What is the Pioneer Press Looking For?

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Iceland12

Iceland12

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Got this from the University. Apparently the Pioneer Press wants to know who contributed to the Gary Tinsley Fund. What the heck are they looking for?

Thank you for your gift to the Gary Tinsley Memorial Fund. Your continued support of Minnesota Athletics and Gopher Football during this difficult time is greatly appreciated.

The University of Minnesota has been sent an open records request by the St. Paul Pioneer Press regarding gifts made to the Gary Tinsley Memorial Fund. The University is required by law to make the names of donors, within gift ranges, public if requested as a part of the Freedom of Information Act.

 

They might just be looking for the overall amount and number of donors and general info like that, so they can write a story on it. Or maybe they're just looking for something out of the ordinary.
 

The cynical side of me is suspicious. A guy at work told me that "Whistleblowers" got a complaint from someone about the U paying for his team mates to attend the funeral. I'll bet that this was part of that. Good god, what a world.
 

I would sure hope that if a player dies, that the school pays for the team to go to the funeral. And I would also hope the NCAA would allow this without question.
 

Got that email as well. Given the press coverage of the U in this town, the cynic in me shares Highwayman's thoughts. In the MSP media market seems to be en vogue at times.

Somehow, I don't think the Columbus Dispatch or the Wisconsin State Journal would do this. In those towns, the university wags the dog.

But perhaps they were just looking to do a positive story on the rumored 'big donors' who put up the bulk of the $$ to get the team down to Florida for the funeral. One can only hope.
 


When it comes to a potential scandal, I have no doubt the Madison papers would go after it. They dug in after the Chadima thing pretty well for example. For anything else (i.e. "normal" sports news) they can be pretty deferential if not fawning.
 

Gopher Bandanna Guy said:
Somehow, I don't think the Columbus Dispatch or the Wisconsin State Journal would do this. In those towns, the university wags the dog.
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I think in general terms those college town newspapers take fewer shots at the sports programs of their towns. However, when there's scandal to uncover, newspapers in college towns are aggressive. Columbus newspaper was aggressive in the OSU scandal, Madison paper dug in on Chadima, and back in the late 1980s the Cedar Rapids paper won national awards in uncovering some things on class loads of Iowa athletes.
 

F the pioneer press. don't trust those d-bags nor their counterparts at the star tribune. only is this town would a paper be digging for something related to flying a team down to FL and back the same day for their teammates funeral.

most journalists, columnists and reporters are scum bags who only care about ONE THING: i.e. themselves while promoting/furthering their career. no matter who they step on along the way.

that is all.
 

Iceland12 said:
Got this from the University. Apparently the Pioneer Press wants to know who contributed to the Gary Tinsley Fund. What the heck are they looking for?

Thank you for your gift to the Gary Tinsley Memorial Fund. Your continued support of Minnesota Athletics and Gopher Football during this difficult time is greatly appreciated.

The University of Minnesota has been sent an open records request by the St. Paul Pioneer Press regarding gifts made to the Gary Tinsley Memorial Fund. The University is required by law to make the names of donors, within gift ranges, public if requested as a part of the Freedom of Information Act.
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Perhaps it's something innocent - like wanting to interview donors about the reasons why they gave for a story? Or really thinking the very best - maybe they are paying to publicly thank all the donors in the paper one day? Who knows. I just personally don't think anything negative should be associated with this, as it's a wonderful thing to donate to.
 



GopherLady said:
Perhaps it's something innocent - like wanting to interview donors about the reasons why they gave for a story? Or really thinking the very best - maybe they are paying to publicly thank all the donors in the paper one day? Who knows. I just personally don't think anything negative should be associated with this, as it's a wonderful thing to donate to.
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you really believe the tabloid-esque newspapers in this city would be that giving and doing something heartfelt? wish i could say i felt the same about them. i don't trust the intentions of either one. they are always digging for a tabloid-esque story they can throw at the U of M.
 

supadupafly said:
you really believe the tabloid-esque newspapers in this city would be that giving and doing something heartfelt? wish i could say i felt the same about them. i don't trust the intentions of either one. they are always digging for a tabloid-esque story they can throw at the U of M.
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Don't you think you're being a little harsh. My PPress personal contact is pretty much limited to Marcus Fuller - and I don't see him as any kind of tabloid journalist. I don't see him throwing the U of MN under the bus, he does report what really happens - which isn't all good news.
 

GopherLady said:
Don't you think you're being a little harsh. My PPress personal contact is pretty much limited to Marcus Fuller - and I don't see him as any kind of tabloid journalist. I don't see him throwing the U of MN under the bus, he does report what really happens - which isn't all good news.
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please note when referencing journalists, columnists and reporters that i used the word "most", not "all".

and no, i don't think i am being too harsh on them.
 

tjgopher said:
I think in general terms those college town newspapers take fewer shots at the sports programs of their towns. However, when there's scandal to uncover, newspapers in college towns are aggressive. Columbus newspaper was aggressive in the OSU scandal, Madison paper dug in on Chadima, and back in the late 1980s the Cedar Rapids paper won national awards in uncovering some things on class loads of Iowa athletes.
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I should not have suggested that those towns' papers don't ever pursue stories that may negatively reflect the flagship university, but rather that they seem only fully agressive when it has become a brazenly obvious issue.

