Should LetsRun.com Accept Free Trips to Events We Wouldn't Otherwise Cover in Person

Add me to the list that says take the free travel and accommodations and disclose it. So many organizations do the same to review/cover a specific product. You're not even doing that. You're covering the athletes participating. Now, if the entire purpose of the trip was to review the event and how it was conducted, I'd be weary of taking the money from an ethical standpoint. But thinking this would impact your coverage of the results of the event strains credulity.

I didn't read the whole thread but you should pay our own way to the events and then make the event pay for ads on your site equal to the amount of the travel cost. There, no disclosures or conflict of interest. Balance of trade.

accept and disclose

from a journalist: accept and disclose. you're not the same as SI. and while you're sending jon gault to things, get him an editor who actually knows good writing and journalism.

malmo wrote:

You are FIRED wrote:

It's a violation of Ethics for journalists to accept free airfare, free meals, free hotel rooms, or bribes. You would be fired and blackballed from any real media organization.

Huh? Journalism has been dead for eight years.

Wejo, It's not as though you are covering political candidates -- colluding with them, helping them cheat in debates, etc. Letsrun is a fanzine. Enjoy the perks.

Big picture: You are an insignificantly small speck of ephemeral dust, hurtling through a vast universe at eight hundred thousand miles per hour, in a time in space that is equally insignificant.

Small picture: Carpet diem.Take the trips. Party like a secret service agent on their dime. Get Jamin laid. Take photos, videos, write grammatically suspect reports -- it's all part of the charm.

+1

Accept and disclose. Just be suspect if Nike invites you to Oregon and puts you up in a lavish hotel.

No Way.

Don't.

You were born rich so take advantage of your status and do something worthwhile.

IAAF, USATF, EAA, NCAA, NYRR, BAA, Marathon Majors, etc. want to shut you up and own you to hide the dopers.

Don't let them buy your soul.

You owe it to clean athletes to reveal drug cheats and WADA/USADA excusebots masquerading as authentic writers/journalists.

Understand?

I have an easy solution for you.

Lots of times letsrun runs sponsored articles. clearly those are not "journalistic efforts, but more like PR efforts. Maybe treat sponsored races like those articles or other "Ads"

I think pretty soon events will not want you to pay you for that type of work because they want it to be seen as real news. I think having paid travel, but disclosure still lends itself to a potential quid pro quo or opens yourself up to those charges.

I don't think the "press seating" is the same type of situation at all.

I do think it's kind of dishonest to "cover" a meet remotely without telling the reader you didn't attend the event in person. That is a type of journalistic fraud as well.

P.S. I went to J-school

Sdfsdfsdfsdf wrote:

I am not "Mr. Obvious," but I did think it was obvious he found your claim to be a journalist humorous because:

1) your and Rojo's articles are poorly written, even if you ignore the rampant grammatical mistakes and typos.

2) you editorialize constantly in your articles

3) you have no background as a journalist, outside of your own website

1) Most of the stuff written on the site is written by someone with a masters in journalism.

2) We plead guilty. What's wrong with putting a point of view in an article? When we put "Quick Take Analysis" it's clear that we are offering analysis not just a play by play.

3) Not true. I wrote regularly throughout college for the Daily Princetonian. I've been published in the Washington Post. Weldon wrote a few times for the Yale paper. Jon Gault has a masters in journalism.

Set cha no wrote:

I believe you and your brother try to make yourselves the story most of the time.

If someone is silly enough to give you a hotel room, just say yes.

This is very true.

The black hole wrote:

P.S. I've never read an article by a reporter who said they got free tickets to the press box at the game.

Why would anyone disclose that or have to?

I agree. You aren't being compensated. Airports suck. I doubt you are being put up in some posh hotel either.

So are we really arguing about your "journalistic" integrity possibly being compromised by a coach flight and two nights at Red Roof Inn? I have more faith in you and your team than that.

Accept free trips unless it clashes with a bigger event. I'm not personally bothered if you say they sponsored it or not.

It's not like you are reporting on an average car and saying it's brilliant because they gave it free. As long as you report the event fairly I don't see a problem.

Smaller events have interest in their own way and reporting on unknowns can really inspire them and us

It would be wonderful if every event could be deemed important enough to be covered.

If you are accepting money (i.e. a paid trip) from an event you would not normally cover, you are basically being a paid flack -- a pr person. The Olympics are different because anyone in the sports journalism business (not just publications who cover track) would be covering that event. The Olympics are a bona fide news event, so it's ok to accept press passes, etc because you would be covering it regardless. It's a two-way street. The media and the event benefit. In the case of Camel City flying in Letsrun, only Camel City benefits. Obviously, if you wouldn't cover it without the free trip it's not a bona fide news event.

If the trip involves hookers and blow, sure, go for it!

Les wrote:

If you are accepting money (i.e. a paid trip) from an event you would not normally cover, you are basically being a paid flack -- a pr person. The Olympics are different because anyone in the sports journalism business (not just publications who cover track) would be covering that event. The Olympics are a bona fide news event, so it's ok to accept press passes, etc because you would be covering it regardless. It's a two-way street. The media and the event benefit. In the case of Camel City flying in Letsrun, only Camel City benefits. Obviously, if you wouldn't cover it without the free trip it's not a bona fide news event.

Or they only have enough cash to cover some number N of bona fide news events out of all of the bona fide news events that exist.

malmo wrote:

Carpet diem.

write grammatically suspect reports

LOL.

lkjkljklj wrote:

Les wrote:

If you are accepting money (i.e. a paid trip) from an event you would not normally cover, you are basically being a paid flack -- a pr person. The Olympics are different because anyone in the sports journalism business (not just publications who cover track) would be covering that event. The Olympics are a bona fide news event, so it's ok to accept press passes, etc because you would be covering it regardless. It's a two-way street. The media and the event benefit. In the case of Camel City flying in Letsrun, only Camel City benefits. Obviously, if you wouldn't cover it without the free trip it's not a bona fide news event.

Or they only have enough cash to cover some number N of bona fide news events out of all of the bona fide news events that exist.

If you receive a swag bag, meal, bed, car, airfare, or money from a Chinese-made-shoe company, university, meet director, sports federation, national government, pro running club, gym club, or your local Circle K, then your objectivity is sullied, and you will not report objectively. Why? Because Psychologists say we all learn as children to behave ourselves to earn candy and toys from our parents, and you can never get around that in your teens and adult years. It just never happens.

LR, FT, and RS should merge and buy ESPN and Fox Sports. Max Siegel should be hired as the CEO.

+1 for go on the trips and disclose.

Make it an obvious disclosure at the top, side or bottom in bold.

LRC is not SI and running is not a mega sport. Turning down these trips right now is going to result in worse coverage on the sport's biggest outlet. The day may come when LRC can turn down these kinds of trips to maintain more independence. I don't think we're even close to there.

Someone else above suggested that the events purchase ad space and you agree to go cover the race. This is a really, really common practice that is borderline unethical. I know of several websites through work that practice this behavior (not sports). Don't go down this route. When an issue comes up and someone notes the presence of some event or brand's ads credibility is lost.

As long as you continue to cover other events remotely and do not take payment to choose between two events on the same day, I see little problem with it.