Typical Press Bull$**t

SUMG · November 3, 2007

I get the print edition of the D-RC. In today's (Saturday) paper....Vito does a story about how some former UNT players (Greg Matthews, Roland Jackson, Troy Redwine, etc.) have all come to the defense of Todd Dodge. All of the former players mentioned are Black, and they say that they've never seen one hint of racism from Coach Dodge.

This POS paper.....puts that story on page 4 of the sports section. Every other story about the alleged racial bias....has been on either the very front page of the paper, or the front page of the sports section.

Also, there is nothing on the front page of the Sports today.....alerting readers to this story being on page 4.

And, as of 9:41.....I can't find the story anywhere on the DR-C website.

And idiots in the press.....wonder why so many of us have such low regard for what they do.

BTW....kudos to those fellows for stepping forward and defending TD.

Edited November 3, 2007 by SUMG

Hunter Green · November 3, 2007

I agree, John. I've never had any regard for the Wretched-Chronical since they encouraged NT to drop football a few years back. Does that moron Ethan Stansbery still write for them?

UNTFan23 · November 3, 2007

Here it is ...

North Texas football: Former players support Dodge

10:06 AM CDT on Saturday, November 3, 2007

By Brett Vito/Staff Writer

Greg Matthews can still remember the days he spent trying to keep Todd Dodge's passing game under control in practice.

Dodge was the Mean Green's passing game coordinator from 1992-93 and developed a lasting friendship with Matthews, a black defensive back.

Matthews' experiences with Dodge were the reason he was shocked to find out this week that one former and two suspended UNT players have said they will make statements to the NAACP claiming racial bias among the Mean Green's staff at a meeting in the next few days. Dodge is in his first year as UNT's head coach.

'Coach Dodge never had any problems with black players at all,' Matthews said. 'I never even heard a rumor of him having any problems with players, and those rumors travel fast in locker rooms.'

Suspended UNT defensive back Dominique Green filed a complaint with the NAACP on Mon-day claiming racial bias by the Mean Green's coaching staff.

Fellow suspended defensive back Desmon Chatman and Gary Oubre, a defensive back who quit the team earlier this season, have also said they will give statements claiming racial bias.

NAACP representative Ericka Cain was scheduled to come to UNT on Thursday to talk to players but delayed her trip to Denton.

Dodge coached several black players in his first stint at UNT. He returned to the school in December after leading South-lake Carroll to four state titles in five seasons.

'I thought it was ludicrous,' Roland Jackson, a black defensive back during Dodge's time at UNT, said of the allegations. 'I can't imagine that. A bunch of former players who are black came to his press conference and inaugural dinner. We didn't think he was racist when we played for him and support him now.'

UNT cornerbacks coach Butch LaCroix, who is black, is a godfather of Dodge's son Riley, a quarterback at Carroll who has committed to play for the Mean Green next season.

Troy Redwine, a former UNT wide receiver who is a member of the school's athletic hall of fame, has positive memories of playing for Dodge alongside current UNT assistant coach Clayton George.

George was involved in a sideline confrontation with Green that led to his suspension.

'Clayton helped me out as a wide receiver and showed me the ropes,' Redwine said. 'If I had any questions I went to Clayton.'

Redwine expressed confidence that the investigation UNT's administration is conducting and the statements the NAACP plans to collect will eventually show the staff did nothing wrong.

Matthews said the problems UNT is dealing with are likely the result of players adapting to a new coaching staff.

'Every coach has his way of running things,' Matthews said. 'Coach Dodge demands that you carry yourself on and off the field in a respectful manner. Whenever there is a coaching change, some players are not going to see eye-to-eye with the new coach. It's your job as a player to adapt to the style of the coach. If you can't adapt, you leave.'

Dodge's former players said they sympathize with all he has gone through in his first season. UNT is 1-7 entering a game against Navy on Nov. 10.

'I hate that he is going through this,' Jackson said. 'I never had any problems with him.'

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

UNTFan23 · November 3, 2007

I get the print edition of the D-RC. In today's (Saturday) paper....Vito does a story about how some former UNT players (Greg Matthews, Roland Jackson, Troy Redwine, etc.) have all come to the defense of Todd Dodge. All of the former players mentioned are Black, and they say that they've never seen one hint of racism from Coach Dodge.
This POS paper.....puts that story on page 4 of the sports section. Every other story about the alleged racial bias....has been on either the very front page of the paper, or the front page of the sports section.
Also, there is nothing on the front page of the Sports today.....alerting readers to this story being on page 4.
And, as of 9:41.....I can't find the story anywhere on the DR-C website.
And idiots in the press.....wonder why so many of us have such low regard for what they do.
BTW....kudos to those fellows for stepping forward and defending TD.

