Posts tagged ‘New York Times’
A Timely Class in Journalism Ethics
From our intern, Emily Kaplan:
Over the weekend, a friend of mine tweeted: Boy, what I would do to sit in on a journalism ethics class at Penn State this week.
I am fortunate to be enrolled in that course this semester—COMM 409: News Media Ethics, a section taught by Malcolm Moran, a veteran journalist and head of Penn State’s John Curley Center for Sports Journalism.
My friend was right—Tuesday’s lesson was never more relevant. When I walked in, I had pretty good feeling we wouldn’t be discussing the assigned reading on the syllabus. Not after a weekend where dubious reporting and social media gone wild resulted in an announcement that the most recognizable face of this university had died—when in fact, he was still alive.
“There’s nothing more important to be right about than if an important figure is alive or not,” Moran said. “Nothing.”
So who better to be a guest lecturer than Mark Viera ’09? He’s the New York Times reporter who dispelled reports that Joe Paterno had passed away Saturday night by simply asking a family spokesman whether the rumors were true.
The class had a meta feel. Moran asked Viera what lessons from the course he has applied to his reporting—and what lessons couldn’t be taught in the classroom. Moran also pointed out the seat that Viera occupied just a few semesters ago. The girl sitting there now has some big shoes to fill. Viera, 24, has been one of the Times’ lead journalists in Penn State coverage over the past two months because of his familiarity with the school and dogged reporting.
But Tuesday, he stood in front of about 50 of us. Everyone seemed attentive as he spoke. I don’t know whether it was respect for Moran, respect for Viera or simply respect for the subject matter, but I didn’t see one person texting under their desk or day dreaming blankly at the wall. (more…)
A High-Profile Introduction for Bill O’Brien
What a difference 46 years makes.
After Rip Engle retired as Penn State’s football coach, Joe Paterno was introduced at his successor at a news conference on Saturday morning, Feb. 19, 1966. On the front page of the next issue of The Daily Collegian, this was the top headline: “Model U.N. Whips USSR Bloc.”
Underneath, there were stories about whether changing the rules on female students living in apartments would lead to moral ruin (one student testified that at other schools with similar rules, “they have no trouble with pregnancies”), about the Collegian’s new editor and business manager, and about the concert that kicked off Greek Week 1966: Simon and Garfunkel in Recreation Building.
Paterno was mentioned on page 6. At the bottom. In a story headlined “Paterno Retains Staff.”
To be fair, the Collegian published Tuesday through Saturday in those days, so the news was a couple of days old. But it’s still remarkable to contrast the introduction of Paterno with that of his successor, Bill O’Brien, who was introduced Saturday morning at the Nittany Lion Inn in a ballroom full of media members, donors, university officials, alumni, and what seemed like some fans who wandered in. O’Brien’s news conference was televised and streamed live by the Big Ten Network (if you missed it, you can watch it here), and dozens of media tweeted his every word to an eager Penn State fan base and a national audience.
And, of course, the composition of O’Brien’s staff, while important, wasn’t the big story. It was how and why he was chosen to lead Penn State after the Sandusky scandal.
O’Brien’s Friday evening flight from Boston to State College was tracked online by media, and shortly after the plane landed at University Park Airport, photos started to show up on Twitter. The photos, taken in the dark, weren’t great—Jim Seip of the York Daily Record tweeted that he’d seen better definition in photos of Sasquatch.
Photographers got better shots Saturday before the new coach actually met the media; O’Brien’s 5-year-old son, Michael, (more…)
More Recommended Reading: Preliminary Hearing
If you’re trying to get a handle on the last-minute announcement that Jerry Sandusky ’66, ’71g would waive his preliminary hearing, you’re not alone. I’ve spent part of the afternoon monitoring Twitter and checking out various news organizations’ coverage, and here’s what’s caught my eye:
Adam Smeltz ’05 of StateCollege.com provides a good synopsis here, and the New York Times, which obviously has a broader audience, does something similar here on its college sports blog, The Quad. This MSNBC video, featuring investigative reporter Michael Isikoff, is also good, although the studio host mangles the pronunciation of Bellefonte.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette talked to a couple of defense lawyers who are baffled by the strategy of Sandusky’s lawyer, Joe Amendola ’70. ESPN’s Lester Munson, a lawyer and journalist, gets into more of the details here, with everything from how the preliminary hearing can benefit the defense to whether the defense will eventually request a trial by judge, not jury. There’s a video of Bob Ley speaking with legal analyst Roger Cossack at the same link.
