Behind the Headlines

I have received several calls and e-mails today from folks upset at Herald-Leader basketball writer Jerry Tipton.

First, let me say that Jerry Tipton is one of the most respected college basketball writers in America, with a demonstrated record of excellence in reporting and writing on the University of Kentucky basketball team. He has covered UK basketball since the 1981-82 season and is a member of the U. S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame. He is knowledgeable, thorough and aggressive, as journalists should be, but also a fair reporter committed to telling all sides of a story.

In this instance, it appears that certain misinformation or misunderstandings are being spread about interviews Jerry conducted with the parents of two UK recruits. I have listened to the podcasts that appear to be sparking this misinformation. I have also reviewed Jerry’s interviews with those parents. I went through Jerry’s notes of his conversation with Robyn Curry, mother of recruit Vinny Zollo, question by question. I listened to the tape of Jerry’s approximately 30-minute interview with Howard Avery, father of recruit Michael Avery. In both cases, Jerry’s interviews with the parents were conducted in an appropriate and professional fashion.

It is important to understand that Jerry does not work for the University of Kentucky, nor is he a recruiter for the university. His job is to report the news, and sometimes that includes asking tough, serious — but fair — questions of newsmakers. That is what occurred in these cases.

In both cases, Jerry asked parents about the phenomenon of players committing as early as the eighth or ninth grade. Given the context of the recruiting frenzy that surrounds top prospects, this is an obvious question to pose to young recruits’ parents. With Mr. Avery, Jerry asked about the injuries UK suffered last season that some have linked to Coach Billy Gillispie’s tough practices. This is not a new issue, and it’s one that has been written about and commented on extensively in the press, the Internet and elsewhere. After Ms. Curry mentioned her concerns about the methods of her son’s high school coach, Jerry asked her about Coach Gillispie’s widely reported “tough love” style of coaching. Again, both are logical questions to ask of a recent recruit to the university.

In each case, Jerry also discussed with the parents – and his stories reflected – the reasons for their sons’ commitment to UK, what they liked about the university and the coach, and why they chose to commit so early. In other words, they discussed many issues about committing to UK – many of those would be characterized as positive issues; some were more critical. It’s important to cover both to produce a balanced report that puts news in the appropriate context.

Jerry did not ask about any rumors alluded to in the podcasts, nor did he comment on Lexington as a place to live. Unprompted, Ms. Curry mentioned that she had heard things about Coach Gillispie. As Jerry reported in his story, “When asked to elaborate, she said, ‘I didn’t hear directly. But I heard he [Gillispie] was arrogant. I saw none of that. He was very down to earth.’” I reviewed a later conversation that Jerry had with Ms. Curry, who confirmed that Jerry did not speak in a negative manner about Lexington. Jerry also called back Mr. Avery, who acknowledged that the injury question made him uncomfortable but that it was not Mr. Avery’s place to pass judgment on whether it was appropriate.

In both cases, Jerry’s questions to the parents stuck to what occurs on the basketball court, and what happens when young men are recruited to play high-profile sports. Again, these questions are entirely appropriate, as were the stories published after those interviews. Read the stories here and here.

We welcome reader comments and hope that you continue to bring any concerns, issues or compliments to our attention regarding our reporting on UK basketball or other subjects.

Linda Austin
Editor

While it may not be quite as popular as basketball or horse racing, politics is one of the great spectator sports of Kentucky. And nowhere is it more exciting than at the annual picnic on the grounds of St. Jerome Catholic church in the tiny Graves County town of Fancy Farm.

The rhetoric was as spicy as the barbecue at the 127th annual Fancy Farm picnic on Aug. 4. More than 10,000 people from across Kentucky came to the far west end of the state to eat literally tons of barbecued pork and mutton, fried chicken, fresh vegetables and homemade pies.  After enjoying the buffet in the mercifully air-conditioned Knights of Columbus hall, many of them then crowded into and around an outdoor pavilion to cheer and jeer the speeches of candidates for statewide office.  Candidates’ performances at Fancy Farm have been known to make or break their campaigns.

This year’s picnic was special because of the hot governor’s race. The Herald-Leader’s coverage was special, too, in part because of new online tools that allowed us to bring you more of the sights, sounds and news from the event.

The coverage was the work of Frankfort bureau chief John Stamper, political writer Ryan Alessi, Frankfort bureau veteran Jack Brammer, chief photographer Charles Bertram and  intern Megan Boehnke.  Editor Linda Austin and I also attended.

Our PolWatchers political blog, which has had more than 419,000 readers since it was launched last September, has become the best news source for Kentucky political junkies. It was the perfect vehicle for delivering rapid news updates and audio of the speeches on Fancy Farm weekend. 

The reporters began posting stories and audio Friday night, after Democrats and Republicans gathered for party events in Gilbertsville and Aurora. They continued the next morning after party breakfasts at two schools in Mayfield.

When the Fancy Farm picnic was over late Saturday afternoon, the staff set up shop in two motel rooms in Mayfield to post news stories and audio of the major candidates’ speeches to PolWatchers.  (That’s Stamper, left, and Brammer in the top photo, and Alessi in the other.) As Bertram was sending his photos to Lexington to be posted online and prepared for print, the reporters updated and retooled their stories for the next day’s paper.

As with basketball and horse racing, there’s no better source for Kentucky political news than the Herald-Leader.  So watch the newspaper each day – and PolWatchers constantly – for the latest developments.

Tom Eblen
Managing Editor

The Rolex Three Day Event is no longer just one of the world’s biggest equestrian
competitions. It’s now an annual rehearsal for Lexington’s really big event: the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrial Games.

Beginning this year, the Rolex also gives us a window into how the Kentucky Horse Park will handle the big crowds it will see in the fall of 2010.  As picture-perfect weather attracted a huge crowd to the cross country competition Saturday, things seemed to be going well, at least after some morning traffic backups outside the park. 

For the Herald-Leader, it’s also an opportunity to improve our equestrian coverage. Covering this year’s Rolex are (left to right) reporters Linda Blackford, Janet Patton and Alicia Wincze and photographer David Stephenson. Not shown in this photo from inside the
press tent is chief photographer
Charles Bertram.  They’re all Rolex veterans, and the three reporters also have some riding experience.

In addition to daily coverage in the Herald-Leader and kentucky.com, David and Charles have been posting slideshows on kentucky.com. And new this year is the Rolex blog, The Big Event, which allows Alicia, Janet and Linda to report news and impressions from the event as they happen. 

Events like the Rolex and the World Equestrian Games are doing a lot to build Lexington’s reputation as the Horse Capital of the World. And over the next three years, it should be an exciting ride.

Tom Eblen
Managing Editor

If you’re an especially close reader of the Herald-Leader,
you may have noticed the photo credit on one of the pictures that ran with Cheryl Truman’s look back on the extremely cold winter of 1977-78. The photo of a man sweeping snow off the roof
of a tobacco warehouse (remember those?) was taken by Ron Garrison, then a
staff photographer and now the Herald-Leader’s visuals editor. 

Ron is one of a dozen Herald-Leader news staff members who
have worked here for 30 years or more. Other bylines in that group you might
recognize include photographer David Perry and writers Rick Bailey, Sharon
Thompson, Andy Mead, Maryjean Wall, Jim Jordan, Larry Dale Keeling and Jennifer
Hewlett. And if you look at our entire
news staff of about 125 people, 42 of
them have been here for 20 years or more. 

Not only are these experienced journalists among our best,
but they come to work each day with a deep knowledge and understanding of Kentucky,
its people and its institutions. That’s
a good thing for the Herald-Leader, and a good thing for readers.

Tom Eblen
Managing Editor