I agree with you SUMG, it really shows the bias of the newspaper when they give the allegations on the front page but today's story is tough to find.

If there is one thing the media is great at ... stirring up the hornets' nest but they rarely give much thought about stories that represent the other side when it doesn't fuel the fire that's ablaze around a story. It is what it is.

greenminer · November 3, 2007

Some of us refuse to be satisfied. There was moaning and groaning the whole week that the DRC wasn't doing any counter to the story of racism and, when they finally do it, instead of saying "finally" you find another reason to put them down.

UNTFan23 · November 3, 2007

Some of us refuse to be satisfied. There was moaning and groaning the whole week that the DRC wasn't doing any counter to the story of racism and, when they finally do it, instead of saying "finally" you find another reason to put them down.

But why isn't this on the front page? All of the other stories have been.

The "top" story on DRC.com right now is a comet story. There isn't even a link from the index page of DRC.com to this story. The best thing gmg.com members can do is click the link I put in to get it in the "Most Popular Stories" section of the index page of DRC.com.

UNTflyer · November 3, 2007

Are you claiming that the press is showing a greater interest in the smear rather than the vindication???

"I'm shocked... shocked to find that gambling is going on in here! "

greenminer · November 3, 2007

Are you claiming that the press is showing a greater interest in the smear rather than the vindication???
"I'm shocked... shocked to find that gambling is going on in here! "

As you can see, it was true every single time.

island eagle · November 3, 2007

I agree with you SUMG, it really shows the bias of the newspaper when they give the allegations on the front page but today's story is tough to find.
If there is one thing the media is great at ... stirring up the hornets' nest but they rarely give much thought about stories that represent the other side when it doesn't fuel the fire that's ablaze around a story. It is what it is.

It's not so much the bias of one particular newspaper as all, liberal, moderate and conservative press without reception. They much prefer to stir things up than to see them settled. If I had a dollar for every story on Fox, CNN, CNBC, ABC, etc that made allegations about something and then didn't really follow-up or admit that they were wrong when it turns out the allegations were false or misleading, I'd be a millionaire many times over.

Press likes sensation. It attracts readers/viewers.

Smitty · November 3, 2007

But why isn't this on the front page? All of the other stories have been.

This would have been a much bigger story if it featured current players. It's impact is diminshed when it's about players who worked with him fifteen years ago. These are character witnesses - they can't directly address the current accusations and situations, but can only say he was a good guy when I knew him. That's probably why it was not page 1.

NT80 · November 3, 2007

Sensationalism headlines sell newspapers and gets reporter's names and NAACP rep's names out into the spotlight. Vindication puts an end to their 15 minutes of glory and thus ends up on page 4. They will drag it out as long as possible. Next will come a call for sensitivity training for the coaching staff to deal with these matters in the future, but no statements about the charges being groundless and unsubstanstiated will ever be made.

yyz28 · November 3, 2007

Guys, get serious.

The "Press" is a business, and has little to do with fairness, equal time, etc...

Racism is a big headline, sells papers. "Oops, our bad" doesn't.

I understand the disappointment, but seriously, don't expect anything more than what is good for business from ANY press outlet.

Smitty · November 3, 2007

It's not so much the bias of one particular newspaper as all, liberal, moderate and conservative press without reception. They much prefer to stir things up than to see them settled. If I had a dollar for every story on Fox, CNN, CNBC, ABC, etc that made allegations about something and then didn't really follow-up or admit that they were wrong when it turns out the allegations were false or misleading, I'd be a millionaire many times over.
Press likes sensation. It attracts readers/viewers.

Your said it yourself: it attracts readers/viewers. The press likes sensation? Only because the public BUYS sensation. The public doesn't buy vindication. The sensation story on Page 1 sells. The vindication story on Page 1 does not. You want to know who to blame for the National Enquirer? Everyone who buys it.

Oh, the media is supposed to be above such considerations? They're supposed to be public servants? Well how do you do that when you're out of business? With a very few exceptions (such as the Wall Street Journal), media outlets that escew sensation usually fail.

The media is a direct reflection of the public, and the public makes the media what it is by supporting sensation.

Edited November 3, 2007 by Smitty

UNTFan23 · November 3, 2007

Your said it yourself: it attracts readers/viewers. The press likes sensation? Only because the public BUYS sensation. The public doesn't buy vindication. The sensation story on Page 1 sells. The vindication story on Page 1 does not. You want to know who to blame for the National Enquirer? Everyone who buys it.
Oh, the media is supposed to be above such considerations? They're supposed to be public servants? Well how do you do that when you're out of business? With a very few exceptions (such as the Wall Street Journal), media outlets that escew sensation usually fail.
The media is a direct reflection of the public, and the public makes the media what it is by supporting sensation.

