And some of the Oilers higher-ups might interpret his snarky comments in his liveblog as disrespectful to the team. I get that. However, there’s simply no need to react the way they did. He is, after all, a media professional, and if he steps outside of what is considered their boundaries, they should inform him of that before reacting with such venom. That shows a complete lack of judgment on the Oilers’ organization – and an alarming bit of arrogance considering how Web 2.0 the media world is becoming.
People make mistakes. For the most part, hollering and screaming about them get you as far as complaining to a ref about a bad penalty call. Reaching a mutual understanding, however, really isn’t all that difficult.
If I was going to be judge and jury on this, I would have told Dave that it’s cool to make the occasional post on his blog as long as it’s not interfering with his primary purpose for being there, and to try exchange some of the goofiness for more analytical content out of respect for both his employer and the privilege the team’s given him. I certainly wouldn’t have kicked him out, and there’s no way I’d ever treat a professional the way they treated Dave.
Elliot makes another good point about individual markets deciding whether or not bloggers should get access – and whether there’s actual space for bloggers in the press box (literally, not figuratively). And to answer that question, one really has to point to Eric McErlain, Ted Leonsis, and their collective work to establish guidelines for bloggers.
Bloggers are a reality that the mainstream media has to accept. Ignoring it is like looking the other way when a car is heading towards you. There’s a way to reach mutual understanding, and I think the Capitals have taken major steps forward in achieving that thanks to the work of Ted and Eric.
The only good thing I could see coming out of this is that maybe it opens the dialogue for the NHL to really be the leaders in the sports landscape to help create a true standard. Of course, there are blogs run by the proverbial kid in his mom’s basement. There are also blogs run by great writers who are intelligent, witty, and passionate when it comes to their hockey coverage (and, of course, everything in between). An absolute yes or an absolute no doesn’t do justice to the league, the teams, or the bloggers. Mutual understanding – it’s not that hard of a concept to grasp.
After all, only a Sith deals in absolutes.
(Sorry, had to get that one in there.)
Filed in: Blog Stuff | Mike Chen's Hockey Blog | Permalink
Tags: Blogging, Edmonton+Oilers,
Comments
While we’re a long way off from a PHBA or some other self-regulating body, as I believe I mentioned in that thread you’re talking about, there are already standards of a sort in place.
As Mike’s said, when FoxSports brought him onboard, he gained a great deal of supervision over his work. The same could be said for all of us who accepted Paul’s offer to join KK. Paul has a vested interest in this, as his personal enterprise, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who has asked him about why he invited us to join, out of the thousands of choices available, and what he did and did not want as a part of KK.
With that in mind, the immensely generous opportunity he has provided us does carry potential consequences, not least of which would be the potential removal of our blogs from KK in any extreme situation. It may not be the professional self-regulating body at this point, but for what it is, it can still do its work effectively.
Posted by SENShobo from Waterloo, ON on 10/21/08 at 06:20 AM ET
HockeyinHD - Congratulations on managing to hit every misconception about bloggers and journalists possible.
Look, I get that as bloggers you guys want to be taken so seriously. Hey, why not? You’ve chosen to dedicate God knows how much time and effort into doing what you do, so why not be able to attach a greater relevance to it? That’s totally reasonable.
Who says bloggers want to be taken seriously? The vast majority are just fans that love their team. They aren’t looking to become professionals.
The problem is that the difference between a blogger and anyone else is… taking 90 seconds to set up a blog on Blogspot or any of a gajillion other places. As long as the barrier to entry is effectively non-existent, sorry, that’s probably not going to happen anytime soon. I have an inactive blog on Blogspot. If I post a few times about an NHL team, does that mean I should expect to be able to call that team and have a press pass issued to me? How about 50 posts? 500? What if I have 10 readers? 100? 1000? Where’s the cutoff? Who makes that decision, the bloggers? The team? My dead grandmother?
Obviously, just like they do with newspapers (anyone can self-publish a newsletter/paper as well) they would develop a policy on how to judge which blogs receive a press pass. They might even follow the Capitals lead: http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2008/10/18/oilers-give-blogger-the-boot/
Like I said in response to another thread, bloggers are going to have to get some kind of third paty acceptance, either through established channels like the PHWA or through the creation of one on their own. They are going to have to create standards. They are going to have to have some form of oversight, complete with infractions, memberships, removal of irresponsible members, the whole nine yards.
