Needling Jim Calhoun | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 hidden)
Interesting POV, but still bad journalism (none / 0)
I just don’t see how he asked his questions was a good way to get the facts for the story or information he was after. No matter what the intent was, if I were Calhoun and I was getting asked the same questions in the same confrontational manner, then I would have also gotten annoyed. I wouldn’t react the same way, but the reaction was understandable IMO.

Frankly, this guy should have gotten to the point and the root of the question alot sooner rather than to try and setup a series of short gotcha sound clips. I would have been behind him if he asked something to the effect of, ... "look all these government employees are taking furloughs, will you do the same?", instead he opted for needling short questions that seemed rude. In the case of his salary that the state pays, I can only assume that’s public record, and anything he makes or negotiates for privately is his business.

At best this guy is a bad journalist in how he decided in how would ask his questions, at worst he decided Calhoun owes the state something and is a bad guy, so he was an ass snf confrontational.

by Smokin on 02/28/2009 01:23:25 PM EST

Nope; don't agree (none / 0)

It's guys like that who are putting the mainstream media to shame.  There was nothing unreasonable about the way he asked the questions.  Calhoun was defensive from the start, and got worse. 

I say fire Calhoun.  I don't like basketball that much. 

What really bugged me even more though was the groan from the reporters, when they were called out on what they were reporting.  If they work for mainstream newspapers, then those newspapers deserve to go out of business, as many are.

by saeed19 on 02/28/2009 06:08:17 PM EST

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Calhoun was lying too (none / 0)
There are a *lot* of accounting gimmicks that go in in supporting the sports teams at Universities.

For instance, take U.T. Austin, where I got my undergraduate degrees.  I paid student fees which supported the medical center on campus, which notionally was in place for all the U.T. students.  In fact, it was used as a way to push the medical costs of the sports teams onto the students, who were already paying upwards of 4000$ a semester.

People are acting like these coaches put up the money to buy these stadiums and start these teams and put their neck on the line, when in fact they get incredible benefits from being affiliated with a university, with almost no personal risk (a nice golden parachute if they do get fired).

It's a vastly different story than, for example, risking one's own fortune to buy a professional sports franchise, and should be treated as such.  These coaches pocketing massive amounts of money while the remainder of the Universities are in the red are akin to the branches of AIG and other failing instituations justifying getting huge bonuses because "their segment did good."

by twalters0 on 03/04/2009 10:57:24 AM EST

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Needling Jim Calhoun | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 hidden)