Fred Oien article

[JimmyJack]

Re: Fred Oien article

I know this wasn't an assignment from his editor. Terry, as beat writer, is responsible for generating what we call "enterprise" stories, or topical, newsworthy stories from his beat. TV generated this one. How do I know that? Two ways: First, I have talked to him about it. Second, I know from having worked in newsrooms how things are done. No doubt TV bounced this idea off of his editor, but it wasn't "assigned" to him by his editor. TV is responsible for this one, and I know from talking to him, that he did the best he could do with it.

Want a news story that you disagree with to go away? It's easy, do what JackJD (or is it MD?) always recommends: Don't let them rent space in your head. Add my advice to that: When it comes to the media, you have to take the bad with the good. And finally, there's the old saying: There's no point arguing with somebody who buys paper by the truckload and ink by the barrel.

Reporters and editors will do what they do. Ultimately, have we gotten good coverage (both in quantity and quality) by and large from the Argus? I'll say. There will always be bad stories. But nobody's going to remember the details of this one in a few months. What they will note is the overall direction of SDSU coverage. We're doing pretty well overall.

[jackmd]

Re: Fred Oien article

If there was a smoking gun to this story I did not see it or TV has not found it yet. So Fred ruffled some feathers with his tough management style. BIG DEAL! Was he perfect in his personal or professional life? No and neither is anyone else on this board. The only difference is this job is a little more in the public eye. I doubt many could have put up with the pressure of dealing with the DI naysayers and steering SDSU through the complicated process of the transition. My hats off to Fred and enjoy your well deserved retirement. I think his send off could have been handled much better when you weigh all the things he has done for SDSU!

I fall closer to JGII and #1 on this subject. The article was unnecessary and does a disservice to Dr. Oien and what he meant to SDSU, his staff, and his student athletes during his early years in the NCC and through the transition ti DI. I don't recall him asking for any glory and I know that he has had to acknowledge his shortcomings in a much more public light than most of us. I'll shake his hand and say thank you every time I get the chance. I'm not going to crucify TV for writing the article because Dr. Oien is SDSU and TV is the SDSU beat writer for the Argus.

[Nidaros]

Re: Fred Oien article

Just an inquiry: If the article had stayed the exact same as it was, but it said "Written by Stu Whitney" how many of you guys would be all over him?

Anyways, I'm going to have to break out a certain red shirt from my closet tomorrow I think.

I know I am being redunant and posting something that appeared in the prior post, I feel it needs repeating.

Since Stu Whitney is the sport director at the Argus Leader, the story was written as an assignment given to Terry Vandevec, beat writer for SDSU Sports. A logic assignment I suppose, but given another person other than Stu Whitney as being the sports editor, there would not likely to be a story written about the retirement of Dr Fred Oien.

What makes me so mad is the mention or suggestion of an ongoing investigation. What investigation? I think that investigation died the day Dr. Oien chose retirement on his own terms. Even if it was investigation, it was a personnel matter and one that the state laws protect with privacy laws.

So Stu is very much a part of this article, and I for one am very upset with the garbage that appeared in print.

BTW you are always wearing a red shirt at least in your small mind.

[TeaJackrabbit]

Re: Fred Oien article

I think people would look at it like this:

Terry V. is the beat writer for SDSU. He covers all things Jackrabbit related. Some of them can be good (i.e. Womens NCAA Basketball Tournament) or bad (i.e. the article in discussion). It was his job to cover the story since it was most likely assigned to him from someone higher up than himself (I'm not claiming to know anything about the journalism business. I'm an electrical engineer.). We can't fault him for doing his job. We have to take the bad with the good, and TV has given us nothing but good so far.

Stu W. is the sports editor of the states largest newspaper. Its his goal to help sell papers. Artlicles like this tend to do that. Its his job to come with stories like this. There was lots of speculation on why Fred up and retired at one of the highest times in SDSU's sports history instead of riding out the year. It was his job to come up with the story behind it. The difference between him and TV is that Stu has always seemed to have a bone to pick with SDSU and people would see it as such. His distain for SDSU, in particular the MBB struggles, are evident in most of the articles or blogs he writes where SDSU is mentions.