That’s fine for bloggers that are actually interested in getting press passes. Most don’t want to have their writing curbed by those kinds of standards.
At the end of the day, that’s the real difference between MSM types and bloggers. If the MSM types are insulting, inaccurate, offensive, wrong, uninteresting or whatever, those things are either caught and corrected by an editorial staff or they’re grounds for dismissal.
Wow. You are either super naive or don’t read any newspapers. Do you think that this guy will get fired for advocating for the Penguins to injure Ovechkin?
http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2008/10/18/oilers-give-blogger-the-boot/
Or what about Don Brennan when he wrote about hacking Sidney Crosby’s bad ankle in the playoffs last year? Or Steve Simmons for writing a story last summer about how Sundin would probably have to retire because of a hip ailment? Or Damien Cox and his personal vendettas against members of the Leafs?
Bloggers labor under none of those levels of oversight, nor are they subject to any kind of professional reprimand from any source other than the team, and I’d guess that any instance where a team takes a blogger behind the woodshed would be viewed as nothing short of Censorship! Unfairness! Hypocrisy! Aaaaargh!
Again, you are so wrong it’s not even funny. There is arguably more oversight for bloggers than journalists. If you are a terrible blogger no one will visit your site and your pieces will be picked apart. If you are a terrible journalist you’ll still get to spread your views to all of the readers of your paper and continue to get paid.
And once more, the issue with Dave and the Oilers wasn’t that they shut down his live-blog. He admitted that he didn’t realize that it was against the rules and he complied with their request. The issue is that they treated him like shit with no reason to do so.
You want the MSM’s access, you ought to expect to have to play by the MSM’s rules. All of them. Even the ones you don’t like.
Your are so clueless it’s ridiculous.
Posted by Pension Plan Puppets from Toronto, Ontario on 10/21/08 at 08:38 AM ET
Good points PPP, but there is some contention on how he was treated. He describes it being rather dramatic, while the Oilers describe it as being a series of professional discussions. What is really needed is a third-party perspective, but that is unlikely to come considering how MSM that were also granted media credentials either did not notice the interaction or might not feel any need to stick their neck out for this issue (let alone that they could not defend the Oilers without appearing biased to many)
Posted by SENShobo from Waterloo, ON on 10/21/08 at 08:56 AM ET
SENShobo - Yes, there is contention in that two different stories have been presented but the circumstances around each are hardly the same. Dave has no reason to exaggerate his experience whatsoever. What could he possibly gain from not only revealing the truth but in quitting his blogging?
Meanwhile, you have an organization with a history of suppressing dissent coming out with their version of the story which boils down to this: Dave Berry is a liar because we are all angels.
I know which one makes more sense.
Posted by Pension Plan Puppets from Toronto, Ontario on 10/21/08 at 09:58 AM ET
There are indeed reasons that one might trust or distrust both parties in this case, and everyone will form their own opinions. What is really needed, however, is proof one way or the other. This certainly isn’t a murder trial, but there is a reason why trials have witnesses and evidence, that being that any party involved in a disagreement, no matter how small or how monumental, has a story that could easily be biased and influenced by their role in the event.
Posted by SENShobo from Waterloo, ON on 10/21/08 at 10:29 AM ET
Sure but absent any member of the media having the cojones to stand up and say what they saw then all you can look at are the circumstances, the benefits that each side gets from how they present their story and the history of conduct.
Based on that, it’s pretty easy to think that Dave is telling the truth.
Posted by Pension Plan Puppets on 10/21/08 at 10:57 AM ET
Okay, let’s say every active Oiler blogger banned together and began a campaign designed solely to damage the Edmonton Oilers, financially, professionally, anything-you-want-to-name-ally.
I don’t think anyone wants that to happen. I get the feeling that you reacted before reading this entire post carefully because the idea here is 1) there needs to be some sort of leaguewide standard on who’s accepted and why and 2) Dave simply wasn’t treated with any professional respect. A little bit of talking and mutual understanding goes a long way.
Look, I get that as bloggers you guys want to be taken so seriously. Hey, why not? You’ve chosen to dedicate God knows how much time and effort into doing what you do, so why not be able to attach a greater relevance to it? That’s totally reasonable.
The problem is that the difference between a blogger and anyone else is… taking 90 seconds to set up a blog on Blogspot or any of a gajillion other places. As long as the barrier to entry is effectively non-existent, sorry, that’s probably not going to happen anytime soon. I have an inactive blog on Blogspot. If I post a few times about an NHL team, does that mean I should expect to be able to call that team and have a press pass issued to me? How about 50 posts? 500? What if I have 10 readers? 100? 1000? Where’s the cutoff? Who makes that decision, the bloggers? The team? My dead grandmother?
