Smoking Gun: Trojan Bias In The LA Times Exposed?

by Guest Blogger on Jun 9, 2008 4:15 AM PDT in Football Comment 33 comments

RSM Bruin fan recently had a very interesting email exchange with Bill Dwyre , who was sports editor of the Times for 25 years until he stepped down in May 2006 to write as a columnist. In this exchange Dwyre seem to essentially hints at a Pro-Trojan bias (cover up?) by his colleagues in the sports section. GO BRUINS. -N

I've had some back & forth dialog with Bill Dwyre, the former editor of the Los Angeles Times in recent weeks, since the Mayo story broke on ESPN, and I thought I'd share some of the recent comments on the LA Times coverage of 'SC player transgressions that Bill has provided. Take them for what they are worth.

First, I sent a scathing email to just about everyone in the LA Times Sports department, along with most of upper/senior management basically lambasting them for their pathetic and embarrassing lack of journalistic integrity relating to the activities taking place within & around the 'SC athletic department.

From this email I received a lone response, which was from Bill Dwyre.

"I don't know if anybody else will answer you here, but, for what it is worth, I can tell you I'm damned embarrassed and I don't even run the section anymore."

My reply to Bill was that I appreciated his response and that it was truly a shame what has become of the LA Times. It's lost all its journalist integrity and professionalism and that the likes of Jim Murray must be rolling over in their graves.

Then a few days later after Menelaus on BruinsNation had updated the list of mischievous 'SC player activities, I sent it off to the same email distribution list as my original email. (Sarcasm alert) I let them know that since they seemed to be asleep at the wheel, I would try to help them restore some of their pride by providing them with the list in order to help jump start their pending renewal of investigative journalism. I said that I felt the tide was turning and that they would begin to actually do some of their own work rather than continue to only report on the work other true journalist performed (i.e. Yahoo, ESPN, AP, etc.)

The lone response from this email, again, was from Bill Dwyre.

"Pretty damning when you put it all together like this…."

My response back to Bill was that the most embarrassing part of it for the LA Times should be that not a single bit of all that was listed was uncovered, investigated nor pursued by the LA Times. Nearly all the information was made public by news sources outside the city. The LA Times only reported on most of it, after another news source broke the story.

To this Bill responded with what I consider to be a very enlightening comment, which prompted this post.

"Well, you are right on most counts except for one, the Mark Sanchez case. I investigated, pursued, wrote twice, at great length, and never got a word in the paper. I'd love to send you copies, but I'm not allowed to. But I sure have them.

Plus, although I no longer run the sports section, I hear that we are taking a good run at the O.J. Mayo case, although we've already been hammered by ESPN pretty good on that one.

We had the news of all these stories you mentioned, but not all that much in-depth follow-up."

To me his last email showed a clear and methodical strategy by the LA Times editors to keep things as quite as possible when it comes to negative publicity regarding 'SC athletics. Bill essentially says that the writers are doing the work, but the editors are vetoing it and not allowing it to be published.

- RSM Bruin

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Comments

Bill Dwyre

Is a quality guy and a good writer. I first read Bill when he was writing for the Milwaukee Journal and I was living in Madison, WI.

I was disappointed when he left and joined the LA Times.

It is sad to see a quality, old-school guy lament the demise and failure of the place he used to run.

Having grown up on Jim Murray, I agree with those who say the sports section is a sham and not worthy of the respect it earned under people like Murray and Dwyre.

Actually, I think the entire newspaper fits the label coined by my Geezer buddy Fox—fishwrap.

Thanks, RSM Bruin for shining the light on the ‘wrap and sharing the Dwyre dialogue.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Jun 9, 2008 7:33 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I would love to take credit for "fishwrap" but I can't.

That term was coined by one of the greatest Bruins ever, Jim Healy. Again, I urge all non-geezers to go to the Healy tribute site and just listen for a while. He was the best. And he despised the trOJans.

Let’s keep the heat on the ‘wrap. Maybe they’ll decide that whatever it is they’re getting from justsc is not worth giving up their professionalism and integrity (assuming they have any left.)

by Fox 71 on Jun 9, 2008 10:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I would be shocked

If I were not already suspicious of their motives and mentality. It is at this point that we launch an investigative piece of our own, researching USC ties among the editors and decision makers at the LApsed Times and their failure to break news on the dirtiest program in the nation in their own backyard.

