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I love this Theodore Roosevelt quote…I love it and live it. "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better...

How to Give Constructive Criticism of Journalism

by Long John Silver (Senior Writer)

115

1,186 reads

Opinion

July 29, 2008


I love this Theodore Roosevelt quote…I love it and live it.

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly…who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never known neither victory nor defeat."

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115 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Saraswathi Siriginia 11 months ago

    A gem of an article mate, I am glad I read this piece. POTD and 5 stars!

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  2. Long John Silver 11 months ago

    keep writing pieces like that SARA

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  3. Paul 11 months ago

    Five stars and of course I will add post of the day. For myself, I view writing, be it a comment or article, that their maybe casualties. However, one casualty there will never be, is truth. If I write to please there has to be a compromise. The consequence of compromise is just to painful!
    Your article is said with grace and power, that can only be if there is also truth. Really nice piece.

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  4. Prasenjit Das 11 months ago

    Another great article L J and bravo for balancing the diplomacy and candor factors in such a suave manner. I completely agree to your point that logical reasoning is utmost important before jumping into "5stars", "POTD" etc etc. This balancing of positivities and negativities is what builds up a great critic. But this should not take away the urge of writing articles or posting their views by "lesser mortals" who lie at the extremes of diplomacy or candor on a particular issue. Because it is somewhat the job of better critics to help them understand the refinements necessary in their approach.

    If you see my comment on Saraswathi's article or my latest article published, I felt I have overdone a tad but would love be told about the loopholes....

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      Pras

      Yeah - only a balanced article will get the thought process flowing - otherwise it become a glorified agenda that no one would care for in the future mate

      next time when such a writer writes an article - no one would would care to read, which is the worst you can do to yourself

      cheers -

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  5. Ben Auty 11 months ago

    Great article Long John ... I have given it 5 stars and as you can now see ... A POTD vote ...

    Agree with your points but one thing I will say that if / when an article is to be critisised by anyone rather than applauded that it be done with tact and it more more constructive on the feedback side of things rather than a blunt derogitory comment that is neither use nor ornament to anyone, if we are to advise lets do it well so that the writer can improve next time round !

    Think we can all agree on that one surely ?

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      ofcourse .... the mere reason why am taking time out to tell you the positives and negatives

      is because I want us to improve as a whole

      its a waste of MY time and YOUR time ... if I go on with meaningless non-reasonable slashing, with no diplomacy

      could not agree more Bennie -

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  6. steven stones 11 months ago

    Good article! You're right of course that people can be informed of criticism and areas for improvement and it doesnt have to be done totally nastily. And in this form of endeavour then flattery isnt really that helpful.

    But I feel that we must be careful when we rate people and go at it with the criticism because Bleacher has all manner of writers on it. Some are clearly looking at journalism as a career (or should be!) because it is clear that they have that knack for this sort of reporting. However, there are also those who are just trying to take part and add their own voice. They're not here to seriously change anything just to be heard. Not a criticism in any way, just a thought, mate.

    I know my writing is full of gaping problems and people have never been (bar a couple who seem to do it to everyone) nasty about the problems, they genuinely want to help me and those they are reading. It's a great community by and large and I think your advice is really helpful food for thought!

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      perfectly right steven

      thats why i told, any harsh or complex criticism can be done very refined and in a diplomatic way

      its often the way you say something that gets the desired result - communication is a powerful tool

      cheers -thanks

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  7. Ryan Wood 11 months ago

    This IS a great article Long, it deserves my POTD and 5 stars.
    This has actually made me think about why I write on Bleacher. Criticism isn't a negative subject, it can be hugely positive as you point out, if we want to improve then we need to be critisised in some way!

    I have had some feedback on my articles from numerous readers, and editors (thanks guys), and some of it was a little negative but this is what makes me want to improve, nice one Long!

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      ofcourse Ryan

      thats why I wrote it

      just call the truth as it is - but be nice ... no need to be nasty, that wont help anyone

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  8. Brad Simkulet 11 months ago

    Glad someone said it. Thanks, Long John

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      thanks Brad .... wanted to write this because I thought it was a recurring theme among us writers

      thought this might be food for thought - for us

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  9. yungCaucasoid ... 11 months ago

    Long,

    great article.

    although, unfortunately this:

    "...take fierce criticism positively..."

    eliminates about 85% of the writers here, from Roosevelt's vision.

