That Webb article is a breach of professional decorum.

Wise up people wrote:

If Lance Armstrong or Roger Federer or Christiano Ronaldo did something like this after a competition, would you expect it to be reported? Yes you would.

I would expect it to be reported but i would not expect any reputable news source to treat it in the same way as letsrun. They might say the athlete had an outburst and was obviously emotional, but I can not see the NY Times or any big city newspaper quoting line after line of what the athlete was saying to himself. that's what you would see in the tabloids. The respectable news sources would report (as runner's world did) 2 or 3 sentences about the outburst in general, and then would rely on a follow-up interview with the athlete to get their take on the race and any explanation about the outburst they had. They would give the athlete a fair fight if you will rather than just observe, make assumptions, and write an opinion article mixed with facts.

So yes they would report it but in a much different way

It was said by Tom above and by Wejo that they were 'reporting' what happened. Clearly, they did much more than that and now their opinions have become the story, not Alan.

Yes Tom clearly needs a lesson in journalism basics. It is quite sad to hear the people behind this article attempt to justify its existence. Its preachy, amateurish, and extremely poorly written.

People are genuinely offended by this article and rightfully so. You should all feel ashamed

like most websites, letsrun.com's reasoning involves the almighty page hit. if that means manufacturing faux-outrage over webb's behavior after a frustrating race, and editorializing the hell out of it ("omg will somebody think of the children?!"), so be it. like tmz, they're laughing all the way to the bank. mission accomplished dudes! make that paper!

i used to be ambivalent about webb, but today i consider myself a fan.

stay classy, letsrun.

Journalism? wrote:

if you want straight facts stick to the meet re-cap that is featured above the Webb article. The article on Webb is clearly opinionated and this is not trying to be covered up, it is what would be known of as a "column" in a newspaper. So no, it is not "poor journalistic practice."

The meet recap says nothing about Webb's post-race reaction. The only place on Let's Run that provides information about that is the article in question.

Newspaper columns usually aren't the first or only place where the facts of an incident are reported, and when they are, they tend to generate the kind of negative reaction seen here.

Again, I was just offering an explanation for the backlash: readers usually don't like being told how to feel about what happened. And when writers mix their personal value judgements in with the facts, it makes it seem like they view their values as facts.

At least one prominent running journalist has already posted in this thread (without specifically identifying himself as such, but without hiding his identity either), and has concurred with the majority opinion that the piece is in poor taste, if not actually poor journalism.

I'd like to hear from some other writers who cover our sport with a greater degree of professionalism. David Monti, Peter Gambaccini, Doug Binder, etc. Or anybody else who wants to post their name and journalistic affiliation. (I am not a journalist myself.)

Perhaps they feel that to do so would further detract from the attention that should be paid to the athletic performances at the meet. I can't say that I blame them if this is the case.

While this article probably should have been posted/written in a different manner, the fact is that it did happen (and more that is not included in the article.) Webb was indeed in the "press area" when this occurred, which is immediately adjacent to the stands and in an area where minutes before many of the high school milers were just standing to watch the men's mile. I do not know if any of them saw this take place, but that is a really bad example to be setting from an athlete who everyone of the HS milers most likely looks up to.

Hopefully this attention can let Webb know that he should tone it down a little bit in a public setting.

Brothers Johnson,

You have done a lot of pussy things on this board and on your site before, but nothing this blatant. I promise you, that if I see either of you at an event this year I'm going to beat the hell out of you.

I hope to see you soon, pencil necks.

DrFranklin

....Alan Webb cannot and should not have had such a tantrum in a public sphere.....

....we are just trying to report this unacceptable behavior in the hopes that it might help him realize that he IS held accountable for his behavior...

I still don't understand. Did he hurt someone? Did he ruin someone's race? What is he being held accountable for? How is this unacceptable behavior? He didn't chew out any of the runners, did he? Why can't he be mad in public? You are just saying things as if they are facts, but its just your craptacular opinion.

I know plenty of highchool kids who act and acted like this after a race, there is so much emotion that goes into atheletic events how could you fault anyone for expressing it. You let the anger pass then work on why it went wrong.

Why even defend the writing? Its obvious it was an opinon piece, read the posts which seem in the majority opposed to it. I only hope the author is enjoying the taste of crow.

Tom Davis wrote:

Guys,

To those of you who don't understand what the article is trying to convey, that is simply a matter of 1) misunderstanding or 2) a difference of opinion.

Only one or two people misunderstand, and I think it's because they didn't read the article carefully before they watched the video. I think the majority opinion is that, while this episode might be newsworthy and worth reporting, the way you did so was unprofessional and worse than mediocre.

I'm a physicist and I don't know much about journalism or writing. But I think each section of the article, including the headlines of each subsection, could have been better written in one of two ways:

1. As written, I think the article teaches us more about the journalist than the athlete. It might have been an interesting article if you had taken it further in this direction.

2. As an impartial report without any of the editorializing.

As it stands, the editorializing makes the writers come off as despicable and I don't see why it's necessary in most places. Some of Webb's actions speak for themselves, so let them (I personally don't think it's a big deal). But there are several ways in which it becomes clear that it's the journalist who has the problem, and this should either be fleshed out, or the article needs to be rewritten.

We're all human.

Curious why this isn't listed under "On the Boards"

or better yet, why not "Super Hot on Letsrun"

I doubt anyone seriously considers the brojos real journalists, but this article is completely classless. I don't see one single reason why an article like this should be printed. I expect they'll continue defending this crap, but I'd be ashamed and embarrassed.

I just want to give a thumbs up to the above poster. The article clearly teaches us more about the journalist than Webb. I would also like to point out that its rare to see such unison and common consensus on these boards. When...if ever...does this happen? It usually takes an Olympic Marathon Medal or an amazing American performance to generate such common consensus on these boards as we root and cheer for our heros accomplishments. Its great to see that we stand against this kind of demoralization.

Oh wait...I forgot why they wrote this article...it was to help Alan Webb. I totally forgot.

yoyoyoitsashow wrote:

Curious why this isn't listed under "On the Boards"

It's linked right next to the article on the front page. Letsrun isn't completely classless.

rolo wrote:

I doubt anyone seriously considers the brojos real journalists, but this article is completely classless. I don't see one single reason why an article like this should be printed. I expect they'll continue defending this crap, but I'd be ashamed and embarrassed.

This ^ is right on.

I especially love the quote within the LRC article, "...we were just in shock and our goal is not to embarrass anyone."

Okkaayyyyyy...then what exactly was the point of the article and headline?

Mr. Davis, you left out at least a third option for those who "don't understand" the article: It is poorly written and failed if it was trying to convey something constructive and meaningful.

If there were but a "select few" who witnessed the incident, then how public was was it afterall?

Who are you to judge Webb's behavior as "unacceptable"?

What words and actions must Webb "be held accountable for" and how shall that be done?

Thank goodness for your "bold action" to teach Webb a lesson. If he goes on to have a good season he'll probably thank you for it.

After reading through the thread now I only have one thing to add: that the brojos et al are defending this like spoiled children is almost as pathetic as the article was disgraceful. Brojos, you've reached an all time low.

And, Tom, if so many readers "misunderstood" the intent of the article, the fault is on the writer, not the audience.

I cannot believe how absurd you guys are.

Tom Davis wrote:

Here is the bottom line: The article is accurate and the article is called for. Why you might ask? because Alan Webb cannot and should not have had such a tantrum in a public sphere.

Well, that certainly clears things up. From Wejo's earlier posts, I thought you were reporting on it because it was newsworthy -- but now I understand you were reporting it because you believe Alan Webb needs to be taught a lesson about proper behavior.

In fact, that's the fundamental problem with the article. I actually fully agree that a post-race outburst like that deserves to be reported (as RW.com did, for example). And (not that you'll necessarily believe me), I am a professional journalist who sometimes covers elite track and field.

The problem with the article is that it really does read like you're trying to teach Alan Webb a lesson. There's this long, voyeuristic, repetitive description of every moment and every tiny detail following the race, and the tone is unbelievably judgmental. If the facts are so shocking, you can let the facts convey their own message (and with the help of a competent editor, you could condense that description to at most two paragraphs without losing any relevant details), rather than trying to tell the reader how he or she should feel. Ultimately, the problem with this article isn't that it exists (so you can stop trying justify its existence) -- it's that it was executed at a middle-school level.