MONDAY 415 MEDIA BREAKFASTI guess the Chronicle thinks the Rusty Simmons controversy --Simmons is the Warriors beat writer who was suspended by the paper for copy and pasting an "article" about the Dub's arena plans for SF--has some teeth--Simmons is still suspended after two weeks and his editor, Al Saracevic, is also in hot water for doing the same.
Chronicle EIC, Audrey Cooper, was upset enough to begin an internal investigation about both Simmons and Saracevic activity --an investigation that is ongoing and might involve further punishment, if not outright termination. The latter is probably doubtful but a Chron staffer told me Cooper is still furious about the matter.
By all accounts, Simmons, who's been at the Chron since 2002 and on the Warriors' beat since 2009, is a good guy, solid writer--well-respected --and although copy and pasting press releases and using your own by-line isn't classic plagiarism, it's still a bit disturbing to see it, and apparently, not the first time the practice has been performed by Simmons and his boss too.
It's now been over two weeks since Simmon's suspension (a suspension without pay) and only one Bay Area media outlet has reported on it. I find that rather startling. Why? Because it involves that meaty little thing called journalism and ethics, that's all. It isn't a sports Watergate mind you, but it is a major newspaper and the players are pretty big.
The local radio rag, KNBR, I'm not surprised about the sounds of silence --even though Simmons is a regular guest on both the Bleeder and 95.7 FM The Game. Knibber's bottom dwellers like the Murph and Mac mutts wouldn't inject an ounce of honesty here if their life depended on it. And 'The Game?" They only do bad morning shows and fart jokes.
*If you read me with regularity you know I've been a constant critic with Brian Sussman on the KSFO Morning Show. But even me can compliment good work when good work is accomplished --and on Monday morning, Bay Area listeners were treated to an informed, intelligent and terrific segment. Quite devoid on local radio.
Sussman interviewed noted cardiologist, Dr. Mark Freed. They delved into the highly controversial subject of supplements and vitamins biz--the good doctor gave inspired, funny, and honest opinions on people who take, for example, fish oil sups --(like me) and think they're nirvana. I hope KSFO puts this on their web page so people can hear it.
*The obnoxious "Non-24" ads have re-surfaced on radio here and their just as irritating as ever.
*Joan Lunden and her assisted living mildew spots are pathetic too.
*The openly gay woman "reporter" who says absolutely nothing on radio and TV and is cherished by horny male enablers on radio and TV, was back on the Bleeder this morning pontificating about Pac-12 women's volleyball. The 5 people who cared were outdrawn by the other people spitting up their cream of wheat.
*KPIX: your interns are churning out pretty good hate e-mail --keep it coming.
*You would think that an impending FBI investigation of the Draft Whores who advertise on radio and TV would mean The Bleeder would cease taking their money. Nope. Birds of a feather...To Knibber's defense, other media outlets are also running these charlatan's ads.
*The KRON Digital boy who washes Raddy's Bentley has taken to Twitter to post fake pictures of me and my fat ass smoking a cigar--apparently, that's the best he's got. I think he should keep to maintaining his house snitch activities and kissing GM, Ms. Medina's toes.
*Speaking of KRON, sooner or later, I'm told by a few KRONvicts, the notorious screamer will get his walking papers. Too much noise from the zoo upsets the elephants.
*Brian Murphy on his deathbed: "You know, 700 years ago when I was at UCLA, Greg Brady came by and spoke the wisdom of John Wooden --who was listening to a tune from Maroon 5--who got the news from Colin Kaepernick about eating Palouse apples and so forth..." Next.
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| Connie Stevens |
*Does anyone know what the fuck "Live and Local" really means?
*Don't ever mess with Larry Baer--I'll elaborate soon. (Even Matier and Ross won't touch him)
*Follow me on Twitter
Why in the world should local radio stations be talking about this? It's just not that important. End of story.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're a moron--end of story too.
DeleteWhen journalism, or the fourth estate, becomes a propaganda tool instead of a public watchdog or provider of objective information, we might as well make the media state-owned enterprises. The term has expanded to the fifth estate to included guys like Rich, who now watch the proverbial watchdogs to make sure they are indeed awake and watching.
DeleteAt the 9:03am post.
DeleteThe Chronicle defenders are coming out the wood work.
They will do their best to defend anything remotely critical to Frisco!
See no evil, hear no evil.
Amen, Rich, Amen!! Keep calling a moron a moron & tell like it is!! For as Larry Krueger said at the dinner table last Thanksgiving, "Goddam, who farted?!?".
DeleteA year or so ago, Kate Scott insisted on giving European soccer match scores on her regular updates. I contacted KNBR and told them that while the rest of the world outside the US might be interested, listeners listening to US sports talk radio don't care if Chelsea beat Manchester City, especially when there are other US Pro and Div I college sports going on. She will give Quakes scores, which is local and fine, but no one listening to KNBR gives a crud about Pac 12 Women's Volleyball as deserving of publicity as it may be. The listening numbers aren't there. I'm sure she's thinking it's only 10 second, but I commute for 35 minutes and when half is filled with ads, I want some sports info that means something to me.
ReplyDeleteI care about the Chelsea-Man City score. If you don't like it, change the station. But, if that REALLY led you to actually CALL the station, you have bigger problems.
