Remove Bucs From Today’s Quote-Fixing Debate
June 27th, 2010
Earlier today, Joe ran a story outlining how the local media edits Raheem The Dream’s quotes at times with a heavy hand to the point of altering a quote’s complete meaning.
Joe explained that editing quotes is a standard journalism practice without detailed guidelines, and Joe speculated that the Bucs public relations staff may have provided a specific “sanitized” quote to the media after a news conference last week.
In fact, Joe has learned today from the Bucs organization that the team did not circulate any press conference quotes following last week’s minicamp. So the specific quotes Joe referenced from the head coach were cleaned up solely by the Tampa Tribune and St. Pete Times writers referenced.
Joe tossed out this speculation about the Bucs for two reasons:
1. Because The Tampa Tribune and St. Pete Times used the exact same quote, although the video of the head coach making the comment on Buccaneers.com was something significantly different.
2. The Bucs public relations staff omitted a powerful Raheem Morris quote from its circulated news conference quotes after the Bucs-Eagles game last year.
Again, Joe has no problem with anyone cleaning up a quote. It’s just very interesting to debate what constitutes going too far. In this case, the Bucs are eliminated from the debate.
June 27th, 2010 at 7:21 pm
“The Bucs public relations staff heavily omitted a powerful Raheem Morris quote…”
What does “heavily omitted” mean?
June 27th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/football/bucs/raheem-morris-setting-a-better-tone-in-second-year-as-tampa-bay-bucs-coach/1105326
June 27th, 2010 at 8:23 pm
Wow pat… looks like yet another copied quote from where??? Hmmm… the Bucs are well known liars.
June 27th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Let’s see what Florio does
June 27th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
Joe, a serious question. I never heard it was acceptable to change a quote until you mentioned it. Does this issue vary by institution? I ask because I have read quotes in the paper where the athlete clearly misspoke and I thought to myself that the paer should have changed the quote to save the embarassment but assumed they did not because it was verboten. What gives? Every company has a different policy I presume?
June 27th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
Joe here,
JimBuc, I mean Joel, I mean JimBuc — Yes, it’s acceptable to “cleanup” quotes. Google the issue a few different takes, and you’ll find some things from various journalism schools and scholars. You won’t find a “policy” at many newspapers or media outlets. Very gray area across the media from sports to news and beyond.
June 27th, 2010 at 9:04 pm
Thanks Joe. Interesting
June 27th, 2010 at 9:15 pm
Joe – This is fascinating stuff. I feel now like my world isn’t real. What the hell am I being served by the media? lol On that note, with all respect, why do you hide in the shadows behind Joe?
June 27th, 2010 at 9:20 pm
Joe here,
Dave – Joe’s not hiding “in the shadows.” The JoeBucsFan.com founders have direct communication with many in the media and many on the Bucs staff. Plus, “Joe” uses his real name during the many radio interviews he does locally.
Joe has had his real name(s) on this site before, and that’s still in the archives. … Beyond that, your nutshell answer is that Joe likes writing in this voice because it’s fun, and Joe’s not looking to turn himself into a celebrity, not unless it comes with the perks of beautiful women throwing themselves at him.
June 27th, 2010 at 10:11 pm
I emailed you a month or two ago to raise the point that you put more of a negative spin on the Bucs than you think…..I was quickly rebuttled. The fact that you (Joe) publishes a story that would reflect negatively upon the Bucs is just another reason backing up my case. Profootballtalk.com relies heavily on this website and often makes a joke out of our orginization….way to go Joe, you publish some good stuff, but ultimately hurt us more than you realize….
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/06/27/bucs-appear-to-be-cleaning-up-raheem-morris-quotes/
June 27th, 2010 at 10:53 pm
“Profootballtalk.com … often makes a joke out of our orginization”
BECAUSE WE DESERVE IT! THE BUCS ORGANIZATION IS A FREAKIN LAUGHINGSTOCK.
Thanks to the Glazers and Raheem Morris.
June 27th, 2010 at 11:46 pm
I can’t imagine whatever sources you have within the Bucs organization appreciate the hurling the accusation or implication first that they clean up quotes and then give a soft backpedal later. Last week you implied that the Bucs front office P.R. Staff were fuming that Dotson didn’t think he could start and it would negative affect negotiating leverage with Penn which is just insanely paranoid. Hopefully you’re not relying on the same people for scoops and stories and insider info that you trash and accuse of impropriety. You don’t give anyone the benefit of the doubt and assume the worst and feed red meat to the small handful of haters out there. Only 214 more stories on Donald Penn to come and let me guess… the team is being stubborn or cheap and they’re ruining everything and they should just give him what he wants. I see this populist BS in politics all the time- accuse the well off successful people of being cheap and mean and heartless and those poor fans and players who are left suffering… Way too many man-divas on this site who just love hearing themselves complain sitting back hoping for failure so they can post an “I told you so” some time around week 5 and they will feel so darn good that they predicted failure…feel better than if the team actually succeeded because it’s all about them being smarter than everyone else including the owners and management,
June 28th, 2010 at 7:06 am
Rich,
The people within the Bucs, i.e. Dominik, Morris, the Glazers, are the ones that have made the organization a joke. Don’t shoot the messenger!