A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment. John Wooden

by MexiBruin on Jun 9, 2008 9:21 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Perhaps some members of the Geezer Club can educate us on this

I brought this issue up with my old man a while ago, and he said the Chandler family (the fishwrap’s longtime publishers) had very strong ties to South Central. So, to me, it seems the bias is nothing new. It’s just more out in the open.

Here in Alabama, if the Birmingham News does not break a story on funny business going down in Tuscaloosa, they get taken to task. So you can imagine how the sports media here ripped the fishwrap for for not breaking two major stories.

by bruinbabe2000 on Jun 9, 2008 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Chandlers

Not sure which ties you mean; both Otis Chandler and his father, Norman, were Stanford grads

bru79 (formerly Calchas)

by bru79 on Jun 10, 2008 8:40 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Again, I'm going off of what my dad told me

The fishwrap and South Central were born about a year apart from each other. We showed up about 40 years later. Does that have anything to do with it, I don’t know. I just want to see if this has been something recent or if it has been bubbling under the surface for a while.

by bruinbabe2000 on Jun 10, 2008 11:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Going On For Quite A While

Not saying your Dad is wrong about the bias being long-standing; “Trojan Times” was what we called the FW back in the ‘70’s. Just don’t know if it came straight down from the C’s, since they didn’t go there. In fact, OC was quite a jock up at ‘furd.

bru79 (formerly Calchas)

by bru79 on Jun 10, 2008 6:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Surprise Surprise

How do you know that Dwyre stands up for integrity as this email exchange suggests? The trOJans bash him. It’s really that simple. They’ll get red-faced over the fact that a ND alum would DARE to run their sports section, but not a word of outrage over any of the laundry list of disgusting behavior under Pom Pom’s watch.

It’s unbelievable that these incompetent tools would sacrifice the integrity of their paper, allowing themselves to get scooped by Yahoo! Sports and ESPN, all for the sake of their trOJan bias. I suppose they don’t realize how bad this makes their paper look nationally. Then again, trOJans also don’t seem to realize that the nation also knows that SUC cheats. Take a look at the ESPN message boards and you’ll find fans from all over the country piling on the outrage over the lack of action on blatant transgressions like Bu$h and OJ Payo.

by Tydides on Jun 9, 2008 9:41 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Fox 71 and Healy

I have to say, the Jim Healy tribute page, one I haven’t visited for a while, always makes me giggle and appreciate the hard work he did to create the “Healy affect” here in Los Angeles. I have a friend and fellow Healy follower, who I golf with. He is always coming up with, or I am, one of the great quotes from Healy. I do believe you had to be of the generation that heard him regularly to know the feeling of outright laughter in the car, and instant calls to other folowers, no matter where they might be to share, during traffic in the 5:30PM to 6PM slot daily on 710. In addition, if you find any female who understood let alone appreciated Healy, please introduce her to my wife, who still does not “get” Healy. What a treasure he was!!!
Bill

BillSouthBay

by Mensgym on Jun 9, 2008 11:18 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Send her my way

My old man introduced me to Healy the last couple of years of his life. He would pick me up from basketball practice, and we would listen to Healy and laugh the whole way home.

by bruinbabe2000 on Jun 9, 2008 11:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

A woman who appreciated Healy?

What, a female who understood Healy? Maybe someday you could meet my wife, who was “Healy challenged” shall we say? :)

BillSouthBay

by Mensgym on Jun 9, 2008 1:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

"She's a lovely lady and my apologies to her.."

(Healy snippet in reference to Marge Schott.)

God, it's great to be a Bruin!

by WHP '68 on Jun 10, 2008 1:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

"Get to the point, will ya, Jim?"

by Fox 71 on Jun 10, 2008 4:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

This is a great diary...

Thanks for your good work. I’ve had some correspondence with Dwyre as well and I think he’s a decent guy who works at a lousy place. I’ve never got a reply from Randy Harvey who is the current editor. He’s a piece of crap, as far as I can tell.

by waters96 on Jun 9, 2008 11:49 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Did you let Dwyre know this would be a public email exchange?