Again, if you read the entire post, I refer to the blogger guidelines that Eric McErlain and Ted Leonsis (you know, the fellow that owns the Caps) set up. They’re entirely reasonable and create a lofty standard for anyone who really wants to become an accredited member of the press.
Like I said in response to another thread, bloggers are going to have to get some kind of third paty acceptance, either through established channels like the PHWA or through the creation of one on their own. They are going to have to create standards. They are going to have to have some form of oversight, complete with infractions, memberships, removal of irresponsible members, the whole nine yards.
Again, refer to the McErlain/Leonsis references in the post.
To dismiss bloggers is to dismiss the impact of sites like RealClearPolitics, Politico, or FiveThirtyEight on this year’s election coverage, for example, or Stereogum for music coverage. Of course, there are plenty of “kids in their parent’s basement” bloggers out there; those get dismissed right away. For the folks that contribute meaningful discussion and analysis on any topic, be it sports or politics, the impact is already felt by mainstream integration of blogs—both the use of blogs for existing reporters and the addition of quality bloggers to mainstream sites. Don’t believe me? Check out CNN for their Political Ticker Blog.
It’s not just sports, it’s just about every mainstream topic with a quality media site. That’s the proverbial car heading down the street. I’m not being self-important or just talking up KK, I’m looking at the bigger picture.
Posted by Mike Chen on 10/21/08 at 11:09 AM ET
The most basic of facts is that Dave was issued media credentials and press box access for a purpose, and he was engaging in a completely different act within the press box, and that is grounds for dismissal. Benefits can just as easily be real as they can be imagined
I could see it being to Dave’s benefit in this situation to lash out in frustration after what clearly was unprofessional behaviour. Remember that he has a job as a writer, and if the story was focused only on how he was sitting in the press box, engaging in unprofessional and profane behaviour, that might put heat on him from that employer. But now, the focus is on his view of how the incident proceeded.
I completely admit that the previous paragraph was entirely baseless speculation, but the point is that motivations and benefits are speculation.
Posted by SENShobo from Waterloo, ON on 10/21/08 at 11:29 AM ET
Good, reasonable post, Mike, in a debate that hasn’t always been so reasonable.
Posted by Davd Staples on 10/21/08 at 03:21 PM ET
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A car? A CAR?!?!.
Okay, let’s say every active Oiler blogger banned together and began a campaign designed solely to damage the Edmonton Oilers, financially, professionally, anything-you-want-to-name-ally.
What happens?
Look, I get that as bloggers you guys want to be taken so seriously. Hey, why not? You’ve chosen to dedicate God knows how much time and effort into doing what you do, so why not be able to attach a greater relevance to it? That’s totally reasonable.
The problem is that the difference between a blogger and anyone else is… taking 90 seconds to set up a blog on Blogspot or any of a gajillion other places. As long as the barrier to entry is effectively non-existent, sorry, that’s probably not going to happen anytime soon. I have an inactive blog on Blogspot. If I post a few times about an NHL team, does that mean I should expect to be able to call that team and have a press pass issued to me? How about 50 posts? 500? What if I have 10 readers? 100? 1000? Where’s the cutoff? Who makes that decision, the bloggers? The team? My dead grandmother?
Like I said in response to another thread, bloggers are going to have to get some kind of third paty acceptance, either through established channels like the PHWA or through the creation of one on their own. They are going to have to create standards. They are going to have to have some form of oversight, complete with infractions, memberships, removal of irresponsible members, the whole nine yards.
At the end of the day, that’s the real difference between MSM types and bloggers. If the MSM types are insulting, inaccurate, offensive, wrong, uninteresting or whatever, those things are either caught and corrected by an editorial staff or they’re grounds for dismissal. Bloggers labor under none of those levels of oversight, nor are they subject to any kind of professional reprimand from any source other than the team, and I’d guess that any instance where a team takes a blogger behind the woodshed would be viewed as nothing short of Censorship! Unfairness! Hypocrisy! Aaaaargh!
You want the MSM’s access, you ought to expect to have to play by the MSM’s rules. All of them. Even the ones you don’t like.
Posted by HockeyinHD on 10/21/08 at 04:06 AM ET