The Smear Campaign Continues
It is unbelievable what the Free Press is doing in an attempt to take down the football program. These hacks will stop at nothing to lie and twist the facts. I think judging by this article they are scared of the backlash that will come when the NCAA finds no major violations with the program. They are now gonna try and blame the University for lack of oversight and say there is nothing the NCAA could do about it. What a bunch of idiots. Mike Rosenberg should be fired for his lies.
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091205/SPORTS06/91205027/…
December 6th, 2009 at 12:18 AM ^
Their covert agenda is so important to them that they are ignoring a great story over in EL where all they would have to do is write the truth, so that they can continue to be assholes to UM.
December 6th, 2009 at 12:22 PM ^
they've done 12 different articles on the incident. the tone may be different but you're a bit off in your judgment on that one.
December 6th, 2009 at 12:19 AM ^
in time, winning will cure all ills.
December 6th, 2009 at 1:01 AM ^
A clean bill of health from the NCAA will help with the Freep nonsense. That and the ongoing investigation in EL.
December 6th, 2009 at 12:26 AM ^
If the Freep wrote with truth, sensibility, and realism, then they wouldn't be the Freep. True to their identity, they can be proud about that.
December 6th, 2009 at 12:27 AM ^
Funny that a fooball player for Iowa understands the concept of countable hours and the Freep can't with respect to Michigan. No wonder that form of information delivery is dying.
December 6th, 2009 at 12:35 AM ^
is pretty annoying...but mediates the coverage of the MSU thug life.
December 6th, 2009 at 1:12 AM ^
RR is a national figure. Puff pieces about RR will only draw local attention, but a hit piece on RR just might get an unprincipaled local sportswriting hack a slot on ESPN. Heute Deutschland, morgen die Welt.
A hit piece on Dantonio is useless, because, nationally speaking, who ever heard of him?
December 6th, 2009 at 8:25 AM ^
Low and behold I see the same article from back in August. Freep sure spending a lot of time reprinting the same story. Do they really feel this will sell more papers? I'm sure there is other news in the sports world other than practicing too much. Paper seems to be on a par with the National Enquirer.
December 6th, 2009 at 9:19 AM ^
This is the one advantage papers still retain (at least somewhat) in the age of the Internet - they can still sway popular sentiment by stating "facts" in whatever context they want and most people will presume it is true. Sure, you can go online or to other sources and check to make sure the narrative is correct, but most people don't. In this case, the Freep wants people to believe that RR is running a sweatshop in Ann Arbor, and the average reader is not going to spend much time delving into the record to figure out if that is true or if, in reality, the Freep is pulling some facts out of their collective sphincters.
December 6th, 2009 at 9:26 AM ^
Why do we continue to concern ourselves with articles published by this newspaper? We know they are biased, that their research is lazy (or nonexistent), and that their writing is sensationalized. They republish the same story because people will visit the website and create web hits. The Free Press is a gutter quality gossip rag pimping itself out for advertising dollars. Its editor and writers have no interest in ethics or truth. Period. If that's the level of journalism you're interested in reading, buy the paper and visit the website often. If it's not, forget the whole thing exists - cancel subscriptions and swear off the website. There are plenty of other outlets for Ann Arbor and Detroit area sports news.
December 6th, 2009 at 11:40 AM ^
It's the double-down mentality... they have $60 to their name, but spend $20 on scratch-offs in a futile attempt to get rich quick. Failing at that but convinced they're going to win, they spend the other $40 on more tickets. Then they shuffle out of the convenience store muttering about how unfair life is.
December 6th, 2009 at 11:58 AM ^
I encourage people to actually read the article. I'm a RR supporter and obviously think the initial freep stuff was complete BS. This article is actually researched and somewhat objective. Not surprisingly Rosenberg's name wasn't on it. Shawn Windsor (who seems alright) and Jim Schaeffer. Unfortunately they gave it the headline "THE HONOR SYSTEM..." and the leader in section A is "UM and the NCAA Honor Sytem".