DeleteHmph...speaking of Tardnich, clear the toilet, I gotta take a dump...now.
ReplyDeleteSexy.
DeleteI take it that's not the first time something long and black has come out of your ass.
Delete"Copying and pasting press releases and using your own byline isn't classic plagiarism." Really?
ReplyDeleteNot a fan of Rusty Simmons. He was covering high school football for the
DeleteChron in 2005. Sacred Heart Cathedral played Archbishop Riordan in one
of the best games of that season. SHC prevailed 32-29. There was a brief
melee right after the final gun. The next day, Simmon's lead and the bulk of
his brief article was about the fight, NOT about the game.
1:15 PM: Let it go . . . if it bleeds, it leads.
Delete"To steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own; use without crediting the source." (Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition)
ReplyDeleteRe: Murphy on his death bed...and Paulie will interject 'yeahhhh' several times between a couple of 'go aheads' while finding a way to connect the apples to Bob Weir.
ReplyDeleteThe Greg Brady reference is very good.
ReplyDeleteConnie Stevens? Didn't she once appear on the TV series Hawaiian Eye?
Yes, she played the lovely Cricket. Co-starred with Robert Conrad, Anthony Eisley, and the irrepressible Poncie Ponce!!
Delete"Copying and pasting press releases and using your own byline isn't classic plagiarism." So, am I correct in assuming that had he included the line "According to the Warriors" at the beginning of his cut and paste, all would have been forgiven? Not being snarky, just asking.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, yes, that's okay. You're attributing the source of the information. If, as a journalist, you wanted to confront that info, you might write, "In the Chronicle's own investigation, however,. . . " or something like that. Papers list the source all the time. Look at the back of the sports pages where teams list who they've waived, cut, promoted, etc.
DeleteBullshit. Just adding "according to the Warriors" to the cut and paste is just as bad. How lazy and uncreative can a reporter get? If that's what you're going to do, just post the press release as a pdf with the Warriors contact info and logo on top so we know exactly what we're getting.
DeleteSussman is either very good or a total flop. very good? vetting Obama on all salient conservative issues prior to the 2k8 election. unlistenable? after he landed the morning show. good again? when he filled in for Savage's arch rival Mark Levin. now seizing the opportunity to pinch hit for Savage and with longed for career advancement is on the line, he is up for the challenge. otherwise, he just mails it in for the morning zoo show replete with real or fabricated animal sounds.
ReplyDeleteFriday KRON paired Mark Danon with Pam Moore. It looked weird...especially with Heenan and Lodes there too.
ReplyDelete@12:25
Delete"Weird" because...?
Please do elaborate.
The whole point of putting Heenan and Lodes on was to keep Moore from having to do the entire two hours herself. There's no need for another anchor...if you want someone paired with Moore slide Heenan or Lodes in next to her. Adding a fourth anchor just makes things look like a big jumble. Or at least that's they way it played over the air to me Friday.
DeleteAgain, Lieberman has outdone himself. He speaks the truth.
ReplyDeleteIf the stupid Chron beat writer wanted to repeat a news release, all he had to do was change it up a bit and attribute the information from a team source. He fucked up there.
The sports editor at the Chron is a boob. The Chron was better off when Leba Hertz was the sports editor. Too many columnists. Surf Boy, the witty Southern Californian and the angry woman from Marin County. Does the paper really need THREE columnists? What makes them experts? At least Ostler is funny and doesn't inject his personal feelings into his columns. Meanwhile, the current sports editor will attend games and bring free copies of his paper to the press box. What's the point? Showing everyone how shitty your paper is and embellishing how crappy the business has become?
And then there's the lovely Kate Scott. Take a hike, bitch. Go work on your Twitter feed or personal Facebook page. Only your friends and followers care about what you're trying to push.
What does Lieberman know about journalism?
ReplyDeleteThey used to have more even at their height: Dickey, Cohn, Joan Ryan, Ratto and Jenkins as he was starting to write columns. You can find scores all over the Net, but I appreciate seeing more analysis, researched content, and even informed opinion, if you want to call it that.
ReplyDeletePeople who listen to sports-talk radio want to talk about sports, not journalistic ethics.
ReplyDeleteI don't allow my family to eat eggs or bacon or listen to Connie Stevens.
ReplyDeleteLike KGO the SF Chronicle is a shadow of its former self. I stopped reading it when they decided to charge for their website. I have no problem paying for a newspaper and do subscribe to the digital NYT but after years of attrition all of the columnists I used to love to read were no longer there. I found that in the end I was only reading Jon Carroll and the movie reviews on Fridays. This latest controversy regarding Mr. Simmons is not surprising. The Chronicle has been going downhill for years.
ReplyDelete"At least Ostler is funny and doesn't inject his personal feelings into his columns."
ReplyDeleteAnyone who tries to be "funny," isn't. Often times, his columns are sophomoric and come across as forced.
Simmons did something wrong. He's been punished. Enough already. It's not like anyone is covering anything up. It's just not all that important or interesting.
ReplyDeleteSussman, Ugh!. I didn't care for him when he did the weather for KPIX. His right wing dribble is getting old, and his news lady side kick Katie Green is just plain bad.
ReplyDelete