Well, I rarely buy into the hype that the media is normally selling. I also think the media isn't held accountable to the news it reports. Ever see retractions? They're often buried deep in the paper and are kept small and inconspicuous.

Smitty · November 3, 2007

Well, I rarely buy into the hype that the media is normally selling. I also think the media isn't held accountable to the news it reports. Ever see retractions? They're often buried deep in the paper and are kept small and inconspicuous.

Enough people do buy what the media sells to keep it selling the same old crap. And you are right, the media is not held accountable. The only way to do that is to not support bad journalism. I guarantee that if enough people did that, we'd have a lot fewer National Enquirers and a lot more solid reporting.

November 3, 2007

The last four or so posts really summarizes it. Controversies, scandals and allegations are page 1 and vindication or retractions are buried somewhere in the depths of the newspaper for you to find. I don't think that the DRC is any different than any other newspaper in that regard.

As an aside, Isn't that Troy Redwine's son that is leading the area in rushing yardage for all classes below 4A?

GMoney · November 3, 2007

I truly believe in the next few days you will be hearing some current players speak up. You have to remember that the current players are bound by certain rules in terms of dealing with the media. There are certain things they must go through first. Also, if this turns into a potential lawsuit many times people are asked not to say anything.

As for former players, I was contacted by several former black players who were dumbfounded about this situation. Many actually said they were sick to their stomach. Since we do not have any limitations (as due the current players), I called Brett and told him we have some things to say. I gave him the numbers of several former players whose contact information I had readily available. One post, I believe Smitty, mentioned us having a relationship with TD over 15 years ago. This is simply not true. My relationship with TD started 15 years ago, but has never ended. We've stayed in touch, I know his family, and he also coached at my former High School (Newman Smith, which by the way the football team is over 50% minority). Not to mention, I have seen things he and his family has done to help others that go unnoticed. We simply felt their was another voice which needed to be heard, especially after hearing the nonsense we heard on The Ticket friday morning from a few callers that don't know TD from a hole in the wall (specifically he must be a racists because he coached at SLC and all their players are white)!

e-bone ver2.awesome · November 3, 2007

I truly believe in the next few days you will be hearing some current players speak up. You have to remember that the current players are bound by certain rules in terms of dealing with the media. There are certain things they must go through first. Also, if this turns into a potential lawsuit many times people are asked not to say anything.
As for former players, I was contacted by several former black players who were dumbfounded about this situation. Many actually said they were sick to their stomach. Since we do not have any limitations (as due the current players), I called Brett and told him we have some things to say. I gave him the numbers of several former players whose contact information I had readily available. One post, I believe Smitty, mentioned us having a relationship with TD over 15 years ago. This is simply not true. My relationship with TD started 15 years ago, but has never ended. We've stayed in touch, I know his family, and he also coached at my former High School (Newman Smith, which by the way the football team is over 50% minority). Not to mention, I have seen things he and his family has done to help others that go unnoticed. We simply felt their was another voice which needed to be heard, especially after hearing the nonsense we heard on The Ticket friday morning from a few callers that don't know TD from a hole in the wall (specifically he must be a racists because he coached at SLC and all their players are white)!

Thank you so much for stepping up. This has potential to really hurt our recruiting, but if we get former and current players backing up Dodge then I think the damage can be minimized.

DeepGreen · November 3, 2007

I truly believe in the next few days you will be hearing some current players speak up. You have to remember that the current players are bound by certain rules in terms of dealing with the media. There are certain things they must go through first. Also, if this turns into a potential lawsuit many times people are asked not to say anything.
As for former players, I was contacted by several former black players who were dumbfounded about this situation. Many actually said they were sick to their stomach. Since we do not have any limitations (as due the current players), I called Brett and told him we have some things to say. I gave him the numbers of several former players whose contact information I had readily available. One post, I believe Smitty, mentioned us having a relationship with TD over 15 years ago. This is simply not true. My relationship with TD started 15 years ago, but has never ended. We've stayed in touch, I know his family, and he also coached at my former High School (Newman Smith, which by the way the football team is over 50% minority). Not to mention, I have seen things he and his family has done to help others that go unnoticed. We simply felt their was another voice which needed to be heard, especially after hearing the nonsense we heard on The Ticket friday morning from a few callers that don't know TD from a hole in the wall (specifically he must be a racists because he coached at SLC and all their players are white)!

