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On Scott's Departure

You might know that Scott Carter, the Tribune's USF beat writer, is leaving to take a similar job with GatorZone.com, the University of Florida's official athletics Web site. We're disappointed to lose a beat writer, but we certainly don't blame him for leaving. Journalism is not a fun business to be in right now, and you have to do what you have to do. All of us want to offer Scott our thanks and best wishes.

(Oh, and everyone? Let's bag the "Rabble rabble he's a traitor for going to work for UF rabble rabble rabble!" These days, loyalty at work only lasts until a better option comes along. And if you were in a position where your "rival" offers you a better deal -- whether that's more money, fewer headaches, less travel, or whatever -- you would almost certainly take it. Not to mention your relentless obsession with UF makes you no better than the fans of other schools who relentlessly obsess over USF. Just… stop it.)

We definitely get the appeal of the job. The team's not going to go out of business like the newspaper might. You don't have to fight with your editor to get space for your story, especially if you write for a smaller sport. If you follow a college team, you won't have to follow recruiting nearly as much because the school isn't allowed to talk about any of it until they sign. You're bound to get some extra access that your competitors don't, because it's in the team's best interest to get people to read their own site. (That's probably why the Gators' newspaper beat writers are so upset about this.) And there's a good chance the money is the same or better than what your newspaper can offer. Frankly we're not seeing the downside for the person who takes this job.

Of course, athletic departments will be reluctant to publish news that doesn't look good for them, like if a coach is in over their head, or if heaven forbid an athlete gets in trouble with the law. And we understand that. The rest of the media will still be able to get all those stories. As long as this beat reporter is an extra voice, and not the only voice, then there shouldn't be an issue. But eventually someone (certainly not UF, or USF for that matter, because they're too smart to let it happen) might be paranoid enough about the stories written about them that they cut everyone off except their own writers, even if it's just for a short time. Then credibility gets called into question for any school with these reporters, including the vast majority who will do it the right way.

One last thing. There's still going to be a place for the traditional media and blogs, even if everyone gets one of these in-house reporters. Sure there will be redundancy, but there's redundancy now. The in-house guys may get some extra access, but the media will still be obliged to report all of the news, with a built-in audience that will always go to them first for the story. And blogs will still have their own niches. We haven't had any games to work with since we signed on, and we don't have a built-up library to dip into, not that it would be of any use with a new football regime. But we're here for in-depth analysis (the kind no one really has time to do), plus the occasional raw emotions and hopefully some comedy (the kind no one is really allowed to do). Everyone has something useful to contribute, and that won't change.

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