OBR Newswire Bloviation Header
OBR Newswire Bloviation Header
Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
Yesterday, my little Newswire bloviation was about "the circus coming to town." Did it ever...
The day was dominated by a Dak Prescott trade rumor that should never have gotten as far as it did, given the parameters around dealing with Dak Prescott (and his contract) to the Browns. While the plausibility of the rumor could have been desk-checked before hitting the air, I still feel bad for the media personality that promulgated it. I was in his shoes one day, long ago.
Over a decade ago, I was personally involved in putting out something that wasn't accurate. It still feels horrible to this day. I still remember the feeling when the information poured in, indicating we had missed the boat, which was crushing. Absolutely crushing. We had done a lot of work on this story, which led us in one direction only to have it go in another. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
It was a difficult lesson for someone without classical training in the news industry, and it kept me up nights for weeks afterward. We handled it by pulling the story as soon as we learned it was false and immediately apologizing to all involved. The latter was considered weird because what news outlets do in these situations is typically to try to sweep things under the rug and move on. Or at least defend their process. However, the OBR reflects the publisher's personality to a degree, and I wanted to apologize as quickly as possible to our readers and those involved. Admitting to our mistake and apologizing would have been called for in a personal exchange, and I felt the site should do the same.
I was in my late 40s when we learned that lesson, and it will never leave me.
It's also a lesson about breaking news. Breaking a news item is rarely strong for the site that does it. For example, last season, we broke the news that the Browns had benched Jameis Winston and were going to start Dorian Thompson-Robinson instead. The news was out and passed without a ripple for us from a statistical and financial standpoint.
As soon as we broke it, the news was immediately spread on social media and via aggregators, copying our work—instantly—just like aggregators did yesterday. Sure, we got some credit for breaking the news, but virtually no traffic came our way. Many falsely credited "247Sports" for the scoop, which is sort of like praising the electric company when someone does something brilliant with a computer. Or they would credit the reporter "on X" to ensure that no one visited the OBR or saw our brand.
It's better to keep the information within our premium forums, where at least our subscribers would know first and benefit from our work. As it is, the value of breaking news to the company is zero because of the rampant material theft.
There. It's just a little slice of my world.
Another slice from my world was the advocacy of "Team Spreadsheet" in the early days of the Stadium debate. This corner looked past the fancy renders and the business-as-usual nonsense from the team about the payoff of a facility and wanted to see the damn numbers. "Prove It" was our motto when it came to public spending.
Domed Stadium Render
Domed Stadium Render (Photo: Courtesy of Cleveland Browns)
Over time, I realized that my quixotic crusade to ground the stadium debate in real numbers had no traction among the vast majority of readers, many of whom could care less about the public policy angle. So, I stopped writing about it and wrote about things of greater interest to our audience.
I'm feeling a little vindicated today as news broke that state lawmakers and others had hit the Team Spreadsheet stage, insisting the Browns "show the math" about stadium costs and benefits, which we were urging months ago.
I'm neither opposed to - nor in favor of - an expensive new dome. It there's a payoff, I'd love to see a new facility.
I simply know from involvement in Stadium debates in the 1990s that the numbers thrown around about benefits have a lot of very favorable assumptions typically baked in, and I had no interest in PR releases or 3-D commercials for the Stadium. The question is whether it's good for fans and the community. It's nice to see that some element of that pragmatic approach has gotten a foothold, although whether it stands up to the politics involved is another question entirely.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
Newswire Bloviation Archive