SMUDC: SMU Must Improve Its Treatment of Sports Reporters

[AfricanMustang]

The poor treatment of reporters by SMU Athletics this fall is unacceptable. Department officials have resorted to bullying tactics, playing favorites with certain reporters, and not making themselves, coaches or players available to the media.

Daily Campus sports editor Kevin Reynolds has been a recipient of the department’s tactics, including while covering the Texas State game in San Marcos on Sept. 5. Reynolds tweeted about an injury sustained by wide receiver Reggie Roberson Jr. which required the player to leave the field.

After Reynolds posted his tweet, a member of SMU Athletics directed that Reynolds be removed from his reporting position on the sideline and escorted off the premises.

This was an infringement upon Reynolds’ First Amendment rights and an outrageous attempt to suppress factual reporting by SMU Athletics. Texas State, knowing the First Amendment, declined to escort Reynolds off the premises, and instead moved him to the press box where he covered the rest of the game.

Sam Blum is a sports reporter for The Dallas Morning News and witnessed the event in San Marcos. Blum, who covers SMU sports for the DMN, defended Reynolds at the game, recognizing the absurd treatment of a credentialed reporter.

SMU began limiting media access to players and coaches in the aftermath of the Texas State game, said Reynolds. SMU had no media availability following the Texas State game, and reporters, instead of talking with players and coaches directly, had to funnel questions through SMU’s spokesperson for football.

This practice was highlighted in a tweet by Austin American-Statesmen reporter Kirk Bohls, who called it “embarrassing”.

The Football Writer’s Association of America also sent SMU Athletic Director Rick Hart a letter stating concerns about the media policies implemented by the department.

Reporters say there was no media access in the first three weeks of the season, and access only started with the game against the University of North Texas on Sept. 19.

But the webinar format allows SMU to ignore reporters’ questions. Reynolds said that he consistently clicks on the button to ask questions at every session. However, while he is called on at times, he believes he is often overlooked. SMU officials have told him they don’t always see his raised hand, but how could they see it at some times and not at others in a small group of reporters?

SMU officials are also often unresponsive to emailed questions from reporters.

This trend of selective treatment is unprofessional and nothing short of repressing the paper of record for the campus. Southern Methodist University should come to the same conclusion and must do better when it comes to the treatment of reporters.

Even in this unprecedented time, as virtual press conferences become more commonplace, there is no excuse for not seeing a reporter attempting to ask a question, especially the Daily Campus sports editor. It is doubly frustrating when that reporter follows up and goes outside the webinar press conferences to try and get answers to his questions, as Reynolds has done.

Bullying is the wrong way to address the concerns that SMU Athletics seems to have with hard news reporting.

The best way SMU Athletics can deal with these concerns is to respect the rights reporters have, especially those with credentials to cover a university event.

As a baseline, SMU Athletics must recognize the rights all reporters have, not just reporters that report the way SMU Athletics prefers. Other steps that must be taken are fixing the problems identified with the press conference format, such as allowing reporters to physically raise hands on camera in order to be called on.

Finally, SMU Athletics must cease all attempted bullying of reporters, including pulling reporters off the field when they don’t like a tweet during a live game, since it is unbecoming conduct for a university athletics department.

If SMU wants its athletics program to be considered with other top-notch athletic programs, it must take action to address the way it handles the media who cover it.

https://www.smudailycampus.com/opinion/ ... -reporters

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

Wow, this sounds like it was ridiculous.

It's one thing to report on a trick play if you have access to a practice, but saying something about an obvious injury is totally different.

[peruna81]

First Amendment suppression by SMU Athletics?

Hmm...when did we become the government? HIPPA issues, Kevin? The days of Edward R. Murrow are SO far gone...

The mind reels...

[AustinPerson]

Both sides are really stupid here:

* This has nothing to do with a first amendment issue. SMU is a private entity, and it can do whatever it wants with its press credentials. So you're wrong here.

* SMU is stupid to bully reporters. What a stupid look.

Both sides are fools. I wish SMU would focus on creating smarter individuals so that we can eliminate the two bullet points above. Our academic situation needs help.

[mr. pony]

There’s likely way more to this story than a reporter’s lone tweet.

[geezerdonk]

That the Daily Campus editors and faculty advisors lack even a fundamental understanding of the First Amendment, tells you everything you need to know about the level of "journalism" practiced and the credibility of the publication.

[Doesntmatter]

Tweeting is not responsible reporting. Ironically, it’s a media bullying device poor reporters can use while, once again, hiding behind a first amendment right that they believe gives them the right say what ever they please regardless of fact. They could care less about the damage if a tweet is erroneous. One of my SMU degrees is a BFA in Journalism, I’m so sad that these students (assuming they’re Journalism students) aren’t being taught responsible reporting which is the paramount to one’s 1st Amendment right. Irresponsible social media can lead to civil unrest and potentially war I hope the SMU athletic department wins this little battle. To the department, support and allow access to the responsible reporters and continue to deny those that aren’t.

[malonish]

I'd be interested in which tweet from a student journo will start WWIII

[horsemanx]

I agree with SMU on this one.

We need to get back to the days where I find out if SMU won a football game in the newspaper the next morning.

[mustangxc]

I agree with SMU on this one.

We need to get back to the days where I find out if SMU won a football game in the newspaper the next morning.

You really want to go back to waiting until the following day to find out the results of games? There is a happy medium where some information can be distributed in real time via social media and then a full report with more details is published in the daily newspaper.

[mustangxc]

I don't know enough to really have an opinion in this case, but based on how Rhett Lashlee lambasted Sam Blum for saying that ECU was obliterating SMU at halftime, it is clear that Sonny Dykes and his staff members like to have full control of what is said about the team, how it is said, and when it is said. While they have a right to disseminate certain information to whoever they like, it is not a good idea to have a combative relationship with the media. Heck, Jankovich gets killed by our fans for not having social media. I think being combative with the media is much worse. The media is not meant to be our friend, they simply need to report news. If we create positive news, they have no choice other than to report positive news. I love Sonny Dykes, but hope this doesn't become problematic going forward.

[HubbaHubba]

The DMN has been hostile towards SMU for decades. Recently, they have moved closer to ambivalent but we have never had the home town newspaper treatment that most D1 schools receive. I'm glad the Daily Campus attempts to cover sports but it appears they need better mentoring.

A student's health status is protected and privileged information, covered by even more strict rules than HIPPA. Allowing a reporter access to the team does not relieve the university of it's obligation to ensure that health information confidentiality is not violated. Allowing this reporter continued access after he made a public disclosure would make it seem as if SMU was complicit in this improper (and illegal act). The reporter should have known better. The reporter reporting this story should have known better. Call out the coaches when they coach badly but when you report badly (not the content but the technique) expect to be called out as well.

[Nedward]

The Daily Carcass has been a joke since my time as a student some 25+ years ago. Some things do remain the same.

I has hoped they would get better since they were "forced" to be overseen by actual journalism minds at Meadows. But ultra liberal media...nahh. That's fake news.

And people wonder where all the peeps from CNN get started.

[HubbaHubba]

I don't think there is any actual political bent to this unless you consider the Dallas media excessive coverage of the big 12 and sec (when there are no Dallas big 12 or sec teams) as political.

[Ikus]

The DMN is more than fair to SMU. It's not the job of the media to be cheerleaders for any team. If a negative story is out there and newsworthy, write it. There was a time in the '90s when there was a 2-page SMU spread, because the school paid for it. Since Larry Brown and Sonny Dukes took over those programs there have been tons of positive stories.