Sports Journalism

Jennifer Carroll, Vice President/New Media Content, Gannett

Jennifer Carroll works with newspapers throughout Gannett in developing strategy, readership and content initiatives in new media, from building digital communities through social networking to reaching niche audiences and innovative dimensions in public service journalism. She helped conceive and launch Gannett’s Information Center, a model transforming the way newsrooms gather and disseminate news and information to engage communities across all media platforms. She also works on convergence across Gannett’s Broadcast and Digital divisions. She is a frequent presenter and facilitator for media-related conferences and workshops.

Carroll joined the News Department in 2000 as Director/News Development and was named to her current role in 2006. Previously, she had top editing roles including managing editor of the Lansing (Mich.) State Journal and The Detroit News, and was executive editor of The Burlington (Vt.) Free Press. Carroll was a member of API’s Newspaper Next task force researching innovative industry business models in 2006. She serves on the board of iFOCOS, the Institute for the Connected Society and co-chairs the Audience Development Committee of Newspaper Association of America and the Innovation Committee of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. She is Gannett’s liaison for Arizona State University’s New Media Innovation Lab, a cross-disciplinary master’s program studying innovative media models.

She was named Gannett’s Corporate Staffer of the Year in 2006, and was a co-winner of the Chairman’s Special Achievement Award in 2007 for her work designing and implementing the Information Center.

On Thursday Feb. 7, the class will meet in Dewberry Hall of the Johnson Center in order for you to participate in the Communication Department’s semi-annual Communication Day event between 10:45 a.m. and 3 p.m. (see seperate e-mail for the full agenda).

NOTE: Alan had to cancel, so this assignment will be rescheduled.

On Tuesday Feb. 5, our guest in class is Washington Post prep and takeout writer Alan Goldenbach.
Deadline for this exercise worth 3 final grading points is Thursday Feb. 7, 30 minutes before classtime.

Let me introduce myself first. My name is Jeremy Cothran and I’m a former student in several of Steve’s classes at George Mason University.

Like my former colleague B.J. Koubaroulis, I was also the sports editor of the Broadside. I graduated in 2005 and currently work at The Star-Ledger, which is based in Newark, N.J., and is one of the largest daily newspapers in the country. I’m the beat writer for the New York Mets, a team most of you know just pulled off a major trade in acquiring Johan Santana from the Minnesota Twins.

Covering sports in New York City is a different animal than anywhere else in the country. But it’s especially crazy with baseball. On my beat alone, I compete with six other major metro papers and a reporter from MLB.com. Compare that with, say, the Washington Nationals. There you only have the Washington Post and the Washington Times as papers that travel full-time with the club.

What will get you in trouble in a market like New York is to be content with the status quo. I’m always searching for great story ideas, ways to improve our paper’s Mets blog, and ways that I can improve my source-building. If you follow a pack-journalism mentality, writing what everybody else is writing, you’ll end up with bland stories.

Going back to the Santana trade, it was a story that consumed our market. And that’s even with a good chunk of the media at the Super Bowl. Our paper alone has 14 people (eight reporters, six photographers) in Phoenix right now.

Working on a major baseball story like that, you’re not going to get any information at all from team officials. In fact, if you’re the type of person that waits for news releases to write stories, you are in the wrong business. So you work the Blackberry, calling and e-mailing all the sources you’ve cultivated over time. (Another tip for future beat reporters: Develop a confident persona over the phone!)

I’m glad Steve gave me this forum to share some stories about covering baseball. If anybody ever needs advice or has a question, feel free to email me: jeremyc28@gmail.com.

Your comment must be posted by 30 minutes before the Tuesday class.
You must include the URL so that others can read the column, too.
Let me know if you have any questions.
See you in class.

Maureen Nasser is in her fourth year as Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations.
Here’s an interview with Maureen.
Also see this site for information about covering sports at George Mason.

If you plan to cover a George Mason sports event, you must notify the instructor by e-mail a minimum of 24 hours before the game or event so that I can forward your e-mail to the sports information office.
Your SUBJECT line MUST include Comm371-001/Sports Writing & Reporting, the game or event you want to cover, and the date.

Ed Passino is Northeast Region Manager for USA Football.
Ed will talk to us in class on Tuesday Jan. 29 about deadline writing and AM/PM leads.
He is part of the Mason 371 network, having taken this course a few years ago. And he’s one of our real success stories. Ed freelances for the Associated Press, covering George Mason men’s and George Washington women’s basketball.
Ed will be leaving the Metro D.C. area in mid-February to move to Charlotte, N.C.. We’re going to miss him.

GRADED EXERCISE: In the comments section below, add the three things you learned from Ed’s presentation. Deadline is 30 minutes before class on Thursday Jan. 31. No exceptions!

This is not the place for Redskins (doesn’t that sound offensive by itself?) news, but given the circus that the ‘Skins’ (better) head coaching search has become, I thought I’d check in with some thoughts.

First of all, it’s pretty obvious that Joe Gibbs isn’t around to reign in Danny Boy (Snyder) anymore.
DB is dismantling Gibbs’ staff, firing both the defensive (Gregg Williams) and offensive coordinators Saturday and replacing at least one, offensive coordinator Al Saunders, with Jim Zorn.

Now, how do you hire an offensive coordinator when you haven’t hired a head coach?
That’s the rub. You don’t.
Snyder has picked his man, and I doubt it’s Jim Fassel. Danny Boy used Fassel for cover four years ago when he hired Gibbs. I think Fassel is being used for cover again because Snyder plans to hire Giants’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

Why else would Snyder name Greg Blache (who I knew years ago when he was a grad assistant under Ara Parseghian at Notre Dame), who has never been a coordinator unless the owner plans to name a head coach with defensive coordinator experience?
And, given that Spagnuolo is busy preparing the New York Giants for the Super Bowl Feb. 3 against the New England Patriots, the last thing he wants or needs is a public distraction. So it makes sense for Danny Boy to protect him by running cover with Fassel.

Of course, as Dennis Miller likes to say, I could be wrong!

By the way, if you’re not reading the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora‘s “Redskins Insider” blog, you’re not keeping up with the news.

EXERCISE: What’s the difference between this opinion piece I’ve written; George Solomon‘s lead column item, “Snyder’s Search Is Becoming More and More Baffling,” in Sunday’s Washington Post; Mike Wise‘s column, “The Coldest Shoulder,” in Sunday’s Washington Post; and Jason La Canfora‘s lead story, “Williams, Redskins Part Ways,” on the Redskins’ coaching situation in Sunday’s Post?
You can make your comment below.

I’m not sure if anyone is interested or where exactly the headquarters for Real Clear Sports is, but I think its worth a contact for those of you still in the industry. This is a relatively new sports website that is looking for interns. Just click this story’s slug for details. Good luck.

So, got a columnist for the semester?
Your choices will be posted on the class syllabus.
Tom Boswell of the WashPost is still out there.
Joe Posnanski of the KCStar, too.
And Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press.
Lots of good folks to choose from.
Your COMMENT for the first week MUST be posted here.
You must comment on a column by your columnist each week. That means your columnist needs to be writing each week. So, no Tony Kornheiser. He’s a television/radio guy now. He rarely writes. That would be too much work!
Your comment must be posted by 30 minutes before the Tuesday class.
You must include the URL so that others can read the column, too.
Let me know if you have any questions.
See you in class.