The Access Game

When I participated in “The Access Game” seminar with Ted Geltner, he spoke about how to obtain information for your sports stories. He spoke of the difficulties some schools have in reaching out to players and coaches because of their Athletic Director and their rules.

Some reporters and editors aren't even allowed to ask questions of athletes without asking the Sports Information Director. Hearing that other journalism programs have this issue got me thinking about how lucky we are as sports writers and editors to be able to communicate with head coaches and players directly. We are able to develop relationships with them without having the athletic department controlling what we can or can’t do. Having a relationship is big for our beat writers because they can actually meet with coaches and players on a personal level which allows them to obtain information that they normally wouldn't get if the SID had more control.

Geltner gave advice on how we can develop close relationships with the directors so that trust can be developed. He also gave us a heads up in looking into whether or not our First Amendment rights are being violated if we are denied access.

Never settle with the SID, player or athlete saying no. If you can’t get access it isn't the end of the world, you can always go with a story without a certain quote from players or coaches. Look for interesting angles to take when situations like this occur.   

Daniel Moreno-Gonzalez, '13 | Sports Editor