Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Press conference etiquette
Last week, Oklahoma State University football coach Mike Gundy issued a harsh (and, at times, personal) criticism of Jenni Carlson, a reporter/columnist from The Oklahoman, during a press conference (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VytIZZzee0 for Gundy’s comments during the initial press conference; see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4AisVxShCs&NR=1 for The Oklahoman’s response to the press conference; see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NGlt9v8lMY&NR=1 for Gundy’s follow-up comments). How does this kind of behavior during a press conference influence 1) the reputations of the individuals and organizations speaking at/holding the press conferences and 2) the individuals and organizations criticized during the press conference? Do you think this kind of criticism/behavior is appropriate during a press conference?
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9 comments:
Journalists probably wish that news conferences were more spontaneous with fascinating outbursts such as this, because public relations professionals try their best to manage and control such publicity events. Having one's organizational leader have such a meltdown in front of the media is a PR person's nightmare. Yes, unfortunately, the coach has hurt his credibility in my opinion; he looked like the classic caricature of dumb football player. College football doesn't need that kind of ranting and raving from coaches during news conferences.
Additionally, the coach's refusal to meet with the reporter and identify exactly where her "factual errors" in the article were located, shows he's a lot of bluff with no real basis for his ranting. If he really wants to get accurate coverage, he should have the professional courtesy (and the strategic acumen) to sit down with the reporter and "set the record straight."
Yep, he set back the image of football players and coaches everywhere...
He blew it.
As a student athlete I was very impressed with the coaches response to the reporter. Although,attacking her personally was a bit uncalled for, he was right in defending his player. Standing up for atudent athletes is something to be admired, we are not getting paid but, rather playing because we love to play. For a reporter to attack the athelte personally was beyond uncalled for.
I totally agree with matt because we both play baseball for the college and it takes a lot for a coach to put his name on the line for one of his athletes. I know that the coach didn't mean to go after the journalist like that but at the sametime the journalist didn't need to go after that kid. Coaches take us athletes as there own kids and they have a lot of love for us because of what we go out there and do want they want us to do. I would love it if my coach went out on the line to stand behind me because that shows that they would do anything for us. So the coach and the journalist are both out of line for doing this but they both needed to do their own jobs.
This entire conflict is completely unnecessary. What got to me more while watching these videos on Youtube were the comments made by viewers, rather than what I saw for myself. Someone really made a good point while pointing out that it was idiotic for the coach to be "making a big deal about a newspaper article rather than having his team focusing on the next game." If he didn't like the article, he shouldn't have read into it. I don't know exactly what the article says, but from my understanding after watching these videos, the reporter didn't put anything false in the article, and it only pushes me to believe that when the coach refuses to point out the faults within the article. I understand he is only defending his player, but not everyone is going to be so sensitive toward an amateur athlete if they had high hopes for him. There is nothing wrong with him being upset about the article, but he could have handled it in a more respectful and more mature way. Critisizm should be turned around into a good thing because such a critique should only encourage both the coach, and whatever player it was about, to prove against whatever was said in that article and give everyone a better idea of what's going on. He refused to do that.
This is an issue that I have been waiting to write about. Every where i go and hear about this story, all i hear is how the coach blew a fuse and was in the wrong. Yes the coach blew a fuse but there was a reason for this. The journalist that he yelled at had written a story about one of his players with out any consent, and was basically attacking his player. The journalist should have come to the coach first and got his facts write. The player that he attacked in his article, was just a teenager, what gives this man the right to attack this young man without going to the coach first. I guess that is the biggest problem i have with this issue.
I think that this whole situation was blown out of proportion and was went about in the wrong way.The reporter shouldn't have talked about the player the way she did. I admire the coach for sticking up for his player but at the same time he should have done it in a less agressive way. When the coach started yelling the way he did, he made himself look just as bad as the reporter. Both people went about the situation the wrong way but at the same time i do think that the coach had the right and needed to say something. This whole debate boils down to freedom of speech. People are always going to talk and say things that some people dont agree with or want to hear. It all depends on how the situation is dealt with. I think the reporter should have acted more mature and the coach should have handled the situation in a more calm manner.
I think that there is a kind of etiquette that all journalists should have. I think that it shows professionalism for the reporter and for the paper to follow certain types of etiquette. I think that there is also some kind of common sense that is involved here. An answer to the first question would be that this behavior gives the news outlet a certain reputation, which could determine their future depending on the behavior. An answer to the second question would be that this behavior influinces the individuals and organizations by tarnishing their names and forcing them to have to redeem themselves. I do not think that this behavior is appropriate because again, there is "etiquette" for every situation, and i think that it should be followed.
I believe at a press conference there are some unspoken rules of etiquette that the individuals should be held to. We can't really expect these to be followed by sports coaches especially in football since most of them are hot blooded and have heads full of steam. Now is it entertaining to see a coach lose his composure in front of the camera? Of course, but what coach Gundy did was irrational. I don't believe personal attacks should ever be made in public, especially in that kind of setting.
As a student Athlete I can really respect a coach for standing up for one of his players. He really took to heart the negetivity that was said about one of his players and showed his emotions about the comments. I think that by him reacting and conducting himself was not uncalled for or out of line. He is the head coach of a football program and if anyone has the right he does. Also I feel that by attacking the writer and the editor of the paper was a little extreme they should also be able to take criticism.
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