The Amazing Super Zgoda Does Double Duty
By Brian Lambert
Admittedly I had to have it pointed out to me, but damn, that Jerry Zgoda, the Strib's Timberwolves beat writer, can cover a lot of ground.
This past Wednesday morning's Strib featured a very nicely written 1A story by Zgoda on the Westminster Dog Show in Madison Square Garden. (Zgoda reminded us of his NBA chops by working Willis Reed into the lead.) As we all know by now, Uno the beagle won best in show. Damn cute dog. (BTW: Do you think Uno ever rolls in deer crap like my dog?) Zgoda worked in Minnesota angles, dropped mention of Christopher Guest's hilarious movie, and pretty well delivered enough goods to call it a day, hit a couple Manhattan bars, and do a little damage to the Avista expense account.
But no.
The same Jerry Zgoda was also in the paper Wednesday back on C2 with a report on that big, make-or-break Timberwolves vs. New Jersey Nets game across the Hudson in the Meadowlands. Never mind that anyone covering the Wolves these days should get combat pay, or at least a prescription for Cipro. Zgoda struck again. Another solid piece.
But . . . wait a minute. Weren't the dog show and the basketball game going on at pretty much the same time? I mean, the dog show was on TV from 8 to 11 p.m. New York time, and the Wolves game started a little after 7:30 p.m. EST. I've had some insane cab rides in New York, but that's Clark Kent stuff—from Madison Square Garden to New Jersey in no time at all?
OK, so we all know how this really went down. Zgoda (whom I haven't heard back from), probably did the day in the city working the dog show, getting his interviews, then cabbed it over to the Meadowlands—or flew, whatever—and covered the Woofies. Maybe he caught the end of the dog show on TV from the Izod Center. (The what Center?)
But the 1A bit plays like the Strib's man, Super Zgoda, was an eyewitness to beagle history.
Glen Crevier, Zgoda's boss and the Strib's sports editor, says that's pretty much what happened. "Jerry loves dogs, and he always wanted to go to the show, so he offered to do another story while he was out there. It got picked up on 1A. He did the beagle story early in the day then went over to the game."
Now I don't know if there is any point at all anymore in talking wistfully of "the old days" when supposedly newspapers would send TWO reporters to New York to cover two completely different stories going on at precisely the same time. Never mind Zgoda deftly conflating Willis Reed and Uno the beagle. But Crevier headed me off just as I was building up steam for a rant about cheapskate papers milking a poor, working stiff (Zgoda) for double duty to justify a plane ticket to New York.
"No, no," said Crevier. "We haven't pulled anyone off the road covering the Wolves. It isn't a money thing. Jerry just likes to do stories on the side. He did one out of Memphis not too long ago." (It occurred to me after we hung up that the real story here might be the fact the Strib HASN'T sliced the Wolves-beat travel budget despite all the paper's money troubles and the nearly non-existent local interest in "our team.")
Knowing how many Strib writers are voluntarily taking on additional work to look like the busy, indispensable guy/gal when (not if) the scythe goes through the newsroom again, I still wonder if all things being equal Zgoda might have preferred taking a casual stroll around Central Park that afternoon instead of filing a dog story before covering a basketball game.
Then there's the "perception" issue of the Strib allowing its readers to believe Zgoda was there in person at the moment Uno got the nod.
"Well, look," said Crevier. "It's a story about a dog show. It's not like we were covering a presidential debate or something."
© 2008 MSP Communications, Inc. All rights reserved
How, in this age of so-called transparency, could the Star Tribune present those stories as if they both were deadline duty from evening events? It would be one thing if the dog story specifically referred to Tuesday morning or Tuesday afternoon, and the editors put an "update' box into that feature coverage to account for the late beagle result. But it had Zgoda writing the top of the story as if he covered the entire evening, when in fact he was sitting over in New Jersey.
So they didn't do it because they're cheap. Fine. But they misled readers and propped up an early story to make it look "live." If the New York Times did something similar, in this day and age, it would get bludgeoned.
No matter how they try to explain it away, seems like the Stribbers were attempting to do more with less: Cover two events at the same time, in different cities (and states!) with one reporter. Fraudulent all the same.
LAMBERT: In the old school days the cranky by-the-rules editor would have dictated precisely the points you make here.
Posted by: Anonymous on February 15, 2008 at 5:11 PM
So you're saying that the Strib is *not* going to the dogs...?
LAMBERT: More like ... "... is looking like the dachshund-collie mongrel no one wants to take home from the pound."
