Great site.. interesting views

[Don1]

Francis needs to be tamed…

August 2, 2008
Filed under Athletics




Asafa Powell of Jamaica, the World 100m record holder and coach Steve Francis answer questions from the media after a training sesssion at Olympic Park March 1, 2006 in Melbourne, Australia. Powell is in Melbourne to compete in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games


By Carole Beckford
Freelance Journalist
Kingston - The concept of the MVP Track Club, home of Asafa Powell, Nesta Carter and Sherone Simpson is a welcome addition to the track and field fraternity in Jamaica. The MVP unit has been responsible for producing home-grown talent and the track and field fraternity is better positioned now more than ever.

For too many years, Jamaican athletes got grooming from primarily the American system but just over a decade ago, the country has been able to recognise the value of having physical and technical infrastructure which enables growth and development for the local talent.

So now are not only able to unearth the talent, we are also able to prepare them on our own for international recognition and continued success. We have also added to the list of opportunities for performances by hosting IAAF sanctioned meets that other international stars look forward to competing in.

While we laud head coach, Stephen Francis for his abilities, we are not in support of him maligning the integrity of a system he learnt from. His recent outbursts have been uncalled for and also baseless. I care not about his personal feelings about the personnel in the JAAA or the JOA; but there are standards which we must uphold.

Calling his colleagues “a bunch of high school coaches who do not know what they are doing” is out of order. Considering his early days in coaching was spent learning at the feet of Glen Mills. Mills has had success under his belt for some three decades, being responsible for athletes like Donald Quarrie, Raymond Stewart, Kim Collins, Carey Johnson, Garfield Campbell and now Usain Bolt. If I were to be bold and I will, while Aleen Bailey was with coach Mills, she has her better days.

Francis must and should show respect for his country and the system, and if he has suggestions for their improvement, put them in perspective and put the recommendations where they belong; not in the media.

Jamaica is now in the spotlight, not Stephen Francis and he must be brought to abide by the rules as set by governing bodies. The rules cannot be different for one set of athletes from the other. This would be a recipe for disaster.

Let us not be distracted from the task at hand and go after the best performance we could muster up for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Deal with the issues after and fix them appropriately.

- Carole Beckford is a Jamaican journalist. She can be reached at cubeckford@gmail.com

http://sportingeagle.com/news/

[Sir X]

Who are we ? ((we are not in support of him maligning the integrity of a system he learnt from. ))

[Don1]

Who are we ? ((we are not in support of him maligning the integrity of a system he learnt from. ))

don't know.. but her email address is at the end of the article

I do support her sentiment in the quotation however.

[Historian]

Somehow, this reads more like a letter to the editor than the type of serious commentary one would expect from someone who purports to be a “freelance journalist.” Where is the “meat” or the signs of any sort of investigation or balance? Was the newspaper in which this was published so desperately in need of an article to fill empty space? There is not a single sentence here that is different from what the ordinary man on the street would say.

What makes this article different in any way from something that, for example, would be posted here on this forum? Is it that my expectations from so-called journalists are too high? I don’t know. What I do know, however, is that this piece of writing adds absolutely nothing to anyone’s knowledge of the ongoing controversy. For example, does the writer know anything whatsoever about the root causes of the conflict between both parties? All that this piece of commentary does is show us that the writer has been listening to the news or else chatting with the ordinary man on the street.

[Don1]

Somehow, this reads more like a letter to the editor than the type of serious commentary one would expect from someone who purports to be a “freelance journalist.” Where is the “meat” or the signs of any sort of investigation or balance? Was the newspaper in which this was published so desperately in need of an article to fill empty space? There is not a single sentence here that is different from what the ordinary man on the street would say.

What makes this article different in any way from something that, for example, would be posted here on this forum? Is it that my expectations from so-called journalists are too high? I don’t know. What I do know, however, is that this piece of writing adds absolutely nothing to anyone’s knowledge of the ongoing controversy. For example, does the writer know anything whatsoever about the root causes of the conflict between both parties? All that this piece of commentary does is show us that the writer has been listening to the news or else chatting with the ordinary man on the street.

It's clearly just an opinion piece... not meant to be investigative journalism.

As for balance and perspective... seems to me she has the nation's interest at heart.

[Historian]

It's clearly just an opinion piece... not meant to be investigative journalism.

As for balance and perspective... seems to me she has the nation's interest at heart.

Don1, I understand what you're saying, and I fully understand the differences between investigative journalism (popularized most notably by the early 1970s Pulitzer Prize winning work of The Washington Post's Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein) and an opinion pieces (commentaries, columns, etc.).

Maybe I'm just being too picky (LOL), but I like to see sophistication in newspaper commentaries when these are written by practicing journalists. However, this particular opinion piece, as I complained above, has a sort of simplicity normally found in letters-to-the-editor (written often by persons without any specialized training in writing).

Even a suggestion of the root causes of the conflict between both parties would have added some weight to this light, "meatless" opinion piece. One difference between a journalist's commentary when compared with a letter to the newspaper by a member of the public is that the journalist's article should not only try to persuade or criticize or praise, but very importantly, should be informative as well. One way of fulfilling the obligation to inform (that is, add new knowledge) to the public domain is to get up off one's ass and do a bit of research.

As for balance, this is necessary to some extent in opinion articles to avoid blatant one-sidedness. To cite an example, newspaper editorial writers often include at least a suggestion of the other side's position in the body of the editorial. Also, it is with "balance" in mind why so many editorials (editorials: the opinion of the newspaper) include a recommendation or a suggestion of solution in the conclusion.

[Don1]

Don1, I understand what you're saying, and I fully understand the differences between investigative journalism (popularized most notably by the early 1970s Pulitzer Prize winning work of The Washington Post's Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein) and an opinion pieces (commentaries, columns, etc.).

Maybe I'm just being too picky (LOL), but I like to see sophistication in newspaper commentaries when these are written by practicing journalists. However, this particular opinion piece, as I complained above, has a sort of simplicity normally found in letters-to-the-editor (written often by persons without any specialized training in writing).

Even a suggestion of the root causes of the conflict between both parties would have added some weight to this light, "meatless" opinion piece. One difference between a journalist's commentary when compared with a letter to the newspaper by a member of the public is that the journalist's article should not only try to persuade or criticize or praise, but very importantly, should be informative as well. One way of fulfilling the obligation to inform (that is, add new knowledge) to the public domain is to get up off one's ass and do a bit of research.

As for balance, this is necessary to some extent in opinion articles to avoid blatant one-sidedness. To cite an example, newspaper editorial writers often include at least a suggestion of the other side's position in the body of the editorial. Also, it is with "balance" in mind why so many editorials (editorials: the opinion of the newspaper) include a recommendation or a suggestion of solution in the conclusion.

ok boss.. no problema.