PSR Showdown
Beat Writer VS. Sports Information Director

A Symbiotic Relationship
By E.J. Borghetti
University Of Pittsburgh

I recently found myself in a conversation about my profession, sports media relations, with a sports fan.

For fans, sports are a leisure time diversion, not a lifestyle like I've made it. I find their perspectives interesting and insightful. Sometimes I am entrenched so deep in the trees, the forest is not only invisible but ceases to exist.

In the crosshairs of this conversation was a critical column written on Pitt basketball. The fan dismissed the column as unfair, overly critical and typical of the media in town.

"I bet you hate to work with that guy," the fan said. "What a jerk."

In reality, this particular scribe was one of my favorite writers. While I didn't necessarily agree with the column, I respect opinions, especially if they are well reasoned and developed on fact.

I've found many fans hold the inaccurate view that I am in a constant state of antagonism with the press. They are trying to "get something" while I am trying to "prevent them from getting it." They are a band of raiders trying to bring down the castle, and I stand atop the wall ready to quell the attack.

Recently, I invited Keith Wehner, the Pittsburgh Penguins' media relations director, to Pitt football practice. Keith is a friend and a Pitt graduate who wanted to get a sneak peak of Dave Wannstedt's new team.

Most of the writers at practice knew Keith from their duties at the Igloo, and we soon found ourselves immersed in heavy sports conversation. When practice ended, Keith mentioned how he missed hanging out with the writers. Keith, of course, has not had a team for a year.

His comment summed up for me one of the most enjoyable aspects of my job: The interactions, discussions, arguments, laughs - and the cooperation.

Can there be tensions between a media relations rep and the press? Absolutely. Is it always that way? Absolutely not. A biology textbook would call it a symbiotic relationship; two entities merged together that mutually benefit each other. They desire information. We desire to distribute information.

We need each other.

E.J. Borghetti is the Assistant Athletics Director for Media Relations at the University of Pittsburgh.

A Bridge
By Joe Bendel
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Beat writers and media relations representatives are attached at the proverbial hip, so closely sometimes that you might mistake them for the conjoined brothers in the movie "Stuck on You."

Simply stated, reporters need P.R. reps and P.R. reps need reporters.

It is debatable as to who needs the other more, but this much is certain: The two sides must find ways to co-exist.

Many assume that writers spend much of their time dealing with players and coaches; the reality is, we spend the majority of our existence communicating with media relations staffers. They set up our lengthy interviews, dictate our access and answer most questions on a day-to-day basis.

Media relations reps, essentially, serve as an important bridge between the media and the organizations they represent.

In my dealings with P.R. personnel, I've always asked that they allow me to do my job in a reasonable manner. Grant me access during tough times (a player in legal trouble) and good times (a player being named All-Pro or All-American) alike. And keep it fair and equitable.

It's wrong for P.R. reps to want things only one way. That's not to say they should celebrate a player's misgivings and put him or her in position to harm an organization's respectability. But at the same time, they should want the entire story revealed, in an accurate and fair way. This is where trust and mutual respect have to come into play.

E.J. Borghetti oversaw the P.R. staff throughout my tenure as Pitt's beat writer. He was always accessible, even in the late hours when news was still breaking. He also paid close attention to detail and was quick with a response on pressing issues.

Sometimes the answer was "no," and we failed to see eye to eye in some instances, but I could live with that. At the end of the day, that's what is most important: a mutual respect for the jobs we have to do.

Joe Bendel covers the Steelers for the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. He covered the Pitt beat for six years.