June 28th, 2010 at 7:26 am
Joe here,
daddydaddydaddy wrote: “I can’t imagine whatever sources you have within the Bucs organization appreciate the hurling the accusation or implication first that they clean up quotes and then give a soft backpedal later.”
First of all the Bucs have in the past, like every NFL team and journalist, cleaned up quotes. You are the one calling it a negative. …It’s common practice, as Joe explained. Joe suggests you e-mail your favorite newspaper reporter, they’ll tell you the same thing. Also, here’s a link for you to do some research. The Bucs did this very thing last year in a significant way. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/10/12/raheem-says-coaches-got-our-faces-ripped-off/
Again, Joe has no problem with it, but Joe’s surely going to point out the instances that might be interesting to readers.
Second, there is no soft backpedal. Perhaps you should re-read everything slowly and carefully. ….Joe sees this kind of poor reading comprehension in politics all the time, too.
As for Dotson, it’s pretty clear that no organization in any sport would be happy to see during negotiations with a top player that his potential replacement tells the media that he might not be ready to take said top player’s spot. …That’s hardly a revolutionary concept or unique to Bucs PR..
Can’t say I agree with your other opinions, but to each his own.
June 28th, 2010 at 7:47 am
I can thing of one thing that truly hurts an NFL team, LOSING. And the one thing that helps it, WINNING. It’s that simple. Good or Bad press coverage is just a byproduct. Everybody loves a winner and people tend to distance themselves from a loser. It doesn’t make it right but it is what it is.
June 28th, 2010 at 7:48 am
“I can think”, oops, awesome typing.
June 28th, 2010 at 7:59 am
daddydaddydaddy:
First, if you can’t handle a Donald Penn story, then don’t read Joe. Seriously. There is no more important story about the Bucs until this issue is resolved. Joe’s not going to put his head in the sand because he wishes Penn was signed. Not sure what you are suggesting. Joe has written many times he thinks Penn was arguably the Bucs best player last year.
Joe has also argued that, unlike common belief, the Bucs aren’t as cheap as some suggest. This fallacy that the Bucs are cheap is quite likely news to Mike Nugent, Kellen Winslow, Luke McCown, Josh Freeman and likely will be news to Gerald McCoy and Brian Price, among others.
If you want Joe to be a cheerleader, write nothing but rosey stories about a team that had the fourth-worst record in the NFL last year, ignore the Donald Penn issue and write about the fourth-string left tackle from Bugtussle who overcame the struggle working on his dad’s farm having to go straight home from practice each day to combine corn, then you’ve come to the wrong place and for your own mental health you should stay away.
Joe would love to have you as a regular reader, but if you’re into surgery-sweet Bucs treats, you don’t want this insuline.
June 28th, 2010 at 10:25 am
Joe,
Don’t let these goober smoochers piss on your parade. I don’t put too much stock in anything I read in a periodical where the Buccaneers are also paying customers in the form of advertising i.e. the Tribune, the Times. I’m not saying their reporters are biased, but let’s be honest, they do have to walk a bit of a tightrope. That’s why I rely on sites such as yours for the “real” news. And if someone truly wants great Buccaneers news 24/7/365 there’s always buccaneers.com. Keep up your good work.
June 28th, 2010 at 10:31 am
lightningbuc:
Those are very kind works. Joe is humbled. Thank you.
Joe knows what you state is true, but Joe has to stick up for some very good beat writers like the TBO gang, Stephen Holder, Tom Balog, Rick Brown. They do a good job and aren’t afraid to step on toes from time to time.
Joe is still touched by your comment. Thank you. Joe appreciates your patronage.
June 28th, 2010 at 11:24 am
I wouldn’t want the job of making Raheem’s words understandable.
Whew, talk about mission impossible.
June 29th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
I believe you (Eric) nailed it. The media is cleaning up his quotes because he sounds stupid. Well, even Forest Gump was smart enough to have the perspective of, “stupid is as stupid does.” If Morris talks like a moron, he probably is a moron. For gods sake, someone end this nightmare. I blame the local print media and one radio jock who continually attacked Gruden because he was smarter than them and for some reason, the idiotic Glazers bought into it. Prime example was the whole Michael Clayton blames Gruden ploy. Everyone bought into it and now that Gruden isn’t around, who does he have to blame now