Mangino to West Virginia rumors a hoax / LJWorld.com

Archive for Wednesday, December 19, 2007

December 19, 2007, 8:34 p.m. Updated December 19, 2007, 9:07 p.m.

A back-and-forth conversation between the Journal-World and a man claiming to be Neil Cornrich, the agent for KU football coach Mark Mangino, was a hoax.

The Journal-World had several conversations with a man claiming to be Cornrich, the final of which was a statement the agent said he wanted to release to the Kansas media. The Journal-World posted it on its Web site while continuing the pursue the story.

A KU football spokesperson said the statement was not true. The Journal-World apologizes for misleading any readers.

Discussion

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19 December 2007
at 8:47 p.m.

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logrithmic (Anonymous) says…

God I hate two-faced lying coaches!
19 December 2007
at 8:49 p.m.

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lildos (Anonymous) says…

More power to him. Football is a business, he did great at his business and was offered a promotion. Nothing about being two-faced, it is about business. Hopefully KU can keep him, but if not, good luck to him.
19 December 2007
at 8:57 p.m.

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beobachter (Anonymous) says…

shades of Glen Mason, thought this guy had ethics and character. shows money talks, the hell with your word.
19 December 2007
at 8:59 p.m.

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beobachter (Anonymous) says…

And I was just talking about season tickets for next year. Forget it.
19 December 2007
at 9:04 p.m.

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George_Braziller (Anonymous) says…

When I read it the first time I saw “Food is a business, . . .”

lildos (Anonymous) says:

More power to him. Football is a business, he did great at his business and was offered a promotion. Nothing about being two-faced, it is about business. Hopefully KU can keep him, but if not, good luck to him.
19 December 2007
at 9:06 p.m.

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lildos (Anonymous) says…

I guess in a way football and the food industry are closely related when it comes to Mangino moving…I hate making fat jokes about the guy but this one was out for the taking.

Still think he is a great coach though.
19 December 2007
at 9:07 p.m.

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Nonsense (Anonymous) says…

Lew, make good on your word. You got us a coach and made a good team. Now make us a program and spend some money on him to keep him.

19 December 2007
at 9:07 p.m.

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logrithmic (Anonymous) says…

You don't say you're going to create a tradition here and then toss it for the next best thing. Mangino had (has?) a chance to become one of the greats - like Bowden or Snyder - who took nobody teams and turned them into champions. I'm not saying he's irreplaceable, but you don't tell people you expect to stick around if you're really chasing the next big thing. The best strategy is to keep your mouth shut. Now, like Mason, he's going to have a hard time coming back if the W.Virginia job falls through. I mean, no one is going to have any trust in the guy anymore. They (and the families of potential recruits) will know it's all a ruse…
19 December 2007
at 9:15 p.m.

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Nonsense (Anonymous) says…

hahahhahahahahahhahaha Fact Check!
19 December 2007
at 9:20 p.m.

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logrithmic (Anonymous) says…

I guess I lost my cool for nothing.

Glad to see it was a hoax though. He's a great coach but he should still be honored to be the coach at KU. At least now, we know that he “may” be a man of his word - that is, unless the Journal World changes its story again….
19 December 2007
at 9:36 p.m.

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simplykristib (Anonymous) says…

I am glad that I did not read the original story. I would have not been happy at all. Glad that it was all hoax but shame on the person who posed as Mangino's agent and for the reporter not getting all the facts first. That's so wrong on so many fronts.
19 December 2007
at 9:48 p.m.

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The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…

No one is going to hire Mangino from us. Too many potential health issues.

I love me some Mangino.

The LJW has once again proven, hell, I don't know. How can professional journalists get duped by this? Don't they know that Mangino's agent would have talked to the KC Star first?
19 December 2007
at 10:36 p.m.

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aha (Anonymous) says…

hahahahahahaha
hahahahahahaha

How about checking the source before causing another RoyGate panic throughout Jayhawk nation??
19 December 2007
at 10:40 p.m.

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TheSportsPredictor (Anonymous) says…

“Back-and-forth” conversation? Uhhhhhhhhhhhh, isn't that the definition of conversation??

Do you mean you apologize for the stupidity of allowing an idiot reporter to report news without first verifying if it were true or not, all in pursuit of the holy scoop rather than worry about gettin facts straight?
19 December 2007
at 10:46 p.m.

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Ragingbear (Anonymous) says…

~~The Journal-World apologizes for misleading any readers.~~

In regards to this story, or all of their misleading articles in general?

19 December 2007
at 11:07 p.m.

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just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…

Hey, all the other news media are reporting that Mangino is leaving to go to W. VA. Did the JDub get scooped?
19 December 2007
at 11:08 p.m.

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just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…

Check that. I meant to say NONE of the other media are reporting that.
19 December 2007
at 11:09 p.m.