Dan Wetzel, a columnist for Yahoo Sports who has weighed in early and often on the scandal, has what might be one of the first opinion pieces published; he says that Sandusky’s late decision “put the accusers through the wringer.”
And while I don’t love everything that Deadspin does, this piece on the morning’s events is a really good read.
Please let us know in the comments if you’ve found other worthwhile stories.
Lori Shontz, senior editor
Sandusky Talks to the New York Times
You can’t help but wonder how Jerry Sandusky sees the world.
Sandusky ’66, ’71g, of course, is the man whose alleged actions have emotionally scarred at least eight boys, ended the careers of Graham Spanier and Joe Paterno, and caused anguish for thousands of Penn Staters and others worldwide. You can’t help but wonder, If it’s true, what was he thinking? And what is he thinking about now, as he sees the damage done and contemplates spending possibly the rest of his life in prison?
The New York Times’ Jo Becker managed to persuade Sandusky to sit down with her to answer some of those questions. Becker spent four hours with Sandusky, in two sessions, at the home of his lawyer, Joe Amendola. You can read the resulting story here.
Also of note are the nine-minute video clip, in which you can listen to and watch Sandusky during the interview, and a collection of 13 audio clips (under “Multimedia”) in which he addresses topics ranging from physical activity with kids to his thoughts on Joe Paterno to his life today.
Tina Hay, editor
Catch Diane Ackerman in the New York Times
If you fell under the spell of Diane Ackerman ’70 by reading the excerpt from her latest book, One Hundred Names for Love, in our July/August issue, you can read her a little more regularly these days. She’s been a guest columnist for the New York Times this month, with a piece inspired by the turtles who slowed down traffic at Kennedy International Airport and another one that melds her research into the senses with a recent report on consumer research.
I’m hoping her columns, which are running in the Opinion section, will continue for a while. If you’re not a New York Times subscriber, this is a great way to use up a few of the 20 free clicks you get every month.
Lori Shontz, senior editor
John Amaechi Takes On Kobe Bryant
One of the big sports stories of the week has been NBA star Kobe Bryant being caught on camera uttering a gay slur at a referee. Of the many opinions offered in the story’s wake, arguably none are as well-informed as that of John Amaechi ’94, the former Penn State hoop star who remains the only former NBA player to come out as gay. Amaechi, an outspoken advocate for gay rights and other social issues, addressed the issue today in an essay on the New York Times website.
Based on Kobe’s words today in a radio interview, it sounds like the Laker superstar might’ve been paying attention.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Would Corey Hertzog Watch Corey Hertzog?
I’m the resident soccer geek on The Penn Stater staff, so I was excited to see this New York Times piece on former Nittany Lion star Corey Hertzog. It actually ran last week, when my household was under virtual quarantine as strep made its way through the family (we’re mostly feeling better, thanks). Anyway: As a junior last season, Hertzog led the nation in scoring; on a recommendation from pro scouts, he chose to bypass his senior season, and last week he was a first-round pick of the New York Red Bulls in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft.
I saw plenty of Hertzog last season at Jeffrey Field, and I’m not surprised MLS made him a priority. Soccer fans know that certain guys just have an innate knack for finding the back of the net, and Hertzog’s sublime touch and strong leg made him a natural goal-scorer. For proof, a stunning goal from 2009. That part where he lobs the ball to himself to set up the volley? He did that on purpose.
Fascinatingly, though, Hertzog isn’t much of a soccer fan. “I won’t go out of my way to watch a game,” Hertzog tells the Times; as any American “footy” fan knows, going out of our way is exactly how most of us have had to watch the teams we love over the years, getting up early on Saturday mornings or finding out-of-the-way bars with satellite hook-ups and accommodating bartenders.