In the Chadima case, there wasn't much to dig in on - as UW themselves released the report and that alone was enough grounds for his dismissal. The other items that popped up later just made it that much easier for them to show Chadima the door. With Tressell, the NCAA was already elbow deep in Tressell's issues and lying, and SI (not the local media) found 8-years worth of violations. Point is, the paper didn't 'break' the story, and aggressively track down.

When other non-media groups (internal or otherwise) or national outlets release the information, not reporting locally becomes so irresponsible that the paper can't avoid having to do some leg-work and confirmation.
 



GopherLady said:
Perhaps it's something innocent - like wanting to interview donors about the reasons why they gave for a story? Or really thinking the very best - maybe they are paying to publicly thank all the donors in the paper one day? Who knows. I just personally don't think anything negative should be associated with this, as it's a wonderful thing to donate to.
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Don't blame us for being cynical of the local media. They've tempered us to react this way. Feel good stories don't sell papers. Scandal and impropriety do.

It's surely conspiratorial to think this way, but my gut reaction is that the PiPress editors were banking on some sordid details on GT's death to come out, post-autopsy. With that 'hope' down the drain, thanks to Mr. Tinsley's enlarged heart issue, this became the fall back investigation - find out if there were any improprieties in the collection and distribution of monies involved in this fund. That's just a gut reaction, as I said. But I hope you are right, and this is going to be a postive story.
 

supadupafly said:
please note when referencing journalists, columnists and reporters that i used the word "most", not "all".

and no, i don't think i am being too harsh on them.
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So the primary source of coverage from the PiPress is ok but most everyone else there "are always digging for a tabloid-esque story they can throw at the U of M" (examples of which you don't provide)?

The tenor of coverage in the TC media can certainly be grating (particularly from the columnists) but this is a pretty bold thing to throw out there without some backup.
 

Gopher Bandanna Guy said:
Don't blame us for being cynical of the local media. They've tempered us to react this way. Feel good stories don't sell papers. Scandal and impropriety do.

It's surely conspiratorial to think this way, but my gut reaction is that the PiPress editors were banking on some sordid details on GT's death to come out, post-autopsy. With that 'hope' down the drain, thanks to Mr. Tinsley's enlarged heart issue, this became the fall back investigation - find out if there were any improprieties in the collection and distribution of monies involved in this fund. That's just a gut reaction, as I said. But I hope you are right, and this is going to be a postive story.
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Hard not to get past this perception. The discussions on the "Comments" section on ESPN after Tinsley's death made me sick. When the cause of death was announced I thought it would get a little better play locally then a couple of paragraphs on page 4. If it turned out to be drugs you KNOW it would have. Since the PP&D got their Pulitzer in 2000 for Gangelhoff's misdeeds every time there is a chance of scandal, the campus is crawling with reporters, otherwise not so much. I don't want to be thanked for my donation by the paper, and I'd hope that even the big donors feel the same way.

The best Gopher Fans can hope for, honestly? That we hear nothing ever again about the Tinsley Fund.
 

Iceland12 said:
Hard not to get past this perception. The discussions on the "Comments" section on ESPN after Tinsley's death made me sick. When the cause of death was announced I thought it would get a little better play locally then a couple of paragraphs on page 4. If it turned out to be drugs you KNOW it would have. Since the PP&D got their Pulitzer in 2000 for Gangelhoff's misdeeds every time there is a chance of scandal, the campus is crawling with reporters, otherwise not so much. I don't want to be thanked for my donation by the paper, and I'd hope that even the big donors feel the same way.

The best Gopher Fans can hope for, honestly? That we hear nothing ever again about the Tinsley Fund.
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Well said Iceland. If GT died from a drug OD, then we'd be in the midst of a front-page expose on U Footballers and illegal drug use. Conversely, Iowa's Derrell Johnson-Koulianos was caught with pot, coke, and prescription drugs, and Kirk Ferenz quickly made sure that the story was spun that it was surely only one player was involved with drugs, despite the glaring fact that the athletic program's drug testing was not exactly working.

Maybe we'll find out what the PiPress intent was, maybe not. My guess is if we never hear about this FOIA request again, it means they didn't find the dirt they were seeking.
 

I was also suspicious so I inquired with the U. They thought it was related to a story done by the "Watchdog" columnist in response to a letter from a parent of a U student. The parent was wondering where the travel money came from given that tuition was so high and the response indicated that the money came from the Gary Tinsley Memorial Fund and an NCAA fund for "emergencies" for student/athletes. If I could copy the link I would (I'll keep trying unless someone does it first).
 


Who gets angry enough about kids going to a FUNERAL to contact the University and the local media? Now I'm appalled that his offspring is receiving TAXPAYER subsidies for their education.
 

supadupafly said:
most journalists, columnists and reporters are scum bags who only care about ONE THING: i.e. themselves while promoting/furthering their career. no matter who they step on along the way.
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You're a dick.
 

