This is flatout silly. First-year Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley is selecting which media outlets can cover mock games on the basis of the highly subjective "exemplary performance." Jack McElroy of the Knoxville News Sentinel is wholly correct by questioning this (imagine his reaction if his reporter had been excluded).
Effectively, Tennessee has created a "pool" of journalists, at the university's discretion, to cover mock games. A motto akin to "All the news which is fit to print, and which we like."
It is hard to tell what created this environment: overzealous bloggers and journalism run-a-mock or arrogant and protective college coaches.
From http://blogs.knoxnews.com/editor/2010/08/dooleys_rewarding_of_reporters.shtml# :
I am just now learning about the arrangements under which our Vols reporter, Austin Ward, attended the mock game the Vols played last week.
It was the first time reporters had had the opportunity to see the football team in action. Coverage of the team has been limited to the start and end of practice when nothing notable was going on. Even scrimmages have been off limits because coach Derek Dooley considered them to be a part of practice.
But before the mock game, Ward reminded Dooley that before the spring game the coach had said coverage of games, as opposed to practices, would be allowed. If the mock game was a game, would reporters be admitted? Dooley took that under consideration, and he later announced that a select group of journalists would be allowed to watch - as a reward for their work thus far in the season.
Here's what he said:
"Show up, which is No. 1. Give effort, and be respectful. That's kind of a Rule of Three in our program. Show up, meaning be where you're supposed to be -- it doesn't matter what it is. Give effort, which means give your best -- just try. And be respectful when you encounter other people.
"Now, you guys, there are a few of you guys who have gone above and beyond during training camp, just like some of the players, came for the majority of the front-end and back-end (of practice), you gave effort, worked and asked some tough questions. You were always respectful -- which I appreciate -- and so, John Painter has issued the first-annual Iron Vol of the Media. We've got a few people we wanted to recognize who will be attending our Wednesday night mock game for the entire session with the understanding that abuse brings control:"
"Brent Hubbs, Volquest.com,
"Matt Dixon, The Daily Beacon,
"James Bryant, InsideTennessee.com,
"Wyatt Clemmer, WBIR TV,
"Heather Harrington, Sports Animal,
"Austin Ward, Knoxville News Sentinel.
"We have a good blend of Internet, print, student, radio and TV. This was our 19th practice, right? Plus we had three split-squad (workouts), so the number is up to 22. Everybody on that list had over 15.
"So it's not a punishment, because I already hear (it). It's not a punishment to those that didn't come, it's just like the players. It's a simple reward for exemplary performance, and I hope we'll get something out of it."
I salute Ward for his initiative, he pressed for access, and he got it. That's what reporters are supposed to do. But I'm very uncomfortable with Dooley's attitude.
Suppose, for a second, that another public official, such as incoming Mayor Tim Burchett, took a similar approach and decided to grant access to a high-interest news event only to beat reporters who had been "respectful," but with a warning that "abuse brings control."
Dooley, like any source, has a right to work with the reporters he feels good about. But it seems highhanded for a government official to declare that coverage of his department's progress will be permitted only to journalists he judges to be "exemplary."
