Dump the Des Moines Register!!!

[RobHowe]

As some of you know, I worked in newspapers for about nine years before joining up with my friend, Jon Miller, here at HN in June of '03.

I certainly was becoming disenfranchised with what was going in the business, one I hoped to be in for my entire working life when I was in college.

I remember an instance where a member of an Iowa City family had her suicide aided by Jack Kevorkian. The managing editor called this grieving family and was extremely insensitive and rude in trying to attain confirmation and comment. I was appalled listening to it on the phone in the news room.

Then, towards the end of my run at the ICPC, Matt Roth got into an altercation with a bouncer(s) in downtown IC. The editors decided to use a wild photo of Roth from a game with the story, painting a picture that he was out of control. I objected and was told my opinion on Roth didn't matter.

There are other examples, but these are two that have stayed with me.

I'm a believer in the value of good journalism. I think the watchdog function in important. And there are tough decisions that must be made in newsrooms when it comes to what should and shouldn't be published. But that's part of the job, a really big part.

The DMR employs some really good journalists, but there's no way to defend the decision in regards to the Carson King story. It really needs to look at the people making those decisions because this one shouldn't have been hard even without the benefit of hindsight.

 

[okeefe4prez]

As some of you know, I worked in newspapers for about nine years before joining up with my friend, Jon Miller, here at HN in June of '03.

I certainly was becoming disenfranchised with what was going in the business, one I hoped to be in for my entire working life when I was in college.

I remember an instance where a member of an Iowa City family had her suicide aided by Jack Kevorkian. The managing editor called this grieving family and was extremely insensitive and rude in trying to attain confirmation and comment. I was appalled listening to it on the phone in the news room.

Then, towards the end of my run at the ICPC, Matt Roth got into an altercation with a bouncer(s) in downtown IC. The editors decided to use a wild photo of Roth from a game with the story, painting a picture that he was out of control. I objected and was told my opinion on Roth didn't matter.

There are other examples, but these are two that have stayed with me.

I'm a believer in the value of good journalism. I think the watchdog function in important. And there are tough decisions that must be made in newsrooms when it comes to what should and shouldn't be published. But that's part of the job, a really big part.

The DMR employs some really good journalists, but there's no way to defend the decision in regards to the Carson King story. It really needs to look at the people making those decisions because this one shouldn't have been hard even without the benefit of hindsight.

But, Rob, you are actually a competent journalist. The overwhelming majority of people coming out of J-school have a very skewed take that they try to spin into every story. The business model has gone to shit where it is all about clicks now and it has made it even worse. I still subscribe to WSJ, but that's it. Most of the news is so transparently slanted that it is hard to take seriously. WSJ will at least go out and do investigative journalism just to try to find the truth, not to drive clicks. While every media outlet was fawning over Elizabeth Holmes, the WSJ kept its usual skepticism and exposed Theranos as a fraud. That is good journalism. The Gannett companies lost that model decades ago.

I think you were the one who asked Kirk about DJK, which pissed him off. That took serious balls and it was a question percolating on the boards for months. Podunk athletic programs are known to cut off access, a journalist's lifeblood, to anyone who doesn't toe the party line. But you are still willing to be critical. You watch the crap coming out of places like Nebraska or Illinois and you'd think Kim Jong Un is censoring every beat writer. You don't do that shit.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

There's only one way to respond to this post....
YOU'RE A RACIST!!!

That freaking made me chuckle.

I thought I was a Nazi! Make up your mind.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

As some of you know, I worked in newspapers for about nine years before joining up with my friend, Jon Miller, here at HN in June of '03.

I certainly was becoming disenfranchised with what was going in the business, one I hoped to be in for my entire working life when I was in college.

I remember an instance where a member of an Iowa City family had her suicide aided by Jack Kevorkian. The managing editor called this grieving family and was extremely insensitive and rude in trying to attain confirmation and comment. I was appalled listening to it on the phone in the news room.

Then, towards the end of my run at the ICPC, Matt Roth got into an altercation with a bouncer(s) in downtown IC. The editors decided to use a wild photo of Roth from a game with the story, painting a picture that he was out of control. I objected and was told my opinion on Roth didn't matter.

There are other examples, but these are two that have stayed with me.