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      yeah - i realised that

      it is also because some of the writers here are very young - and hence volatile and very protective about their articles

      so - taking criticism is hard for them ..... thats when we be patient and let them come around mate

      cheers -

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    • Matt Jacobs 11 months ago

      Course when the criticism is someone's personal agenda, I don't believe they should take it positively at all. Not to mention, it's the same post over and over and over

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      INDEED True Matt

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  10. Robert Lewis 11 months ago

    Bravo!!

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  11. Casey Fenton 11 months ago

    Good read, I enjoy articles like this that call out the community for improvement.

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  12. Alan Bass 11 months ago

    loved this article! however, there is a difference between fierce criticism and just annoying people. someone who says "ur an idiotic asshole who doesn't know s**t about sports" is not criticism. that is just some guy who is an idiot himself. but if the fierce criticism is constructive and said in a good manner, then yes, we all have to learn to take it. no one's writing is perfect, we can all improve

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      Of course AB

      "ur an idiotic asshole who doesn't know s**t about sports"

      that isnt criticism .... thats why there is no point in even trying to delete them by wasting our time - who cares

      glad you liked it - you being one of the top writers in here ... i appreciate the fact that you think this is a good piece mate

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  13. Ty'mon Norman 11 months ago

    Great job! I felt everything you said. Well put!
    5 stars-POD

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  14. John LoGiudice 11 months ago

    Wonderfully written. I have had nothing but positive experiences on B.R.. People who have disagreed with some of my ideas made valid points and put those fairly and with tact. I enjoy reading what people have to say about my writing and if they disagree with some of my points, wonderful! That is why we are here, to discuss sports and have fun doing it. I don't want everyone to agree with everything I say. What is the point? But I do want people to respect my views, and so far that is what I have encountered. But it is great to see gifted writers like John looking out for us, and writing so eloquently about the need for decorum. Well done sir! And the editors that have looked at my work, excellent job! I never mind someone cleaning up my work, provided they keep the ideas intact, and they have.

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      thats the point right John ?

      we are here to improve and certainly - I have learned a lot about writing in public forums ever since I have been here

      invaluable experience - and I would say (i call him my editor) JG has been nothing but wonderful for me

      cheers mate

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  15. Ryan Staab 11 months ago

    Well-written argument for feedback/comments posted here.

    It goes without saying there's a huge difference between saying "Your article is a piece of sh*t" and "Here's where I disagree with you and my reasons for such disagreement"

    Unfortunately, spend any length of time on other sports forums (especially ESPN's comments section) and its post-after-post of "F*ck you" or "You suck!" and so on and so forth. For the most part, those types of people don't tend to last very long here.

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  1. Joe Willett 11 months ago

    POTD, great article

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  2. Alex Ferguson 11 months ago

    Hate the fact you used the word "harsh" . You obviously know NOTHING.

    Just a joke: great article and 5 stars.....

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      WOLVERINE MAAAAAN .... Dont mess with a WOLVERINE and an ex-gator

      ha ha - kidding Alex

      in a very sweet way - YOU SUCK !

      CHEERS - THANKS Mate

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  3. Matt Ellenberger 11 months ago

    Good article. It was long, but so worth it! keep up the good work!
    needless to say, I was taking notes...

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  4. Rob Ohlstrom 11 months ago

    Love how you called people out for calling mediocre writing great and then everyone replies with "Great article! 5 Stars!".
    I completely agree that this community for the most part is way too nice. When everyone compliments everything it's difficult to figure out what you're doing wrong.
    Nice job.

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      Rob yeah

      I ve seen that a number of times - since my domain is tennis and f-1 ... ive seen that there

      and wanted to write a piece asking us to be honest in our judgment

      i mean at a certain point - when we are writing for ourselves - for the sheer pleasure of writing, the POTD is a nice compliment, but thats not why we write

      could not agree more with you - cheers, thanks ... good day

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  5. Justin Goar 11 months ago

    good stuff, i love that roosevelt quote and sometimes don't live it like i should.

    thanks for reminding me.