There is a quote from Carson Butler basically saying RR's program was just a different style, but didn't seem like any more time. And I took the section about the former Iowa OL as acknowledgment that players may sometimes think they go way over the allowed 20 hrs, when in reality the coaches know what they're doing.
Duderstadt's suggestion at the end also seems intelligent, for U's to hire auditors rather than doing all compliance themselves.
December 6th, 2009 at 12:18 PM ^
Lets end this and burn the Freep down while signing kumbaya.
December 6th, 2009 at 12:25 PM ^
what role does putting a pen or pencil to paper have to do with burning down the FreeP?
December 6th, 2009 at 1:53 PM ^
You are suggesting that we be mature, and sensible, and that we calmly examine the Free Press' reporting with an eye toward intelligent criticism and debate.
And, uh, I'm okay with that.
But take a look, sometime, at the Freep comments pages; you'll see, first, that all of the stories about purported scandals and problems at Michigan are HUGE hit-makers for Freep.com. And then, if you are unfortunate enough to read those comments, you'll see all manner of hate-speech directed at Michigan and everything connected with Michigan. And it is not just the pajama-wearing trolls of Freep.com. I recently attended a Michigan alumni dinner in the suburbs. There were about 200 loyal Michigan alums there. The median age was about 70. Rosenberg was the speaker. Almost no one questioned Rosenberg on his countable hours story from August. Those people, who are historical donors and supporters of the University, get their news from the Free Press, not MGoBlog. Many of them, probably most of them, have fully bought the Rosenberg story.
The Free Press is doing very serious damage to Michigan football. RR revealed the extent of that damage by his almost universally-misquoted "Katrina" comment, which has given rise to a new and different smear.
This is a very, very serious issue, and MGoBlog is a vital sourcepoint in opposition to the Free Press.
Michigan football has lots of "rivals." The rivalries, with OSU, MSU, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Purdue, ND, etc., are healthy challenges for the program.
But Michigan football now has a very few "enemies," as well. The Free Press is an enemy. It is destructive. The transparent goal of the Free Press is to sell as many Sunday papers, and as many web-hits, as possible. Nothing, it seems, sells copies of the Free Press quite like "Michigan/football/scandal," and it appears that apart from MGoBlog and a very few similar websites, there is no check on the Free Press. When was the last time you heard Rosenberg and Snyder forced to answer hard questions by any of our other local media?
And, when somebody jokes about singing Kumbaya around the smoldering ruins of the Free Press, I say; it is PRECISELY the same kind of Comment that is easily found at Freep.com and at a hundred other websites throughout the blogosphere -- except that the Freep-inspired comments are all laughing at the smoldering ruins in Ann Arbor.
I say, take the Free Press and its writers on; challenge them. Challenge their methods, challenge their reporting. Publicize their errors and omissions. Tell everyone you know, everyone you can reach, about what they've done. Anyone who is interested in Michigan football and who still gets their news about the team and college football from the Free Press is way behind the curve. Explain that to all of your friends who are Michigan alumni, fans and friends.
December 6th, 2009 at 1:55 PM ^
i was making a signing vs. singing joke
"signing kumbaya"
December 7th, 2009 at 12:54 PM ^
Or.....
the other way to fight back is to keep your eyes open. One of the Freepers drunk at BD's Mongo? Snap a few phone shots and post here. One of the Freepers gets arrested for DUI? Cut and paste the court docket or jail booking sheet here. Spot one of the married Freepers sneaking into a hotel with another woman? You know what to do.
Read all the Freepers on-line bios. Someone has to be lying about something, an award or claiming they have a degree or cert they don't have.
A few minutes checking could be wasted time, or it could be big.
Very few people's lives will stand up to an intense look. Until now news media writers have been home free because they don't get called out unless they tick off another news media bigwig. With the internet and boards like this one anyone can break a story.