To be, I see it as Stu was one of the driving forces behind. I believe he tried to hide it by having TV write it instead of himself. If it was Stu that wrote it, a large part of the SDSU community would see it as Stu trying to get under their skin and showing more of his distain for the school. Since TV wrote it, it can be seen as "hard hitting" SDSU article penned by their own beat writer and maybe the SDSU community can se it as that instead of the vindictiveness that can be seen as an SDSU story by Stu.

Just remember, Terry is not an SDSU PR representitive. Its his job to the stories assigned to him, good or bad.

Good post. A couple things I would disagree with;

I don't think Stu has a problem w/ SDSU. It's just Stu, he has a problem w/ everything. He's the annoying kid in the class who knows he'll get attention by being a jerk and once he finds out what annoys you he'll continue to pick away at it and drive you crazy, if you let it. Once you realize he's just trying to get attention you just smirk at him and don't pay him any attention.

I don't think Stu would have any issue w/ writing a story like this and getting hell for it. In fact, like I mentioned above, I think he lives for just that.

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Fred Oien article

If there was a smoking gun to this story I did not see it or TV has not found it yet. So Fred ruffled some feathers with his tough management style. BIG DEAL! Was he perfect in his personal or professional life? No and neither is anyone else on this board. The only difference is this job is a little more in the public eye. I doubt many could have put up with the pressure of dealing with the DI naysayers and steering SDSU through the complicated process of the transition. My hats off to Fred and enjoy your well deserved retirement. I think his send off could have been handled much better when you weigh all the things he has done for SDSU!

[Evolution Prime]

Re: Fred Oien article

Just an inquiry: If the article had stayed the exact same as it was, but it said "Written by Stu Whitney" how many of you guys would be all over him?

I think people would look at it like this:

Terry V. is the beat writer for SDSU. He covers all things Jackrabbit related. Some of them can be good (i.e. Womens NCAA Basketball Tournament) or bad (i.e. the article in discussion). It was his job to cover the story since it was most likely assigned to him from someone higher up than himself (I'm not claiming to know anything about the journalism business. I'm an electrical engineer.). We can't fault him for doing his job. We have to take the bad with the good, and TV has given us nothing but good so far.

Stu W. is the sports editor of the states largest newspaper. Its his goal to help sell papers. Artlicles like this tend to do that. Its his job to come with stories like this. There was lots of speculation on why Fred up and retired at one of the highest times in SDSU's sports history instead of riding out the year. It was his job to come up with the story behind it. The difference between him and TV is that Stu has always seemed to have a bone to pick with SDSU and people would see it as such. His distain for SDSU, in particular the MBB struggles, are evident in most of the articles or blogs he writes where SDSU is mentions.

To be, I see it as Stu was one of the driving forces behind. I believe he tried to hide it by having TV write it instead of himself. If it was Stu that wrote it, a large part of the SDSU community would see it as Stu trying to get under their skin and showing more of his distain for the school. Since TV wrote it, it can be seen as "hard hitting" SDSU article penned by their own beat writer and maybe the SDSU community can se it as that instead of the vindictiveness that can be seen as an SDSU story by Stu.

Just remember, Terry is not an SDSU PR representitive. Its his job to the stories assigned to him, good or bad.

[NorCalJack]

Re: Fred Oien article

Anyways, I'm going to have to break out a certain red shirt from my closet tomorrow I think.

RO, one of these?

[TeaJackrabbit]

Re: Fred Oien article

Just an inquiry: If the article had stayed the exact same as it was, but it said "Written by Stu Whitney" how many of you guys would be all over him?.

I wondered the same thing. No question people would be much, much more critical of Stu......and for good reason. Stu is the Jay Mariotti of the Argus. He's a pot stirrer and his (bad) reputation is earned.

