Is this ethical journalism?

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David
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.....or an abuse of reporter privileges - to report plays/tendencies from practice?

From SATURDAY'S "Game Day" report (9/15/07) in the Vancouver Sun by Mike Beamish.

....In practice this week, the Lions did just that (gave Cory Rodgers more touches). Rodgers was used on short, swing passes that hit him in stride so he could turn on his fabled speed. And since the Argos undoubtedly will be kicking away from returner Ian Smart, the CFL's all-purpose yards leader, Rodgers was being deployed upfield as an alternative return rabbit. It's an approach not fully embraced, though.

After Smart and Rodgers botched a piece of practice chicanery -- Smart settles under the ball, takes it, then pitches to Rodgers -- more times than the coaches could stomach, the jury is still out. Special teams terror? Or special teams error waiting to happen?"


What was Beamish thinking? That not a single member of the Toronto Argonauts organization would read the morning newspaper over breakfast? Can you imagine if a beat reporter from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote this about Seahawk practice? Holmgren would rip him a new one!

Full story here

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Yank In BC
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Can you imagine if a beat reporter from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote this about Seahawk practice?
Wouldn't happen since after the first 15-30 minutes the media is banned from NFL practices.

But how is this worse then the team chastizing this site for what some people have written after watching practice.
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Rammer
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The article should limit some information flow in Beamish's direction at the least. The weather may be getting cooler, but I suspect that that the Lions will make it a couple of degrees cooler yet for Mr. Beamish after that information was put out.
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midwestlion
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Smart settles under the ball, takes it, then pitches to Rodgers -- more times than the coaches could stomach
Was Smart tossing the ball to Rodgers because he couldnt catch it himself? If so that is bush league. Maybe Im reading it wrong :?
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David
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midwestlion wrote:
Smart settles under the ball, takes it, then pitches to Rodgers -- more times than the coaches could stomach
Was Smart tossing the ball to Rodgers because he couldnt catch it himself? If so that is bush league. Maybe Im reading it wrong :?
You're reading it wrong.

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midwestlion
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You're reading it wrong.
Ok. Help me out. Was it a reverse?
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Yes, they were practicing reverses
I'd love you to say it to my face because you'd only say it once...if you ever had the courage to say it at all!! Blitz, 05/24/2008
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No Ordinary Joe
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Yank In BC wrote:
But how is this worse then the team chastizing this site for what some people have written after watching practice.
It's not, but the difference is that the Mods go to great lengths to ensure that what is written about practice does not get leaked out and if it is, the threads are removed in a timely fashion. As a member of the media, Mike Beamish should be held to a higher standard since it's not likely the Vancouver Sun will pull articles that list sensitive details like this site does with certain threads.
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WestCoastJoe
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Mike Beamish is not exactly in Wally's good books at the best of times. This reporting won't help that relationship. I expect there will be some conversation commenced by the Lions media people with MB.
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The shame of it is that it impacts other sports writers that understand the line with regard to reporting on the Leos. This isn't something that Lowell Ullrich or Ed Willes would do!!

As Lionbackers, as noted by No Ordinary Joe, we ensure that no information regarding practices leaks out so that the opposition could read it. Too bad Beamish wasn't more responsible...and besides I hate a couple of suggestions I made the week before (the hitch screen and the motion swing quick screen to Rodgers) being integrated for the first time at a Leos practice.... and Beamish can't resisit putting it in an article. So I take it personally as well as being a fan of our Leos.

My suggestion for Beamish....that he be drawn and quartered, with each part sent to a different region (Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, and Winnipeg..because Winnipeg is a distinct society.... and his head put on a pole outside of B.C. Place!!!! :wink: :wink: :wink:
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IMHO it is ethical journalism. If there was anything sensitive or secretive going on at practice that the BC Lions did not want the opposition to know about, then the Lions should hold a closed practice. As long as the public and reporters are allowed at practice, then it is safe to assume that there are opposition team's spys present.
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Rammer
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DanoT wrote:IMHO it is ethical journalism. If there was anything sensitive or secretive going on at practice that the BC Lions did not want the opposition to know about, then the Lions should hold a closed practice. As long as the public and reporters are allowed at practice, then it is safe to assume that there are opposition team's spys present.
Except as fans we don't want the practices to be shut down, they are very intimate with the players and coaches, plus give us an inside look to what is going on with player movement. As for anyone stalking around as a spy, well the Lions are welll aware of who is looking on, so that isn't a problem.
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No Ordinary Joe
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Rammer wrote:
DanoT wrote:IMHO it is ethical journalism. If there was anything sensitive or secretive going on at practice that the BC Lions did not want the opposition to know about, then the Lions should hold a closed practice. As long as the public and reporters are allowed at practice, then it is safe to assume that there are opposition team's spys present.
Except as fans we don't want the practices to be shut down, they are very intimate with the players and coaches, plus give us an inside look to what is going on with player movement. As for anyone stalking around as a spy, well the Lions are welll aware of who is looking on, so that isn't a problem.
Exactly, one of the best things about the Lions is their open practices. You can get some great experiences from attending them (wish I had started earlier than this year) and to lose that would really take away a huge part of what makes the CFL experience so great. The fact that one moron reporter doesn't have the common sense to keep his yap shut about something he sees shouldn't be a reason that practices are ruined for everybody else. What it should mean though is that Mike Beamish is no longer welcome at the Practice Facility.
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David
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DanoT wrote:IMHO it is ethical journalism. If there was anything sensitive or secretive going on at practice that the BC Lions did not want the opposition to know about, then the Lions should hold a closed practice.
Ahh but you see, then there would be this big hue and cry in the Vancouver media denouncing the Lions secrecy/paranoia...."how dare they close their practices?"....."who do they think they are?"....."they need all the exposure they can get"......"typical Lions arrogance".....etc, etc.

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Lionut
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As a coach myself, I am generally of the view that there aren't many secrets in this game. It shouldn't really matter if the Riders read that the Lions were working on some return game tricks. If any pro coach hasn't prepared his cover teams for that possibility in any case, then he is guilty of coaching malpractice. Sometimes this kind of information can work as a bit misdirection also -- you get your opponent so worked up about stopping one little play that they forget to focus on being fundamentally sound on other stuff.

Bottom line -- secrets and espionage make for great fodder for fans and media, but in terms of home the game is actually played, they are vastly overrated.
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