The fact that Hertzog doesn’t actually care to watch the sport at which he excels makes him unusual, but it clearly hasn’t hurt his game. Happily, soccer is more easily viewed than ever in this country, which means that, in addition to seeing more of our favorite European clubs, we can watch more MLS games, too. The 2011 MLS season kicks off in March, and Hertzog might get a chance to play alongside Thierry Henry, the legendary French striker playing out his career in the growing American league. Hertzog’s own disinterest aside, more and more Americans do watch soccer. This summer, a lot of them might be watching him.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Malcolm Moran Remembers Meeting The Bear
Anyone else getting excited about Saturday?
I’m among the fortunate few thousand Penn Staters heading down this weekend to Tuscaloosa, where, if you hadn’t heard, the Nittany Lions will face defending champion and No. 1-ranked Alabama on Saturday night. It’s the renewal of a great rivalry between two of college football’s most successful programs, each represented by an iconic coach: Paul “Bear” Bryant, who died 27 years ago, and of course, Joe Paterno, who broke Bryant’s record for career coaching wins in 2001. (That’s Bryant and Paterno before their teams’ classic battle in the 1979 Sugar Bowl.)
I’ve got a bunch of Alabama-Penn State posts coming in the next few days, and hope to come up with some good stuff while I’m down in Tuscaloosa, but a piece that ran in Sunday’s New York Times seemed like a fitting way to kick off our game-week coverage. Written by Malcolm Moran, the longtime respected sportswriter and now head of Penn State’s John Curley Center for Sports Journalism, it recalls a young reporter meeting the Bear for the first time more than three decades ago. It’s a quick read and well worth the time.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Wrestling, Baseball & Conference Expansion? Oh, My.
Penn State student-athletes aren’t in season right now, but there’s plenty to keep Nittany Lion sports in the news. A quick primer:
-Ben Heath, who went from role player to All-American candidate over the course of a terrific junior season (and who you can read more about when our July/August issue hits mailboxes in a few weeks), is hoping to hear his name called in the 2010 Major League Baseball draft. The MLB draft is notoriously hard to call, but given his skill set— a solid defensive catcher who hits for power and average—he has a shot at being Penn State’s highest-drafted non-pitcher in more than 30 years. The draft starts tonight at 7 p.m., continues Tuesday, and wraps up Wednesday.
-Sunday’s Centre Daily Times had an interesting story about how Nittany Lion wrestling coach Cael Sanderson and the program’s boosters are hoping to make University Park a training destination for the best American wrestlers. Given the sport’s popularity in central Pennsylvania, Sanderson’s icon status, and the quality of the facilities at the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex, that goal seems well on its way to becoming reality.
-Last but hardly least, Big Ten expansion talk has gotten a lot more complicated. The league had proposed a slow, deliberate approach to the question of adding a new member (or members), but reports over the past few days mean the Big Ten might have to act fast. As the New York Times reports today, the Pac-10 is considering annexing half of the Big 12 (including potential Big Ten target Texas), a move that would force the hand of Big Ten targets Missouri and Nebraska, not to mention coveted longshot Notre Dame. It all means that Joe Paterno might soon see his hopes for a bigger Big Ten come to fruition, and that the college sports landscape might be on the verge of dramatic change.
Or, as the Times story points out, nothing at all might change. Either way, we should know sooner than later.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Remembering (and Discovering) Architect Der Scutt
A New York Times obituary yesterday informed us of the passing of Der Scutt ’54. Every once in a while — and too often it’s after they die — we hear about a prominent alumnus who we didn’t actually know was an alumnus. Scutt fits that bill: Records tell us he attended Wyomissing Polytechnic Institute (predecessor of Penn State Berks) and got a master’s at Yale before embarking on a career in architecture. And what a career it was.
Scutt is best known for his modernist designs of some prominent New York City skyscrapers, including the Grand Hyatt Hotel and Trump Tower (pictured), which, like its namesake, was undeniable if not exactly subtle. He led a pretty interesting life beyond his work; you can read the obit here. The Reading native was 75 and living in Manhattan when he died.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
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