Friday, August 14, 2009

Vick Rumor Cautionary Tale for Media

This is not to say "We told you so," but there's a reason the Michael Vick to Carolina rumors didn't come from your local media that cover the Panthers day in and day out. That's because the story was most likely just speculation. As the years have gone by, I've become more and more disenchanted with the "World Wide Leader in Sports." Just like today's 24 hour national news networks, they seem more interested in talking heads speculating on moves teams may make than actual reporting of facts. Ask yourself a question. How many times have you watched one of ESPN's shows and heard something about your favorite team that none of the local media had reported? This Michael Vick story is a perfect example. Granted the Panthers front office and coaching staff don't make it easy to glean any insight into their plans (just the age of the NFL we're living in these days). However, we as journalists--yes I used the "J" word because that's what we should still aspire to be--must remember that job one is to get the story right, not be the first to speculate.

Jason Brown

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