PJStar-BU squabble

[Bravesfanchicago]

Two things: 1. Dan Bernstein would never labor enough to understand the history with the PJS ....the love fest with Geno and the agenda driven partnership with Glasser where the PJS would write fawning articles about Glasser herself....and then allow its writer to openly campaign against its basketball coach....while that writer was also asking for inside team information and pouting when he didn’t get it.

2. Dave and the PJS have now become newsmakers instead of reporters....Dave R is granting interviews and appearing on sports shows and continues to do so....so while his access, as requested, and apologies have been delivered....he is still making news about a situation that has been resolved. My guess is that he will continue to make news all week....and instead of a PJS editor suggesting that he stop doing interviews and just get back to work ....he will be the guy where reporters are interviewing another reporter. Dave and the PJS are not the story anymore....but they will make themselves the story for the rest of the week.

[Chico]

Charlie Steiner says how wrong Coach Wardle is, then says he don’t pretend to know what happened. If that’s the case Charlie, shut up.

’

[molar50]

Today's PJS had five (5) separate articles about this "issue", including the headline. I think they are using this issue to "promote" the PJS as a freedom of the press right and draw some national attention. It is unfortunate that this issue has received so much media attention. It would be in the best interest of the PJS to write more stories about local interest stories about Bradley, local players on the team and other teams. They could write about how the new engineering building provides at lot of construction jobs and should attract more prospective students that hopefully attract more tech companies to Peoria. It appears Gary Roberts is taking the "high road" in this matter. It time to move on to positive things. I think a lot more students will show up for games next year and there will be a good bump upward in season tickets holders.

[Chico]

wessler is enjoying this. He loves anything that makes Bradley’s program look bad. Boo hoo, they didn’t hire my choice for coach. Instead they hired Jim Les.

[tornado]

but it's always best to avoid getting anyone in the media upset - you kinda have to kiss their *****...
or else they will turn on you like we see regularly in the national press....
What most people don't know is that the media always claim they are independent and reject any connections to the government
..but they are quickly willing to take money form the government and ask for more...

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2016/08/08/the-federal-governments-500-million-subsidy-to-magazine-publishers/

https://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/vox-media-criticizes-government-subsidies-but-took-them

https://gijn.org/2018/08/13/state-aid-for-journalism-should-governments-provide-subsidies-to-news-media/

[bradleyfan124]

Bradley showed some class by issuing an apology, Dave Reynolds showed some class by accepting the apology and saying lets move on. However, The Journal Star and Nick Vlahos showed how classless they are by writing articles that keep attacking Bradley. I think it shows Bradley is right. The Journal Star has an agenda against Bradley

[Da Coach]

If BU won't rescind Cosby's honorary degree, and Kentucky retires the numbers of 50's era scalpers, there is no good reason why Bradley doesn't honor Squeaky. A young man with a family who used poor judgement. If he threw a game, I'd understand their decision. He didn't but paid a tremendous price. Better than Cousy. Sorry to be off topic. First post. Go Braves!!

Thanks for your input. If you've been a long time Peorian, as your name suggests, you know what you are talking about. His number should be retired, and his name honored by Bradley, IMO. I have talked to President Gary Roberts about this a couple times, and he prefers not to revive the issue for now. Unfortunately, there is too much resistance from some BU professors, and from donors who are not fans of basketball.

[tornado]

probably when they are all passed and nobody remembers the issue - then Squeaky's number can be retired...
..as for Vlahos - he's never written for sports - he's just being a typical media bully with hit pieces...
sadly - his job at the PJS will probably be next as they have been consistently cleaning house to save money...

heck - if ANYONE is "limiting" the coverage by PJS or Dave Reynolds - it sure isn't Bradley
it is the Gatehouse Media people -
http://www.unitedmediaguild.org/inde...star-newsroom/

in that article - note "Copy editor and page designer Wes Huett" was then elevated to Sports Editor.
... so Kirk Wessler was replaced by a copy editor (proofreader)?

[PistolP]

I caught a little of the score 670 in Chicago about an hour ago today and they were riding with the story that Dave Reynolds is a victim from a whiny athletics department because Dave wrote something negative after their 0-5 conference start. I am including a response that I wrote very early this morning to Shannon Ryan after I read the Shannon Ryan Chicago Tribune article. Here is what I wrote:

Hi Shannon. If you are interested, please dig deeper and look at the facts related to the relationship of the Peoria journal star and Bradley basketball fans. Who is truly picking a fight? Who has been the immature, whiny, unprofessional in this scenario? This relationship has been sour for the past 20 years. Please check Bradleyfans.com and read the posts since the journal star ran with their whining article. The journal star obviously had an axe to grind with Bradley Mens Basketball because nobody who actually cares about and follows Bradley basketball cares about the Peoria journal star coverage of Bradley basketball. People who have been following Bradley basketball for 20-50 years have very strong opinions about the journal star coverage of Bradley basketball related items and have specific cases of misinformation/ lies/ untruths/ heresay/ poor journalism/ lazy writing/ axes to grind by a failing, community newspaper that typically chooses to not provide much coverage for the biggest sports team in the community. It's always interesting to see deadspin and others run with a story like this but fail to actually dig into the history and identify facts related to this relationship. If you really want to write something that the other media outlets have not, please look into some details and facts related to this story and write a follow-up regarding the support of true Bradley basketball fans for their current President, AD, and basketball coach. You might enjoy also enjoy reading about the Joanne Glasser presidency era at Bradley and what she "accomplished" while at Bradley. Maybe an article or 2 on her "legacy" would be a fitting follow-up to your article about the cruel and unusual punishment to an "award winning" journalist as a victim to a media crime by a "petty" and "whining" Bradley University athletics department. Let me say this. I do not expect a response as I have shared my feedback with your colleagues at your paper in the past and nobody has responded to my feedback. I feel strongly that a follow-up article to the Bradley piece would be an interesting read for those who have no idea about the true relationship between the newspaper and the university. However, I expect that I will probably be reading articles about how Lovie Smith truly believes that Illini football is actually getting better and better! As true Bradley basketball fans have learned from the Peoria journal star, saying the same thing over and over/ taking the same stance/doubling down when obviously wrong does not make it more true!

Thank you.

[Tommy]

PistolP, that was a really thoughtful letter and I sure would love to see you get a response.

Get one thing straight, media personalities are not always, and I might say, rarely are they journalists. That term is thrown around quite loosely and anyone with a pen and an opinion is considered a journalist these days.

The fact is, many of these media outlets will do everything in their power to protect one another anytime a dispute arises with one of their own. Most of these folks consider themselves special and expect to be treated like royalty, and saying no to any of their requests is deemed not just wholly unacceptable, but downright sinful and wrong. By doing so, you are met with the full wrath of the entitled media masses until acquiescing and admitting your wrong for even deigning to oppose them.

The amount of manufactured outrage from something so insignificant has been astounding, and it’s surprising how many people honestly believe that this will last for an extended period of time and have a lasting effect on the university and recruitment. Fact is, it won’t.

I point you to the thread about all the dirty money in college sports on this forum. FBI investigations and allegations galore, but yet, the moral outrage for that is nowhere to be found. You know why? The media elites weren’t being treated like normal people there.

I for one don’t put the media on a pedastal and don’t think that their opinion matters more than mine, nor do I believe they are more informed on most matters. Most of them are just opinion hacks, no different than anyone of us could be right now if we were published.

I guarantee one thing, these ‘journalists’ talking about BU don’t know the people or the program as well as most all of the folks on this board. If they did, they’d understand the high character of people like Reynolds and Wardle and would certainly have taken time to gather their side of the story. But they didn’t.

[KillerB]

Bradley issued an apology. That's the right move (at least from a PR perspective) in my opinion based on what we know. It should die down and go away.
BTW, this did make news in Chicago besides sports talk radio.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-spt-bradley-brian-wardle-peoria-journal-star-reporter-20190316-story.html

[Stryker]

Frankly the crap the PJstar has pulled over the past 15 years is garbage. This is the same behavior that has gotten normal logical people to vote for the current president. Frankly the media seems more like any enemy of the people than anything else. Whenever one of them receives any criticism they all circle the wagons to defend themselves as some privileged class that is better than everyone else just because they get special access most of the time.

I know BU doesn’t require preferential treatment from the media, but for Pete’s sake this is Peoria. BU basketball IS Peoria. Why is the local rag making an enemy of them? It makes no sense and makes the pj Star seem ridiculous.

[BU fan]

http://www.unitedmediaguild.org/inde...star-newsroom/

in that article - note "Copy editor and page designer Wes Huett" was then elevated to Sports Editor.
... so Kirk Wessler was replaced by a copy editor (proofreader)?

Does anyone else find it unbelievable that the PJ Star/Gatehouse would get rid of their long-time Sports Editor and pass over the obvious, longest-tenured (nearly 30 years) replacement, and instead make a young copy editor the Sports Editor? There has to be more to that story.

[Classof77]

Does anyone else find it unbelievable that the PJ Star/Gatehouse would get rid of their long-time Sports Editor and pass over the obvious, longest-tenured (nearly 30 years) replacement, and instead make a young copy editor the Sports Editor? There has to be more to that story.

Well, the bar is pretty low at the PJS.

[Chico]

Stryker, the answer is simple. BU hired Jim Les and not kirk’s choice.