GMoney, thank you so much for speaking up and being the voice of reason, the voice of honesty. My appreciation goes out to all former players, black and white, who will back Coach Dodge.

Green to the Bone · November 3, 2007

I'm a Dodge backer and have been from day one -- and these racism allegations appear to be ridiculous, baseless and juvenile, judging from the allegers' statements -- but I've also got to put in a word for Vito.

The reporter has zero control over where the story is played. Zero. Got that? Zero. He/she doesn't even write the headline, and in virtually every case, doesn't even see the headline until it lands on the front lawn. Those are decisions by editors who do so based on news value, not on the opinions expressed in the story. Nine times out of ten, the editors don't even know enough about the topic to judge the opinions, or even care about them. They're just processing copy on tight deadlines.

On the play that this story got, it's simply the case that a story quoting a bunch of old friends of Dodge's has less news value than a story quoting a bunch of current players would have. Imagine that your local mayor is being accused of favoritism in awarding contracts. Would you place more importance on a story quoting people who were in business with him 15 years ago saying they never saw any sign of corruption then, or a story quoting all the city employees of today offering hard evidence disproving the allegation?

Now imagine that instead of getting a tip saying Dodge's friends want to say he's a standup guy and not a racist, Vito had gotten a tip saying there were a half-dozen black former players of his who wanted to support the racism allegations. Would the reporter's obligation to follow the story have been any different? And would you have been complaining if that story played inside the paper?

In a case like this, Vito isn't covering a game. He's covering a serious question about a high profile, multi-million-dollar organization that uses money belonging to the people of Texas. He's not a cheerleader or a team member, and he'd damn well better not be. People can spin their silly "liberal media hates Todd Dodge" fantasies all day long, but first they should crack open a 9th grade civics textbook.

Edited November 3, 2007 by Green to the Bone

mitchmaher · November 3, 2007

Hey Everyone,

As with GMoney, I've been on the frontlines of defending Coach Dodge's character this week. Despite others who might be defending the Page 4 location, in light of what's gone on the past week, I was appalled. Here's an email I just sent to both Todd Jorgenson and Brett Vito at the DRC, both of whom I've corresponded with this week. I look forward to hearing their explanations.

Hey Todd and Brett,

I woke up at 2:00 a.m. Saturday morning and couldn't sleep as I thought more about what Coach Dodge is going through. I got online to see if you guys were running the story of Greg Matthews, Troy Redwine, and other former black players defending the character of Coach Dodge. I anticipated the story because you, Brett, told me you were doing the story. I was disappointed to see that it was not going to be running (As you'll see, I found out later that it had run, and that it was online, but I had to play detective to find it... not seeing it in the top stories).

I was able to get back to sleep around 3:30 a.m. and when I woke up in the morning I checked the DRC website again, hoping to see that I had simply checked too early. Nope, didn't see it (Again, I assumed it would be easy to find, like all the allegation-stories were).

Then, I went on about my day, only to find out via a phone call from a friend that the story was on PAGE 4 of the DRC. I said, "You've got to be kidding me! I've corresponded with both Todd Jorgenson and Brett Vito at the DRC and both told me they'd be loud and clear with the other side of the story!" My friend said, "Nope, page 4."

I didn't get back to my computer until just now, about 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Did some checking (and detective work) online, and found out my friend was correct.

1. Todd and Brett, why didn't you run that story on the front page of the DRC?

2. Todd and Brett, why didn't that story show up on the DRC website in a prominent place as the allegation-stories were?

3. You guys are going front page with the baseless allegations of disgruntled players, but PAGE 4 with substantiated evidence that Coach Dodge is no racist! What is up with that?

Again, Gil LeBreton at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram beat you guys to the punch and showed more courage then either of you. I quote LeBreton again, "Coach Dodge is no racist, and we don't need an NAACP investigation to tell us that."

Come on, men.

Again, hoping for better.

A word to GoMeanGreen—Sure wish I was in Denton these days, but thanks to you guys for keeping me in the loop. It's a whole lot easier jumping on this site than searching all the metroplex newspapers for myself.

Take care, and ASU squeaked one out this afternoon in Jonesboro.

Mitch Maher

UNTFan23 · November 4, 2007

In a case like this, Vito isn't covering a game. He's covering a serious question about a high profile, multi-million-dollar organization that uses money belonging to the people of Texas. He's not a cheerleader or a team member, and he'd damn well better not be. People can spin their silly "liberal media hates Todd Dodge" fantasies all day long, but first they should crack open a 9th grade civics textbook.