I'm a believer in the value of good journalism. I think the watchdog function in important. And there are tough decisions that must be made in newsrooms when it comes to what should and shouldn't be published. But that's part of the job, a really big part.

The DMR employs some really good journalists, but there's no way to defend the decision in regards to the Carson King story. It really needs to look at the people making those decisions because this one shouldn't have been hard even without the benefit of hindsight.

Solid!

 

[chucktownhawk]

 

[JoeyLabasForPresident]

But, Rob, you are actually a competent journalist. The overwhelming majority of people coming out of J-school have a very skewed take that they try to spin into every story. The business model has gone to shit where it is all about clicks now and it has made it even worse. I still subscribe to WSJ, but that's it. Most of the news is so transparently slanted that it is hard to take seriously. WSJ will at least go out and do investigative journalism just to try to find the truth, not to drive clicks. While every media outlet was fawning over Elizabeth Holmes, the WSJ kept its usual skepticism and exposed Theranos as a fraud. That is good journalism. The Gannett companies lost that model decades ago.

I think you were the one who asked Kirk about DJK, which pissed him off. That took serious balls and it was a question percolating on the boards for months. Podunk athletic programs are known to cut off access, a journalist's lifeblood, to anyone who doesn't toe the party line. But you are still willing to be critical. You watch the crap coming out of places like Nebraska or Illinois and you'd think Kim Jong Un is censoring every beat writer. You don't do that shit.

I also have a WSJ sub. Its editorials are about as straight you can get out of a national brand these days.

 

[EstronHawkKing]

As some of you know, I worked in newspapers for about nine years before joining up with my friend, Jon Miller, here at HN in June of '03.

I certainly was becoming disenfranchised with what was going in the business, one I hoped to be in for my entire working life when I was in college.

I remember an instance where a member of an Iowa City family had her suicide aided by Jack Kevorkian. The managing editor called this grieving family and was extremely insensitive and rude in trying to attain confirmation and comment. I was appalled listening to it on the phone in the news room.

Then, towards the end of my run at the ICPC, Matt Roth got into an altercation with a bouncer(s) in downtown IC. The editors decided to use a wild photo of Roth from a game with the story, painting a picture that he was out of control. I objected and was told my opinion on Roth didn't matter.

There are other examples, but these are two that have stayed with me.

I'm a believer in the value of good journalism. I think the watchdog function in important. And there are tough decisions that must be made in newsrooms when it comes to what should and shouldn't be published. But that's part of the job, a really big part.

The DMR employs some really good journalists, but there's no way to defend the decision in regards to the Carson King story. It really needs to look at the people making those decisions because this one shouldn't have been hard even without the benefit of hindsight.

I no longer trust the national media. FOX, CNN, AOL.com, MSN.com & MSNBC have their own agendas now. It seems like they are trying to brainwash people into their way of thinking. For the most part I have trusted local media outlets, until now for what the Register just pulled.

 

[chucktownhawk]

It seems the news is all about sensationalism reporting; exploitative reporting. I read my small town paper and chuckle every time b/c of the typo's, or the misidentifying of a person. Boy, now that get's peoples attention. Calls are made and then there is a "regret" in the next days papers. At least they acknowledge their mistake. Where is the DMR's? I still can't believe there hasn't been any. This whole thing has completely blown up in their face. It has now seemed to make Carson a bigger celebrity for what he's done, and made Calvin the scapegoat b/c the Editor didn't have the guts to say "no". It's a fucked up deal for sure. It's been nice knowing you DMR.

 

[Robowe]

OR he didn’t need to ever poke into a 16 year old’s FB. Talk about creepy. If he committed a crime as a 16 year old he couldn’t even report on it. Anything posted after the age of 18 is fair game or in college, but as what, a 15-16 year old? I pissed my pants once in 3 rd grade because the nun wouldn’t call on me when we used to have to raise our hands to use the restroom. Thank God no one put that on facebook. Can we all admit to doing stupid thinks as kids that we wished we hadn’t. I loved Monty Python as a kid and still do today ( RIP Mr. Cleese) half of what they did then would not be PC today. If I had FB back in the day I would be binge cringing at what I found funny then. The reporter, editor, publisher can’t hide behind journalistic integrity on this. This just borders on mean- spirited. A man who turns down $ to give to sick children and runs it to 1 million plus is the ultimate good, someone who for $ tears this person done is the other.