Posted by: Tuned In on Washington on February 16, 2008 at 12:09 PM
I'm looking forward to Sid Hartman's reports this week on the Wisconsin primary. Bill and Hillary are close personal friends, aren't they?
LAMBERT: Sid I believe is still tight with Tom Dewey.
Posted by: A Son of Mississippi on February 16, 2008 at 12:17 PM
Eh, given the barely staunched bleeding in the newsroom at the Strib, I think my dudgeon would be a lot higher if I found out they actually sent a reporter to NYC just to cover the damn Westminster Dog Show.
How it got onto page one is beyond me. But I really don't care if Zgoda caught the doggies' denouement on the tube rather than from high in the stands. That's pretty much how a lot of state and U.S. Capitol reporters cover the floor of the legislature and the congress. The part of the show he needed to actually physically report, the pre-show grooming, etc. Zgoda was there in the flesh.
I guess we'll have to live without his reporting on the wildly sordid details (who was seen sniffing whose butt) and wretched excesses (who had too many liver snaps and left a little something for Plaza staff on the oriental carpet)from the after party scene. But these are parsimonious times.
LAMBERT: Will you be as upset with the Strib's all hands on deck coverage of the Masters?
Posted by: Jim Leinfelder on February 18, 2008 at 1:27 PM
Thankfully, the Strib is serving up a giant helping of "Black Parenting Class" today, to help wash away the Demond Reed nightmare.
Thank you, Strib!
LAMBERT: Have you ever been treated for monomania?
Posted by: bertram jr on February 18, 2008 at 4:07 PM
Very interesting...but could you look into something else for me? As our most influential media pundit I'd like you to find out why MinnPost won't publish my comments. They offer the flimsy excuse that "Frogman of Grant" is not my real name. How can it not be? Nobody else is using it. Plus, they can't possibly be getting enough hits to turn away the kind of pithy and entertaining fare for which I am certifiably famous. Or at least certifiable.
LAMBERT: The shocker here is that I have limited influence with MinnPost. If I did they'd cover Heidi Klum a lot more than they do. But I'll call and put in a good word. How should I describe you? Cranky contrarian or contrary crank?
Posted by: Frogman of Grant on February 18, 2008 at 4:37 PM
Brian -- What's up with C.J. stealing info from your KQ/Tommy B in Florida post, but NOT giving you any props? Seems pretty lame to me.
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/15683462.html
Apparently you're just a "mspmag.com blog" to C.J.
LAMBERT: My rule of thumb is if the quote I lift consumes more than half my column, I mention the writer by name. But that's just me.
Posted by: Paul in St. Paul on February 18, 2008 at 9:09 PM
I think the really big news of the weekend is that CJ came pretty close to admitting that she reads this scintillating blog. And, perhaps, its sin-tillating comments. While I'm reluctant to describe it as such, it's a heady crew.
LAMBERT: I'll fade off into the sunset if I get confirmation that Par Ridder reads this blog.
Posted by: A Son of Mississippi on February 19, 2008 at 8:35 AM
Monomania?
I'd posit that the tone of their racial coverage is a major bone of contention with the more astute readers of the Strib.
Why, with the shockingly unqualified Barry Husssein Obama making a run to become our, er "second black President (?), shouldn't the Strib be less transparent with their rather sadly apologetic coverage of the black "community".
(Don't get me started on CJ).
What do you have against the Masters?
It makes the ideal change of scenery for Reusse after three weeks in Ft. Myers.
LAMBERT: Seek help.
Posted by: bertram jr on February 19, 2008 at 9:08 AM
That's a first. I've never read the phrase "astute readers" used as a euphemism for unrepentent bigots before.
Posted by: Jim Leinfelder on February 19, 2008 at 11:16 AM
I think the real story here is that anyone would actually read anything regarding the Timberwolves. Jerry could have wrote the same column 6 weeks ago and simply did a find and replace on the opponent. Could anyone actually blame him?
"The Timberwolves again produced a lame effort last night falling {insert score} to the {insert team name}"
LAMBERT: I did finally talk with Zgoda and he pointed out that the LA Times has periodically yanked its beat writer from Clippers road games. Of course, they do have the Lakers to follow out there. But you're right about the nearly total lack of interest right now. Speaking for myself I'd go watch a game ... but I'm so cheap I'll never spend even $40 on an ... upper bowl ... NBA game. Glen Taylor and his staff might consider something like "value-pricing" the rest of this season. Or a lottery that lets a few lucky fans it down within a dozen rows of the court, where the action finally looks better than what they could get for free on TV.
Posted by: twinkie on February 19, 2008 at 12:53 PM