Looks Like There Is One Less Beatwriter To Follow

[aceboon]

I saw this tweet from Joe D, I guess Hearst is doing away with most of their UConn coverage if they let both the men's and women's beatwriters go.

Joe D'Ambrosio @JoeDSports
Good luck to two really really good guys @wspaxton @elliottctpost They will land on their feet .

 

[Yankees32123]

I was wondering why Paxton reported nothing after the Florida game...

 

[tykurez]

That must have been what Ostrout was tweeting about the other night ... he was angry.

 

[cohenzone]

The world is changing very fast. My wife's cousin was a sportswriter for a big city paper, and to boot was president of one of the more prestigious national sportswriters groups. Didn't matter. A few years ago, his paper decided to cut the sports coverage drastically. Since then, in his 50s with two kids in college, he's floated from one temporary freelance job to another. He could have moved away for a job, but he didn't want to uproot his daughters who were near the end of hs at the time this happened, and his age was no help. Now, he makes his living with a daily, subscription on-line column. The print media is hurting and cut backs if not outright closure of departments are happening. I don't know if you've bothered to read my posts about a book I wrote, but many newspapers have cut out on-staff book reviewers. It affects the reviewer for sure, and cuts off an avenue for local/unknown author book reviews in a day when getting a national review for an unknown author is as likely as a solo swim across the Atlantic.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I very rarely read columns from traditional beat writers that I find to be truly worthwhile. They used to have a lot of value because of the increased access but now everyone can watch the interviews online or on TV. At the same time, a lot of good bloggers have popped up, while you see a lot of the traditional sports journalists stuck in a very antiquated way of thinking. At this point, I just see an overall disconnect between the (especially younger) audience and the people who control what kind of sports journalism gets printed and I don't know that the industry can change fast enough to save itself.

 

[pepband99]

...and yet Koonz is still employed by Hearst. Chew on that one a while...

 

[Kembacity]

so can the courant hire someone to take over for Donnie Love then? Its completely absurd that their writer cant even write. If its just a technology thing and he struggles with a phone/tablet.... hire someone young who can handle working the job on the go!!!

I just am constantly distracted and annoyed that this tool gets paid to pay attention and write about something I'd do for free and he can barely construct a sentence without 2 errors

 

[aceboon]

...and yet Koonz is still employed by Hearst. Chew on that one a while...

Yea I just came to post the same thing after reading a tweet from the SNY sideline reporter that the CT Post has axed their UConn coverage. Get rid of the guys that cover the teams but keep the antagonist, sh t stirrer, and overall crappy writer employed, smh.

 

[bmayuc]

It sucks, but REALTALK. Its not like these guys are writing anything interesting or unique, right? Like what advantage does Hearst get by employing these guys rather than running the AP stuff?

These guys trudge to Storrs once a week, follow the team all the damn time, and then they all write the same damn story on the same damn quotes. We don't see any inventive or unique in-depth coverage. No background pieces, no recruiting speculation, insider dish.

It sucks they lost their jobs, but this is where newspapers are right now with sports coverage.

 

[CallMeBruce]

I've never been a huge Paxton fan, but he seems like a good dude. Koonz is a garbage person and should have to write in Siberia.

 

[aceboon]

can't really argue with you there, I look forward to reading a champs or Gurleyman post about the team more than anything from the writers.

It sucks, but REALTALK. Its not like these guys are writing anything interesting or unique, right? Like what advantage does Hearst get by employing these guys rather than running the AP stuff?

These guys trudge to Storrs once a week, follow the team all the damn time, and then they all write the same damn story on the same damn quotes. We don't see any inventive or unique in-depth coverage. No background pieces, no recruiting speculation, insider dish.

It sucks they lost their jobs, but this is where newspapers are right now with sports coverage.

 

[Dove]

...and yet Koonz is still employed by Hearst. Chew on that one a while...

Koonz probably followed Elliot and Paxton around and reporting to the boss that they were taking candy from the charity box without paying.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

It sucks, but REALTALK. Its not like these guys are writing anything interesting or unique, right? Like what advantage does Hearst get by employing these guys rather than running the AP stuff?

These guys trudge to Storrs once a week, follow the team all the damn time, and then they all write the same damn story on the same damn quotes. We don't see any inventive or unique in-depth coverage. No background pieces, no recruiting speculation, insider dish.

It sucks they lost their jobs, but this is where newspapers are right now with sports coverage.

The only guy that ever did anything outside the box and what could be looked at as above and beyond was Duffy.

Is it a shock that he has since moved on while the rest of the Horde remains at small time CT papers?

 

[Fishy]

Kevin Duffy went to MassLive, not the New York Times.

In time, all of the younger sportswriters will be English teachers or unemployed.

Their profession is falling down around them, unfortunately. We have many more sources of information these days, but it still doesn't rise to the level of the old-timey beat reporting.

Go back in the Courant archives - reporters used to have the latitude to put very solid hoop recruiting news into print. These days, there is zero chance they'd let a reporter spend ink and paper on it.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Most of these guys don't work hard enough to be English teachers.