Because of the reticence he encountered, he assumed that taxpayer money covered the flight. And that upset him.
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Even if the U wasn't forthcoming (unlikely, more likely explanation is that he asked people who didn't know and that those people suck at follow-up) I hope this hothead feels some shame to see their stupidity outlined in print. "I don't know so lets assume an answer that pisses me off" is not a good way to go through life.
 

If the Pioneer Press wanted to do a feel good story about the funding of the funeral it would have been a day or two after the funeral.

Go Gophers!!
 

mattw1067 said:
You're a dick.
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Agreed. And I actually agree with the sentiment that the media here tends to be harder on the University than the media in Madison or Iowa (and I would venture to say the same thing about Green Bay vs. the Vikings). And guess what? That's their JOB. There's more than enough 'feel good' stories out there, here and elsewhere. The difference is that the Twin Cities are a major media market...the barrier to entry for a working journalist is higher here than it is in Madison or Iowa City. Someone who's awed by having access to Hawkeye coaches/players is less likely to be critical of the program, sure, but that also means they're less likely to aggressively pursue corruption, scandal, law-breaking, etc, and expose it to the light of day. Which is a big part of what they're supposed to be doing, even if they're "just" sports journalists.

I have issues with the coverage of the team here sometimes, sure. There's a big downside to all the negativity in this town. But to wish for fawning synchophants is to wish for crappy journalists.
 

RedPoo said:
Agreed. And I actually agree with the sentiment that the media here tends to be harder on the University than the media in Madison or Iowa (and I would venture to say the same thing about Green Bay vs. the Vikings). And guess what? That's their JOB. There's more than enough 'feel good' stories out there, here and elsewhere. The difference is that the Twin Cities are a major media market...the barrier to entry for a working journalist is higher here than it is in Madison or Iowa City. Someone who's awed by having access to Hawkeye coaches/players is less likely to be critical of the program, sure, but that also means they're less likely to aggressively pursue corruption, scandal, law-breaking, etc, and expose it to the light of day. Which is a big part of what they're supposed to be doing, even if they're "just" sports journalists.

I have issues with the coverage of the team here sometimes, sure. There's a big downside to all the negativity in this town. But to wish for fawning synchophants is to wish for crappy journalists.
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The only media I have an issue with is the anti Gopher football dink. Reusse.
 

RedPoo said:
Agreed. And I actually agree with the sentiment that the media here tends to be harder on the University than the media in Madison or Iowa (and I would venture to say the same thing about Green Bay vs. the Vikings). And guess what? That's their JOB. There's more than enough 'feel good' stories out there, here and elsewhere. The difference is that the Twin Cities are a major media market...the barrier to entry for a working journalist is higher here than it is in Madison or Iowa City. Someone who's awed by having access to Hawkeye coaches/players is less likely to be critical of the program, sure, but that also means they're less likely to aggressively pursue corruption, scandal, law-breaking, etc, and expose it to the light of day. Which is a big part of what they're supposed to be doing, even if they're "just" sports journalists.

I have issues with the coverage of the team here sometimes, sure. There's a big downside to all the negativity in this town. But to wish for fawning synchophants is to wish for crappy journalists.
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Just looking for something in the middle Red, just looking for something in the middle..
 

Iceland12 said:
Just looking for something in the middle Red, just looking for something in the middle..
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...I'm with you there, actually. I have plenty of issues with the local sports media (Reusse included) but it's mostly when they're lazy and/or unnecessarily negative. I just really dislike the sentiment supadupafly was espousing, that if the media is digging around for a story it's because they're selfish, malicious tabloid jackals out to smear good people to advance their own personal agendas. You can't fault someone for sniffing around for a story...now, if they write an unfair/inaccurate one, that's an entirely different animal.
 

So the Pioneer Press, after publishing a number of positive articles about Gary Tinsley, gets a Watchdog complaint from some idiot, investigates, and writes an article clearing the University of any wrongdoing.

What the hell is there to complain about?
 

Whoever that is needs a reality check. What a selfish and embarrassing thing to do, no wonder they remain anonymous.

Do they really think 46k saved by not supporting the Gopher Football Family, a major part of the University, in its intention to deal with a very unfortunate and tragic situation by recognizing and honoring a great young man who lost his life would lower tuition rates?

For me, at least, there are things that are more important than money and the U and donors stepping up to support the Gopher Football Family in a time of need is a no brainer and honestly I can't think of a better way for the U to spend money, in this case 46k, compared to I believe an overall budget of around $2 Billion.

RIP GT
 

Curseislifted33 said:
Whoever that is needs a reality check. What a selfish and embarrassing thing to do, no wonder they remain anonymous.

Do they really think 46k saved by not supporting the Gopher Football Family, a major part of the University, in its intention to deal with a very unfortunate and tragic situation by recognizing and honoring a great young man who lost his life would lower tuition rates?

For me, at least, there are things that are more important than money and the U and donors stepping up to support the Gopher Football Family in a time of need is a no brainer and honestly I can't think of a better way for the U to spend money, in this case 46k, compared to I believe an overall budget of around $2 Billion.

RIP GT
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If the U had completely paid for the team to fly to Florida, it would have increased each student's tuition by 87-1/2 cents. A year.
 

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