Dear Jean Jacques

[perunapower]

I love what people do with semantics on this board...was everyone here on the debate team in college?

Who cares if he was at the press conference. Do you think no one from the DMN was at the press conference? You think the guy doesnt have access to a transcript from the press conference? give me a break.

Journalists need to get their own scoop and not rely on second-hand information. If you're going to write a story over a team and it's coach, you go interview the coach and players.

There is nothing inaccurate in his analysis.

I never said there was. Just rebutting Eddie P's belief that a journalist can rely upon second-hand information. At least if JJT would have been at the postgame press conference then he would have had the opportunity to ask questions that he would have found relevant to ask. Just saying when you rely upon second-hand information you risk misinterpretations and faulty memories becoming integrated into your story, risking your journalistic integrity.

[Eddie P]

This isnt exactly Jay Marrioti here boys. His focus seemed almost entirely on bennett. JTstang beat me to the punch...he doesnt need to talk with bennett to write that story. And there absolutely nothing inaccurate about his story, unfortunately.

Im surprised we even got the columnist to write about us with the cowboys playing today.

[Eddie P]

PP,

You're arent rebutting anything. He's a columnist not a reporter...he's not reporting on the game, he writes opinions. Huge difference.

[mustangbill67]

This front page SportsDay column should be required reading for every Mustang fan. It is an opinion column but pretty right -on. Hey, the DMN's gave the game 90% of a page in SportsDay. That is some kind of progress.

[Stallion]

Having worked in the press box-you got to realize these guys have deadlines. The game ended at 10:45. Bennett talks with his team and then the radio team. Doesn't leave much time when the stories were posted by 2:00 to make it into the morning addition which I guarantee you are going to press by 2:30.

[icehawks18]

wow, you guys are hilarious.

look, we gave up 600 yards passing... SIX HUNDRED YARDS (and unfortunately i am not talking about Playstation NCAA Football) to some scrub non-name QB at UNT, and there is a reason Vegas had us as a 17-point favorite. The experts (who despite what any genius fan says there is a reason Bookies stay in business and vegas hotels are so grandiose) felt we should win by more than 2 touchdowns, so the fact that we could have easily lost that game, is scary.

nevertheless, I hate to be cliche, but "a win is a win". and regardless, it's actually a miracle that we are a news item in the DMN. I looked yesterday after the game (around midnight) and the DMN-->College Football homepage featured the following teams/stories: UT, OU, A&M, Tech, Rice. At least we made the newspaper!

cheers fellas, let's go beat arkie state

[perunapower]

PP,

You're arent rebutting anything. He's a columnist not a reporter...he's not reporting on the game, he writes opinions. Huge difference.

So what if he's a columnist instead of a reporter. Opinions need to be educated opinions and you gain that education of the situation by researching it (e.g. attending the post-game press conference). Journalists, whether columnist or reporter, need to learn about the subject matter they are writing (or speaking) about. Tim Cowlishaw has proven this by talking about SMU and not having a clue what is happening on the Hilltop.

[Junior]

I think JJT is right. It was a cheap win, and we should go ahead and have it stricken from the records. Shame on us for not covering the spread...

[George S. Patton]

I think JJT is right. It was a cheap win, and we should go ahead and have it stricken from the records. Shame on us for not covering the spread...

Sounds like someone who put $$ on us to cover and lost.

I'm disappointed with our disastrous pass defense but we won. And it sure as hell is better than what happened in Denton last year -- when all of us walked out of Fouts Field armed with vomit bags.

[Eddie P]

Ok perunapower, I'll bite. But first, I never said journalists need to rely on 2nd hand information to write their stories. That was your deduction from my comments or your random train of thought. Whatever it was, you ran with it to prop up whatever elusive point you're trying to make, which I am at a loss to see.

Also, I am curious what exactly JJT wrote that angered all 3 of you who seem upset about it. He's actually has a much higher opinion of our team's prospects than many...says we can actually win every game outside of TCU if we come prepared.

Lets look at the column...what was JJT trying to say? What messages was he trying to convey?

1) He wrote about Bennett's job security based on his team's play over the last six years.

2) He wrote about his observations of the Tech and UNT game and the players' performances therein.

3) He wrote about the totality of bennetts career at SMU, these are all his recruits, time to win is now, blah blah blah.

4) He looked ahead to our future opponents and analyzed our chances to win those games.

5) He opined that SMU does not look like a bowl team based on their play.

Now mr journalist, where exactly does JJT not being in the press conference impede his opinions about any of the above? Or did I miss something in the column? What "scooping" or research did JJT do or not do? With whom does JJT need to speak to validate his opinion on anything he wrote in his column?

[perunapower]

Who cares if he was at the press conference. Do you think no one from the DMN was at the press conference? You think the guy doesnt have access to a transcript from the press conference? give me a break.

That would be where I deduced that you found in a viable channel for any journalist to receive their information. Through other people at the DMN or through a transcript.

I am not upset about what he wrote. It's true. Every stinkin' bit of it.

He could have gone to the press conference and listened to what PB had to say and possibly even ask him a few questions of his own to interject into the story. That's all I'm trying to say. Not that he got his facts wrong or even that his opinions are misplaced, because they aren't.

[bigdaddy08091]

I'm very pleased as well. I just also happen to be very, very concerned.

Not having a true MLB and SS hurts our D. We should be concerned. Our D will get better with time. PB is the best D Coord. in CUSA. Give UNT some credit with throwing the ball 60 times and SMU knowing they could not run the ball. That is what a true spread offense does?

[SMU Football Blog]

I honestly can't believe anyone can even try to dispute what JJT wrote. He basically said we should have higher expectations than to beat UNT. He's exactl right.

[Hoop Fan]

I honestly can't believe anyone can even try to dispute what JJT wrote. He basically said we should have higher expectations than to beat UNT. He's exactl right.

who disputed it? merely said he definitely should have acknowledged the short turn around when blasting a program and not so subtly suggesting the coach should be replaced after not blowing out UNT. I dont know when we became so good on paper that the media should rip an smu team for not dominating a D-1 opponent. by the way, some of you act like you know JJT and hes your cousin or something.

[SWC2010]

Pretty ballsy to badmouth college players without bothering to talk to them or their coach to find an explanation for their performance.

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Correct, Gia-- I'm always impressed by Journalism Majors who lecture athletes about collegiate effort.