If the multi-million dollar organization using the money belonging to the people of Texas is the North Texas athletic department, it is ILLEGAL to use Texas tax dollars to fund a university athletic program. All funds must be privately raised or come from student fees.

People aren't dogging on Vito, they're dogging on the newspaper. The first articles on this whole mess were front page material, where they are guaranteed to be read by a large number of readers. So this morning there is an article with people defending Dodge ... on page 4 of the sports section. You can't even get to the article from the front page of the website.

This thread has nothing to do with civics but rather its representation in the newspaper. The media is really good at character assassination. We're talking a person who is accused of racial prejudice, a very serious charge, being tried in the court of public opinion. However, the media doesn't care whether the charge has any merit, so long as they can keep feeding the type of stories that sells papers.

Edited November 4, 2007 by UNTFan23

SUMG · November 4, 2007

A response to the criticisms....by Brett Vito: (from the D-RC blog)

We have received a lot of criticism today for running a story about Todd Dodge's former black players coming to his defense in the wake of the news that the NAACP and the university are investigating allegations of racial bias by the North Texas football staff on an inside page.

We would have liked to put the story out front, but the simple fact is Friday is a day we emphasize high school coverage, which is important to our readership.

Guyer and Ryan played in a Class 4A Region I quarterfinal volleyball playoff game, Ryan took on Wichita Falls Rider for the District 5-4A title, Guyer played Sherman in town and Argyle beat Decatur to move into a tie for first place in District 8-3A.

Those were all extremely important stories to our readers who care about the high school scene. Sometimes difficult choices have to be made, and that was our call.

As this investigation goes forward we will continue to cover every development and work it into our overall coverage plan. There is little doubt the story is the biggest one out there to a lot of our readers, but to a our high school fans, it pales in comparison to Ryan and state-ranked Guyer playing in the volleyball playoffs.

That's the beauty and the problem of sports sections. Everyone thinks that his or her story is the most important, which makes the balancing act tough at times.

Green to the Bone · November 4, 2007

If the multi-million dollar organization using the money belonging to the people of Texas is the North Texas athletic department, it is ILLEGAL to use Texas tax dollars to fund a university athletic program. All funds must be privately raised or come from student fees.
People aren't dogging on Vito, they're dogging on the newspaper. The first articles on this whole mess were front page material, where they are guaranteed to be read by a large number of readers. So this morning there is an article with people defending Dodge ... on page 4 of the sports section. You can't even get to the article from the front page of the website.
This thread has nothing to do with civics but rather its representation in the newspaper. The media is really good at character assassination. We're talking a person who is accused of racial prejudice, a very serious charge, being tried in the court of public opinion. However, the media doesn't care whether the charge has any merit, so long as they can keep feeding the type of stories that sells papers.

Nobody said anything about tax money. You're confusing tax money with public money. Every penny the university takes in from donations and student fees becomes public property the moment they take it in.

If the paper were trying to assassinate Dodge's character, as you've become convinced it is, it wouldn't have let Vito do the story quoting his supporters at all. And if you really think a small hometown paper with a history of civic boosterism will ignore or bury the news when the most famous and popular person in Denton is officially exonerated, well, that's just absurd.

Let's let go of the paranoia and realize that not every decision is perfect, and that the ones that aren't perfect aren't always made with malice.

e-bone ver2.awesome · November 4, 2007

A response to the criticisms....by Brett Vito: (from the D-RC blog)
We have received a lot of criticism today for running a story about Todd Dodge's former black players coming to his defense in the wake of the news that the NAACP and the university are investigating allegations of racial bias by the North Texas football staff on an inside page.
We would have liked to put the story out front, but the simple fact is Friday is a day we emphasize high school coverage, which is important to our readership.
Guyer and Ryan played in a Class 4A Region I quarterfinal volleyball playoff game, Ryan took on Wichita Falls Rider for the District 5-4A title, Guyer played Sherman in town and Argyle beat Decatur to move into a tie for first place in District 8-3A.
Those were all extremely important stories to our readers who care about the high school scene. Sometimes difficult choices have to be made, and that was our call.
As this investigation goes forward we will continue to cover every development and work it into our overall coverage plan. There is little doubt the story is the biggest one out there to a lot of our readers, but to a our high school fans, it pales in comparison to Ryan and state-ranked Guyer playing in the volleyball playoffs.
That's the beauty and the problem of sports sections. Everyone thinks that his or her story is the most important, which makes the balancing act tough at times.

Why not hold it 1 day until Saturday when people pick up the sports section to read about college football? Can it be re run at least in the Saturday or Sunday papers?