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What is happening @ the Knoxville News Sentinel, regarding hiring of sports reporters?

Rarely do these reporters dig for facts, instead now they appear to be just jaunting over from the the news conference or practice, or police department; taking notes on what the coach, culprit, cop or player said; and publish what the university or coaches want published.Apparently folowing John Adams' lateral move years earlier, the reporters now go along to get along,

Often they seem to have forgotten basic journalism.

For instance, most journalists were taught to use the term "alleged," when referring to allegations of criminal activity, until such were proved in courts of law. In the lead paragraph, shown show below, nowhere is that word used at all.

Most newspaper stories find readers stop reading in the 4th paragraph of the story; thus many readers never learn the coach has not been convicted.

"New details surrounding former University of Tennessee men' s basketball strength and conditioning coach Troy Wills and the burglary and vandalism at Thompson-Boling Arena were released Thursday," says the newscopy in the above article.

Quinn reports as if the alleged criminal activity by the coach is proved, in that sentence. Then Quin goes into great detail, quoting from police documents and, perhaps, conversations with KPD people or their associates.

An attorney said to represent the former coach is quoted, but answers not many of what Quinn says are charges against the ex-coach. Yet the reporter lists in great detail the charges.

Allegations from either the campus police force or the KPD,which reportedly has a notorious chip-on-shoulder rearding the University or its teams need to be treated as merely allegations. They are not facts proved in a court of law.

Instead the reporter's covering this, from appearances, he did one of those rip-and-read coverages of a story.

I am not sure who is Sports Editorfor the KNS, since John Adams' was moved to the role of columnist only.

But clearly both these new reporters need an editor. That is NOT a putdown. Great reporters need editorial help and in many cases, supervision.

Convicting the man in the city's only newspaper guarantees he cannot get a fair trial in Knoxville.

So no matter what happens, the KNS has removed the blindfold on the lady holding the scales of justice...

despite the fact the reporter probably would not do so intentionally.