Otherwise, I think it’s unfair to air your correspondence in this or any forum even though they support what most here have known all along. MSM writers will be even more reluctant to respond candidly to inquiries if they believe whatever they say will be broadcast to a broader audience.

If he knew this was “on the record,” then please disregard my concern.

by insomniacslounge on Jun 9, 2008 12:07 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Not sure if that works

I have seen many email exchanges with LAT’s reports/columnists such as Streeter, Plaschke, Simers that have been posted on blogs and message boards. These guys know that when they are responding to a fan (who might not be a reporter or a blogger) that it could show up on other places. That’s an inherent risk they take. I remember many email exchanges that were being posted during the dealings with Streeter, Plaschke etc here on BN and other places. So its not something new.

by bluestreet on Jun 9, 2008 12:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think there's a bit of a difference though

Streeter and Plaschke often had rude and dumb resonses to the emails they received. If they didn’t want others to see it, that’s too bad. In this case Dwyer was helpful, so I would have asked for his permission before posting it publicly.

by SuperBruinMan on Jun 10, 2008 5:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with bluestreet

One of the reasons you don’t get e-mails back from reporters and journalists is that they can assume that they are “on the record.” I think the onus is on them to request an “off the record.” If not, then they should assume they are on. Just as it works when they interview someone – the default is “on the record.”

What I like about Dwyre is that he’s at the point in his career where he’s not worried about the reaction he gets from the weasels he works with. He tends to call them like he sees them. BTW, he did that when I busted him for running a big story on Mayo when he first announced his intention to go to SC and ignored the Love story. I complained about the pro USC bias and stated that I believed that Love was a potential All American. He denied an SC bias and said why write a story about Love, who was just a high school player who might accomplish nothing at the UCLA. At the end of the year, I reminded him about the exchange and he gave me a mea culpa on Love, although never copped to an SC bias.

by waters96 on Jun 9, 2008 12:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Thx for the response.

Maybe you’re right. Maybe forums and message boards have become so prevalent that a writer should assume that the default is ‘on the record,’ even if the person with whom they’re having the exchange hasn’t identified themselves as a media member, blogger, etc.

by insomniacslounge on Jun 9, 2008 1:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with your original concern

Yes, this isn’t so uncommon, but I still wouldn’t want to see something aired out like this without Dwyre having knowledge that it will.

by Ryan Rosenblatt on Jun 9, 2008 1:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

There is a saying in the PR/Media Relations World

“There is no such thing as ‘off the record’.” Basically, if you don’t want something to get out in the press, don’t say it at all.

This is just one of the reasons why newspaper readership is declining everywhere. To paraphrase our dear Fox, people are finding better ways to line their garbage cans and birdcages.

by bruinbabe2000 on Jun 9, 2008 1:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think we need to do more than sit here and complain about pathetic journalism

Frankly, ESPN has always had some bias. And when Outside the Lines did the Mayo report I was shocked in the sense that I couldn’t believe that ESPN finally allowed a segment on a scandal at $UC. The LA Times is no different. I vote that bruins STOP reading the garbage printed on the “fishwrap” and stop buying these newspapers. Frankly there are several better newspapers to read, unless your looking for the entertainment section than people should just search online. I’m done with the LA Times like i was done with several ESPN segments such as Sports center which feature a multitude of $UC alum who would use anything to compare it to USC football. I’ll pick up an LA Times eventually when they get their heads out of the toilet and stop printing garbage.

by UCLABRU1 on Jun 9, 2008 1:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Honestly...

enough with this USC stuff. Why are some of you focusing so much on what USC is doing? Let’s worry about our own house… our own program. They are our rivals… but I do not see any dignity in continually pointing out what other people are doing wrong and the negativity of what other people are doing. They will get their just due. Let’s focus on our own programs. All I hear is whining and complaining about what USC is doing, how bad the journalism is, etc… In the words of John Wooden, “Let’s worry about what we can control and not worry about what we can’t.” I used to love this blog…. Bruinsnation was a site that I checked out multiple times everyday… but I have noticed a trend over the past several months of more and more negativity which is very disappointing. This is not the same bruinsnation blog. Let’s get back to the basics of what made this blog one of the best… I know that the blog can be better than this.