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nobody1793 (Anonymous) says…

Breaking News: Mark Mangino purchases Brooklyn Bridge with Lawrence tax money while disguised as Ladybird Johnson. LJW staff are continuing to pursue the story…

Thank goodness I don't pay for a subscription…
19 December 2007
at 11:38 p.m.

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NLowrider (Anonymous) says…

It's always interesting to see how this brings out the worst in people by the earlier comments made.
20 December 2007
at 7:47 a.m.

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beobachter (Anonymous) says…

Seems I jumped too soon. My mistake, mistook Journal World for “real” news source. My apologies to Coach Mangino for doubting his character and integrity. Will definitely wait in future for verification from valid sources.
20 December 2007
at 7:49 a.m.

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beobachter (Anonymous) says…

One final question. Is this so-called reporter still an employee of JW?
20 December 2007
at 8:08 a.m.

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RonaldWilson (Anonymous) says…

He'll probably get promoted.
20 December 2007
at 8:43 a.m.

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alm77 (Anonymous) says…

Oh, come on, guys. Lay off. It was up for like what, 25 minutes? They took a chance. It didn't pan out.

plumbers, hahahahaha!!!

20 December 2007
at 8:45 a.m.

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beobachter (Anonymous) says…

it should not have been up at all.
20 December 2007
at 8:53 a.m.

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The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…

“They took a chance. It didn't pan out.”

Um, throw it up and hope it sticks is not how journalism is supposed to work.
20 December 2007
at 8:54 a.m.

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jazzluvr (Anonymous) says…

Not only should it have not been up at all, they should have admitted the mistake in today's paper. Keegan's column is so freakin' ironic now since last night they're accusing him of leaving.

I'm not even a fan of the team. I'm just someone who hates shoddy journalism. This is something a high school paper would do, and yes, both Wood and the editor who allowed it to be posted with NO confirmation should be suspended.
20 December 2007
at 8:56 a.m.

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Coach_Eric (Anonymous) says…

Hey Ryan, not sure if you read these posts at all, but I for one understand the position you're in. It's a hard lesson to learn for sure, but I think you're damn good at your job, and I really enjoy reading what you write (you're far better than all sports writers for the LJW whose names don't end with “eegan”).

Keep your head up, and take this lesson to heart.

Best of luck in the future.
20 December 2007
at 9 a.m.

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The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…

jazzluvr -

Keegan's article today should be an insult to the paid readers. How dumb do they think the readers are?

Oh well, we've come to expect this.
20 December 2007
at 9:07 a.m.

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geniusmannumber1 (Anonymous) says…

Look, I'm not making excuses for the LJW. They rolled the dice, they got burned. But don't make the mistake that this is a problem that is unique to the LJW, or it somehow makes the LJW look worse than other news outlets. This is the state of journalism. Espn.com does this almost daily. They reported Michael Vick wouldn't be indicted the day before he was indicted. They reported two days ago that Bill Parcells was going to Atlanta. Yesterday he went to Miami. Or look at WNBC in New York, the biggest NBC affiliate in the country. Last week they posted a story containing information from a hoax email listing steroid users to be named in the Mitchell report. Two hours later, they realized they'd libeled two dozen players who weren't actually featured in the report.

This is 21st century journalism, folks. If you're the first to report a story, you get the hits on the site, and you get the ad dollars. Is it a good thing or a bad thing that journalism has evolved to this point? It's debatable (and, by all means, debate it). But the point is, don't take this as a case of the LJW being unprofessional or amateurish. This is how the big boys roll.
20 December 2007
at 9:16 a.m.

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jazzluvr (Anonymous) says…

geniusman:

That's like saying, “Well, all of the toy companies are making toys with lead paint that could kill my child, but that's how the big boys roll, so I shouldn't be angry.”

It's false. ESPN is one of the worst offenders in destroying journalism. I admit that. But for a paper and Web site that are often honored for “doing it right,” ljworld.com should be held to a high standard. This wasn't just a simple name misspelled. This was reckless, and any self-respecting journalist (of which I am one, FYI) would hurl at being taken so easily by a hoax.

Don't shrug and talk about the evolution of journalism. Stand tall and demand better.
20 December 2007
at 9:25 a.m.

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snap_pop_no_crackle (Anonymous) says…

All the news that fits.

20 December 2007
at 9:26 a.m.

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alm77 (Anonymous) says…

They didn't put it in the paper for goodness sake, they put it on the website for 25 minutes while they checked it out. I still think you guys are being a little too harsh. I didn't read the original article, but maybe they should have said that it unconfirmed or something, I'll give you that. I'm guessing there *is* a lot of pressure to be “the first to report” and that *may* have played into this error. Don't overreact. People make mistakes. Live and learn.
20 December 2007
at 9:28 a.m.

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geniusmannumber1 (Anonymous) says…

jazzluvr:
I do appreciate your idealism as a journalist (and I don't mean that in a condescending way at all). My point is: this is the way it works. And it's not changing. We're not going back. The choice isn't as simple as “don't print it until you're absolutely certain”. In a perfect world, that would be the case, but it's not. And it never will be.