He's not dead yet!

 

[RobHowe]

I subscribe to Baseball America.

 

[eledmonster]

Reporter.....fired.

I'm totally fine with this guy getting canned but at the end of the day, it's really not his fault. A reporter is a foot soldier and they do what they are told. They are told to dig into their research and find everything / anything. The editors are the ones who then decide what is relevant and what will go into print.
The fault here is institutional. Print media has been dying for years and this kind of crap is just going to speed up the process.
The Des Moines Register
founded 1849
died 2020
RIP

 

[okeefe4prez]

I'm totally fine with this guy getting canned but at the end of the day, it's really not his fault. A reporter is a foot soldier and they do what they are told. They are told to dig into their research and find everything / anything. The editors are the ones who then decide what is relevant and what will go into print.
The fault here is institutional. Print media has been dying for years and this kind of crap is just going to speed up the process.
The Des Moines Register
founded 1849
died 2020
RIP

Even though on the first page of the thread I called the kid a "gaping asshole," I don't think he should have been fired. You are correct. This kid was scapegoated. He is an America-loathing, well let me stop there so I don't get banned, but nonetheless, even long haired hippies need jobs and this kid was just taking orders from the boss. I hope he learns to code.

 

[EstronHawkKing]

Even though on the first page of the thread I called the kid a "gaping asshole," I don't think he should have been fired. You are correct. This kid was scapegoated. He is an America-loathing, well let me stop there so I don't get banned, but nonetheless, even long haired hippies need jobs and this kid was just taking orders from the boss. I hope he learns to code.

I wonder if he will turn around and and sue the Register? I would.

 

[Fryowa]

I wonder if he will turn around and and sue the Register? I would.

I don't think there's anything he could sue them for. He might have been instructed to background check CK, but at the end of the day the DMR fired him for his racist tweets. That was apparently in their employee conduct standards before he was hired. The DMR is a septic tank, but I don't see how they can't fire the kid. His shit was WAAAAAY worse and more pervasive than what CK wrote.

 

[ArvadaHawk]

I don't think there's anything he could sue them for. He might have been instructed to background check CK, but at the end of the day the DMR fired him for his racist tweets. That was apparently in their employee conduct standards before he was hired. The DMR is a septic tank, but I don't see how they can't fire the kid. His shit was WAAAAAY worse and more pervasive than what CK wrote.

i also think they should fire the editor who defended the reporter by stating publicly that "we do background checks like this on everyone." hmmm....expect, perhaps, the people they hire? this was just a blatant lie to help defend the horrible reporter's actions. this means, the D.R. agreed with what the reporter did.

when SJW-erism can ruin (or try to) the life of a 23 year old person who just donated $1 million to the Stead Family Hospital in IC, you have seen proof that your society is fully backwards. this is simply appalling to be allowed to happen in the U.S.

 

[Zstatman]

Just saw this tweet: Is this true, the reporter no longer for the Register? Maybe he's gone into hiding?

It didn't copy and paste but the tweet is from The Sporting News

"We took appropriate action because there is nothing more important in journalism than having readers’ trust." The Des Moines Register reporter who dug up Carson King's old tweets no longer works with the publication.



Why Busch beer cut ties with 'College GameDay' fan whose sign raised $1 million for charity
The Des Moines Register found racially insensitive tweets from when Carson King was in high school.
sportingnews.com

 

[JoeyLabasForPresident]

I don't think there's anything he could sue them for. He might have been instructed to background check CK, but at the end of the day the DMR fired him for his racist tweets. That was apparently in their employee conduct standards before he was hired. The DMR is a septic tank, but I don't see how they can't fire the kid. His shit was WAAAAAY worse and more pervasive than what CK wrote.

He would definitely need to make the case that he was not fired for the tweets, but wrongfully terminated to save the editor’s ass (which is honestly probably the truth, but he’d need some decent lawyers).

 

[chucktownhawk]

read through this, unless you already have

 

[JoeyLabasForPresident]

read through this, unless you already have

Don’t bother giving them the clicks. They take no responsibility.

 

[homes]

The DMR has not been candid about any of this. Their agenda blurred their vision, and now they're getting smacked in the face because of it. Talk about not knowing your market.