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Upon reflection, was it wise for any media outlet to report on such a private matter?

Perhaps if the school announced something official regarding his status, it would have quelled the confusion. What was the rush?

Food for thought.

EastStang wrote:I had a suite mate who flunked out about 3 times. I think it was the fourth time that was permanent. The fact is that sometimes students get substandard grades and are given a chance to get back into good standing in the spring and summer. I would think that first semester freshman are prime candidates for this treatment. So, let's hope that DJ is treated like any other freshman who had a tough first semester and he gets the help he needs to get his grades in order.

You do know he is a sophomore right?

Armen has done an amazing job over at Rivals and if you don't have a subscription you really have no reason to talk. The information regarding recruits and other "insider info" is second to none. However, when it comes to discussion among fans ponyfans is the place to be. The more "outlets" to gain news about SMU the better.

If SMU announced you were not academically eligible to play in the bowl or you told the reporter that were you weren't playing, I have no problem with that.

In the first story, there are multiple and unnamed sources over something as delicate as this. Ethically, I have a problem with that.

If memory serves, there was no attempt to reach out to June Jones to either confirm or deny this. If memory serves, there was no attempt to reach out to Darius Johnson to either confirm or deny. Why not write the usual "June Jones could not be reached for comment." Or June Jones declined to comment.''

OR

Why not write the usual
"A call to Darius Johnson was not returned." or "A text message to Darius Johnson seeking comment was not returned."

That's reporting 101.

Unless I missed that in the first one, the reporter had a responsibility to reach out to those figures and say that.

I believe in the second story that the journalist issued an apology? What do you think that means? Sure, he's cool with Darius. Was he fair to Darius?

Being first and being right don't always intersect.

In the pursuit of producing information, it would be wise to handle that charge with the greatest of care.

To be sure, this is a lesson learned for all media outlets covering this story and future ones that cover such delicate matters.

I understand that this is a developing story and things will change. That comes with the territory.

But when you're backpeddling almost immediately after you "break" a story, that's a problem.

Stick to the facts. Let them be your guide.

Back to the June angle:

We'll never know if June was the source(s) in the original story. But what if PonyPride reporters approached June and said, "June, we've got multiple people telling us all this stuff is going on with Darius. Is that true?"

June may not say anything or he may confirm it but asked not to be quoted. But what if June turns it around and threatens the staff with an information cutoff if they go with the story? Do they run it? Do they not run it?

They have things to consider here. It's fair to think that a decent portion of what they produce is coming from the coaches (off the record). But that's called relationship building with your coaches.

However, June is a powerful man. There's no denying that. Would those relationship(s) be in jeopardy? Are they concerned that if they get cut off, the amount of inside information they produce would drastisically be reduced? Would they lose subscribers over time because the flow of information just isn't what it used to be?

Maybe not. Programs like SMU need all of the publicity that they can get. But I would suspect there were some discussions between the PonyPride staff and the coaches about how this relationship works moving forward when it comes to things like this. The apology in the second story says something to me.

Again, this is all food for thought.

My favorite picture from this season. DJ is awesome.

Note: Notice how much our cheerleaders suck? The whole stadium is going nuts and they look confused.

I think that is actually the pom squad or what ever it is they call them.

PK wrote:I think that is actually the pom squad or what ever it is they call them.

If true, my apologies.

But to quote Dwight from The Office: "I just wanted to say that the women in this (cheer organization) are terrible"

You need to click FB Recruiting then look to the right where there is a link for SMU offers. If ypu want commitments click Commitments in the drop down link. For all recruits interested click Search in the drop down link-put your parameters including limiting the search to SMU.