I have heard positive things about Mick and TV and, to a much lesser degree, Zim, but never a positive word about Stu. And I suppose he likes it that way. I bet he drives a junker

[RabbitObsessed]

Re: Fred Oien article

Just an inquiry: If the article had stayed the exact same as it was, but it said "Written by Stu Whitney" how many of you guys would be all over him?

Anyways, I'm going to have to break out a certain red shirt from my closet tomorrow I think.

[Kemo]

Re: Fred Oien article

The story didn't bring a lot of new information to the table besides the rumor that Fred might have been under investigation in the fall. I think that if there was harder evidence to support this, the story would have been notable to bring up, but without hard evidence it is nothing more than just that, a rumor... but then again, this story was going to be ran regardless of evidence, as it has been foreshadowed multiple times by the Argus's sports editor.

I hope people don't garner ill feelings towards Terry, as I speculate he was instructed to investigate the situation, to which he did his job. I don't pretend to be an expert on journalism, so I'll ask this question: Don't editors decide what stories are ran in the paper, not team beat writers? Just some food for thought.

[zooropa]

Re: Fred Oien article

talking about one's 1976 Datsun Sundowner with more rust than paint will really confuse them!

I knew a guy. Had a 70s Toyota Corolla. Painted it with a bunch of 98 cent cans of Walmart spray paint one weekend. Used to drive it to work from the east side to downtown.

Said he'd turn the engine off and let it coast from Bahnson & 18th all the way down to River Blvd.

Crazy thing is you can actually do that as long as you don't get a red light at Cleveland.

---

BTW: Red 2000 Sable. Wrong side of 100k, but no transmission problems!!

[JackJD]

Re: Fred Oien article

There is only one thing I learned from reading the story and then this thread:

The age/condition of one's vehicle is the new alternative to pie on this message board (which I understand is the shorthand expression used by posters to note a thread is, well, threadbare and worn out).

I heard the sun is coming up in the morning.

Go Jacks...lots of great things happening at SDSU!

Added later: The pie comments just baffle the heck out of irregular visitors to this board. Now, talking about one's 1976 Datsun B210 Sundowner with more rust than paint will really confuse them!

[EQguy]

Re: Fred Oien article

If the Argus wants to be fair and balanced and I doubt they do, then they could also try and find the full story on the departures of Jack Doyle and Kelly Higgins the two AD'S prior to Joel Nielsen. Just to refresh my memory, the Argus could dig up their legacies for exposure while they are at it.

While the article is maybe slightly unfair to Dr. Oien I don't think Terry has done anything to give someone reason to believe he is not been totally fair to SDSU. As a matter of fact this may be the very first thing he has written about anyone involved with SDSU athletics that does not shine a positive light.

I think its important not to let our personal histories with Dr. Oien cloud our judgement about what this article really means. I don't care if it took 6 months or 6 years to write the article, in the end there is reason to believe that Dr. Oien wasn't the hero several here want to make everyone believe he was. Does that change what he did to get SDSU to where it is now? No, not at all. It just dims the light that people want to shine on him as this white knight out in front of the Athletic Department for the past 20 years.

[Jacked_Up]

Re: Fred Oien article

I credit TV for not ignoring the elephant that's been in the room for for the past five months, causing rumors. Now, as other fans have pointed out, we can move on, and the new AD can start with a clear slate.

[launcher46]

Re: Fred Oien article

Maybe this is the big article that everyone thought Stu was writing. Anyway, I don't blame TV for the article. Really, who else was going to write it? TV is the beat writer for SDSU and as such we should take the good with the bad, and he has been exeptionally good for us. Now is just some time for that bad to come out.

I'm with zooropa, on this one. I think it was not an isolated incident and it finally caught up with him. If it was as a big of problem as some are making out to be, then maybe he was finally asked to step down.

The timing of the article could have been better, but it probably has to do with the amount of research that possibly went into it. It will eventually pass. Nothing I will be losing sleep over.

That is a very good point... I think that is closer to the truth than what 99.9% of people on here believe.