Royals manhandle the media unfairly

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Royals manhandle the media unfairly
JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star

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Decorum? According to an unsigned blog on the Royals’ Web site, the Glass family and Royals management stripped radio reporters Rhonda Moss and Bob Fescoe of their media credentials because of their alleged lack of decorum during a news conference.

“Appropriateness of behavior or conduct” is what decorum means.

Given the inappropriateness of David Glass’ behavior in announcing his intention to scapegoat Allard Baird six weeks before firing him, what exactly should’ve been Moss’ and Fescoe’s decorum when Glass emerged from Arkansas to introduce the next man he’ll eventually scapegoat?

The Royals are preaching about professionalism while treating their fans to a steady diet of amateur play and unveiling a cowardly blog to defend a week-old act of cowardice.

I hope this is not the work of Dayton Moore, the new GM, the guy who is supposed to raise the professional standard of the organization.

But it is Moore’s face that is/was pictured with the link trumpeting “Around the Horn” as the new place to get inside information on the Royals.

“With all of the media outlets in today’s world, stories often take on a life of their own,” the blog item closes. “With that in mind, fans should feel they can come to this site to separate fact from fiction and hear the truth directly from the Royals.”

Aaron Babcock, the Royals’ media liaison, said that Moore’s face being plastered on the new blog was a function of MLB.com and not the Royals.

“I was not happy with that,” Babcock said. “That will be coming down. (Dayton) has had nothing to do with this (credentials flap).”

Too late. Damage done.

The Royals have turned two nondescript radio reporters into a national cause célèbre among journalists and broadcasters while smearing the early reputation of their new GM.

Rather than lift the franchise, Moore looks as if he’s going to get swallowed up in the club’s pettiness. He could’ve shown some leadership and ended the front office’s feud with Fescoe and Moss.

Instead, he has done nothing. He might mistakenly believe the Mickey Mouse actions of the Royals’ business and marketing outfits don’t reflect on the baseball side. He’s wrong. The Royals’ anonymous attempt to explain away this public-relations nightmare is a stain on the entire organization, and Glass hired Moore to be the face of the organization.

The blog item reads:

“It is being widely reported that the Kansas City Royals revoked the 2006 season credentials of two radio reporters last week for asking tough questions. The Royals have never stated this as fact. The credentials were not revoked because someone asked tough questions — we get those every day — but for reasons of decorum. The tone, the abruptness, and the forcefulness of which their questions and added commentary were presented, offended many at the news conference.

“The Royals found that behavior to be particularly disruptive of the introduction of the club’s new general manager, the intended purpose of the meeting. … Given several comments by media personnel and others who attended the press conference, the Royals believe the overall situation is now improved.”

The insinuation is that members of the Kansas City media agree with the Royals’ decision to ban Fescoe and Moss. I wish I could say unequivocally that that’s not true. But I can’t. We know that Fescoe’s boss, Kevin Kietzman, blasted Fescoe and Moss on air for their alleged poor decorum. We can only imagine what Kietzman might’ve said to the Royals’ front office privately.

And I know that Moss is not popular with members of the media. She’s a woman competing in a male-dominated profession. Her style is confrontational and abrasive. She makes athletes, coaches and executives uncomfortable and in the process makes members of the media who enter the press box and locker room each day hoping to make friends uncomfortable.

I can relate to Rhonda’s plight. I’ve been viewed as the trouble-making, newcomer minority in the locker room. It’s easy to get left on an island surrounded by people hoping you fail when you’re the unconventional outsider.

This is not a case of a friend coming to the defense of friends. I’m not close with Moss or Fescoe. Rhonda and I used to work together on radio. Other than polite conversation at games or practices, this is the first time I’ve spoken to Rhonda in more than a year.

This is about journalistic freedom. If the Royals get away with banning Moss and Fescoe, why would I not assume that some sports franchise might make an outspoken sportswriter the next target?

Sports franchises and college teams have been peeling back access and attempting to control media coverage during the past decade. They don’t have an interest in disseminating the truth. They want to control how and when they’re questioned about their decisions and by whom.

I’m not comfortable with that. And you shouldn’t be either. The more people asking difficult questions the better.

Moss and Fescoe are not fans who built a Web site and are tickled pink that a pro sports franchise gave them access to a locker room and athletes they idolize. I don’t agree with all of their methods, but I respect the fact that Moss and Fescoe go to games and practices year-round and behave in a consistent manner. They earned the right to ask abrasive questions.

They’ve earned the support of all journalists, including print journalists. I hope that members of the local and national media support Fescoe and Moss in any reasonable way they see fit until the Royals return the credentials. I’m eagerly anticipating the Royals’ next home stand and the end of the NBA