UCLA Class of ‘05

by bruindodger on Jun 9, 2008 5:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I disagree

If we can’t get respect from our hometown paper, then which paper are we going to get respect from? If we don’t voice our concerns about our fair shake of press through emails and subscription cancellations, nothing is going to change.

by bruinbabe2000 on Jun 9, 2008 6:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Then don't read it

And if you want to add your own topic, write about it, instead of whining about it.

by Nestor on Jun 9, 2008 6:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

What's so bad about pointing out when something is wrong?

Justsc cheats. The fishwrap turns a blind eye to it, focusing instead on anything else and everything else. So what’s your gripe here? Are you saying the fishwrap is an intellectually honest newspaper with institutionally honest reporters who actually dig into the facts of anything? If that’s so, then you are exactly the type of person who needs to have this sort dishonesty pointed out.

Plus, I have despised the fishwrap since well before a Bruin of ‘05 vintage was born. I’m sure I cancelled my subscription before your parents even met. This animus I feel toward justsc and its official public relations organ is as institutional with me as cheating is with justsc and not noticing the cheating is with the fishwrap. When I see a chance to stick my thumb in the eye of each of them at the same time, I’ll do so, and with great glee. We will certainly agree on many things, Bruindodger, but we will never agree that justsc and the fishwrap should be given a pass when they are dirty.

by Fox 71 on Jun 9, 2008 7:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm sorry, no one forces you to come here

This blog is not only put together by N, but the wide range of topics is largely built on the hard work of our readers and contributors.

Aside from a upgraded format in BN 2.0, I don’t see much difference in BN 2008 as I saw the first day I came here. Frankly, this trend you speak of sounds largely made up.

I’m so incredibly sick of people whining about content. It reeks of entitlement and ignorance of the fact that the readers themselves are very often the source of the content around here.

by Tydides on Jun 9, 2008 7:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

What's also poignant

is that is his whining is totally baseless given the mood around here since the arrival of CRN.

He must have not been around during our basketball season either.

by Nestor on Jun 9, 2008 7:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Absolutely

If you want negativity, go read the archives from the end of CTS’ reign.

I have been reading this site since Drew Olson was handing the ball off to Maurice Jones Drew for big runs through small holes. I see no more negativity now than at any time, in fact, this is one of the most optimistic times that I can remember. There is a ton of hope that shows through this site, the fun with SC scandals is exactly that. Fun. I enjoy reading what I already know and I suspect others do the same.

That SC cheats and that the Fishwrap helps them is nothing new. Having other people see that just makes me feel smart and observant. This is a community, we come here to share how we feel about Bruin sports with like minded people. Part of that is griping about how the local paper favors the other side, it is just nice to see them get caught, and then have that linked on Deadspin.

by Rhapsode on Jun 9, 2008 7:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

There's a measure of pride

When people start to see that which we have seen all along. Suddenly what could have been dismissed before as an overzealous opposing fanbase doesn’t seem that way anymore. As the general public has come to realize that SUC does indeed cheat and the LA Times is an enabler of it, there is an element of vindication for us.

by Tydides on Jun 9, 2008 8:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The problem is that we certainly have the option to stop reading and listening to

everything.

But that doesn’t address the problem that we as a society need information. The internet is great, but most bloggers don’t have the money or resources to do original reporting. So rather than give up on them, we must express our concerns so they do a better job. That’s why I’m grateful someone took the time to call out the “fishwrap.”

The bad coverage of the Bruins by the Times and ESPN is just a microcosm of the rest of world they cover badly. TV and newspapers have been failing us for many years and in many ways. I dropped my subscription to the L.A. Times years ago. My wife insists on getting the N.Y. Times, but I don’t read it. I consult blogs for most of my information on almost every subject imaginable. That’s why I’m so glad BN is here. The truth is out there. You just have to find it on your own.

by waters96 on Jun 9, 2008 6:22 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

i would add though, why hasn’t the OC register or la daily news tried to do anything about this? That’s what i don’t understand. i suppose it has to do with a SUC alumn doing the trojan beat for the la daily news but im not sure about the oc register.

it goes to show you…the school really needs a journalism major…

by bruin9 on Jun 10, 2008 3:37 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs