I never get sick of watching the Jim Mora rants on YouTube featuring the coach tearing apart reporters who, arguably, ask the wrong questions at the wrong time. The incident at UConn leaves me with the same, "What were they thinking?!?" reaction. It seemed to everyone, including myself, that the coach had "owned" the reporter. Calhoun: 1, Reporter: 0.
The story that came as a result of the coach's outburst is one thing, but in the world of journalism, the heated exchange (and its aftermath) meant something much more.
Blogger Ken Kreyeske's approach is an example of what can become of asking the questions that no one else want to. The answer spun the story away from Huskies' Basketball and placed a critical eye on a topic that would hit home for more than just the fans of UConn. People who don't pay the slightest bit of attention to NCAA athletics are now following a man who is getting paid a sum of money that seems a bit excessive given the status of everyone else on a payroll.Mainstream media outlets finally started following the story that mattered - but only after an independent blogger broke the silence.
When allegiances get in the way of telling the truth and publications move away from holding a "watchdog" status, consumers need to be able to look for other outlets that can provide them with additional information. This information has the power to change views on political, economic and social ideologies. Kreyeske and the many other contributors to indy media are extremely valuable to the changing media landscape. At the end of it all, my scoring has changed.
Indy media: 1, Mainstream media: 0.