That said, it does not mean things cannot be better. Procedures need to be put in place — taking into account the reality of electronic journalism — to lessen the chance of these things happening. Specifically what those might be for the LJW — or whether they have them — I just don't have any idea, never having worked for them. But these things happen, and they will continue to happen.
20 December 2007
at 9:30 a.m.

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jazzluvr (Anonymous) says…

alm77:

They didn't report that they were “checking it out.” They reported it as fact. And don't think that it didn't start moving out onto the message boards and start making the rounds.

It's not an overreaction. It's demanding quality control. They could have just as easily kept tabs on other Web sites and kept checking. When you have something on the edge, you hold it until you're sure.

This is indicative of the reasons that blogs and news Web sites are a huge double-edged sword. And the current J-W management is much more arrogant than it should be.

Yes, this is a mistake, and people make mistakes, but if we don't call them on it, they will continue to do shoddy work.
20 December 2007
at 9:31 a.m.

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rumor_man (Anonymous) says…

I just heard that he'll be interviewing for the Atlanta Falcons job on January 4th,
20 December 2007
at 9:32 a.m.

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geniusmannumber1 (Anonymous) says…

I don't want to sound like I'm condoning it, or saying it's acceptable. It's not. But when I see comments like “This is something a high school paper would do”, my thoughts are:
1) No, this is something endemic to internet journalism—everybody does it;
2) A high school paper is least likely to do something like this, because the high school paper doesn't go out of business when the KC Star reports it first.

I just don't think the problem gets solved unless we can see the problem for what it is.
20 December 2007
at 9:36 a.m.

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jazzluvr (Anonymous) says…

geniusman:

Understood, and I my comment to you wasn't meant to be personal, so I hope it didn't come off that way.

I wouldn't work for the J-W, actually. I know too much of what they do. And you're right. We're not going back. The J-W is out in front on a path that I don't want to be. It makes me very sad.

The thing that actually makes me more angry is Keegan's column today, which is writing almost as spin for the mistake last night. As if to say, “oh, wait, did we write that? What we meant was Rah Rah Rah!”

I know Keegan's work from much of his career, and he's better than that. I know there are a lot of haters, but he's been a pro before. He knows better than to ignore or hide things. So that makes me angry.

I will always hold to the ideal. We don't trust the press. We don't trust the politicians. We trust bloggers who have no stake in being right. We should all be working to gain readers' trust. But nope. Instead, we're moving the wrong way. And I'll keep swimming upstream.
20 December 2007
at 9:53 a.m.

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geniusmannumber1 (Anonymous) says…

Wow. I just had an intelligent conversation on the LJW message board. I think I'll retire.
20 December 2007
at 9:55 a.m.

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jazzluvr (Anonymous) says…

Oh, don't worry. Later, I'll make some comment about all of our taxes being used to perform gay marriages on the T with a reception at the Oread Inn.

Nice talking to you. Now, time to actually work. :-)

20 December 2007
at 10:03 a.m.

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snap_pop_no_crackle (Anonymous) says…

Global warming causes fake news stories.
20 December 2007
at 10:17 a.m.

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iancahir (Anonymous) says…

I know a lot of writers spinning in their graves at that comment, its_getting_warmer. David Halberstam. Norman Mailer. Jim Murray.

All wove incredible sports tales. All did it based in solid news reporting, not the junk we have today.

Oh well. Days long gone. jazzluvr is right. It is sad.
20 December 2007
at 10:20 a.m.

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Ragingbear (Anonymous) says…

Stop eating my Aquadots!
20 December 2007
at 10:23 a.m.

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kelloellot (Anonymous) says…

Wow, you completely dodged any personal blame. take responsibility.
20 December 2007
at 10:40 a.m.

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kelloellot (Anonymous) says…

The worst part for you is that other newspapers were also contacted yet they decided to check it out first. Looks like LJW will have to approve posts before their highschool level journalists upload anything. This has to make you feel really good about your reporting…

http://www.cjonline.com/stories/12200…
20 December 2007
at 11:10 a.m.

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The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…

“I'm just saying that sports pages do not conform to news reporting standards.”

Yep. Just look at ESPN.

That doesn't make it right, though. Les Miles had to call a team meeting 5 hours prior to the SEC championship game because ESPN clown Herby claimed he knew from a source that he was heading to Michigan. It was a lie. LSU won the game, but Miles had to have a press conference and the team meeting to refute a false and baseless sports report. That had to be distracting to the coaches and the players.
20 December 2007
at 12:03 p.m.

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The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…

Deadspin jumped on this…

http://deadspin.com/336151/pity-the-p…
20 December 2007
at 7:43 p.m.

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thebcman (Anonymous) says…

I just called Ryan Wood and told him that Roy Williams is thinking of leaving for UNC.