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  6. Salaar Arshad Shamsi 11 months ago

    One hell of an article...can't argue with anything there..here's my pick of the day..

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  7. Jeff Little 11 months ago

    Good Article, L J. A well written piece. I love the Theodore Roosevelt quote as well. It is my Pick of the Day!

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  8. Mary Jo Buchanan 11 months ago

    As a "newbie" to Bleacher Reports, I really appreciate your article. I have so enjoyed having an outlet for my NASCAR passion and sharing my thoughts with a very responsive, creative group. The responses, edits, comments, etc. to my articles have been encouraging, challenging, and downright fun. Thanks for reminding us all of why we do this and how best to treat each other in the process. This is redundant as per all the comments, but my Pick of the Day as well.

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      Hi MJ

      very nice of you to share your thoughts with me - am not a NASCAR guy, am formula one, but at any time if you need me for anything .... feel free to drop in a note

      keep writing - am glad my piece was helpful in some small way

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  9. The Packers Lounge 11 months ago

    I personally, have given up on the Bleacher Report, most significantly its commenters.

    I think the star rating is silly, people rate on opinion not on the article. Article of the day is silly too, usually dominated by whatever marked the front page.

    In my experience those that don't like what I have to say will automatically one star it, leave some uninformed comment, and then bash the writer.

    Not the atmosphere I am looking for. Sorry, great idea, poor execution.

    Go ahead, fill up my board, not the end of the world.

    That being said, I this was a great article.

    However, until you gate your community the problem will never fix itself. I personally will never throw another article out here.

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      well - alex, am sorry you feel that way

      i feel that too - the rating is not too much based on quality - but quantity

      but see - if good writers like you give up, we are basically not addressing the problem .... think about it

      we need people like you on board to improve our domain

      think bout it

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    • L.J. Burgess 11 months ago

      Coward.

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    • The Packers Lounge 11 months ago

      i think the word i am looking for here is douche. yes, that's it. thanks for making my point for me.

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    • L.J. Burgess 11 months ago

      You make my point again.

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    • L.J. Burgess 11 months ago

      Alex,

      I thought that I should check your stuff out before this escalates any further...and you make your point in your last piece and the comments that followed. After reading your Packers/Favre/Rodgers piece it seems that to give up on Bleacher Report as a platform for expressing your views and opinions...well, perhaps "coward" was a bit provocative...might be a bit thin skinned.

      I enjoyed the piece and feel that it was well written, perhaps more because I agreed with your premise, but you can't sign off on a highly opinionated piece with "SCREW YOU" and not expect some kind of backlash...especially on a subject like trashing, already militant, Brett Favre fans.

      Don't quit now, you are obviously in too deep.

      L.J.

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    • The Packers Lounge 11 months ago

      That's the thing LJ, it is trashing those that blatantly hope Aaron Rodgers gets hurt. Nothing more, nothing less. If it was a Favre bashing article that would be a different story. It is a piece that says screw you to those that blatantly write "I hope Aaron Rodgers breaks his neck."

      I don't understand the backlash. There should be one-hundred-percent support for any sports article that faults people for wishing injury on players.

      Instead, it became a Favre vs Aaron battle-again.

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      yeah . Alex - that is sick, I agree with that

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  10. Kris Cossins 11 months ago

    Great article! I agree with a comment posted earlier by Steven, alluding to the fact that not all of us I believe writing here are Journalism majors. I am personally a sports fan that is trying to write, and not a writer that is writing about sports. I rather enjoy the "harsh" criticism because it helps teach me to put my thoughts down in a better way. It is the criticism of "your grammer sucks" or "learn how spell" that is no need for. I know this, your not telling me anything new, so if your going to put something down to help me out and that I can use why waste the time. I just enjoy writing about what interests me in the world of sports.

    So thanks to the people that have edited my few articles in the short time I've been here. I appreciate the help and I do listen as I think most of the writers do.

    Again, great article and I think articles like this make B/R one of the best sports forums I've seen.

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      quite a compliment kris - thanks for the kind words

      am from your side, a sports fan peudo journalist - and i share pretty much everything you told in your post

      am glad you found this article useful in some small way, thats why I write it

      drop in a line sometime, i tread the tennis and f-1 domains

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      great article and I think articles like this make B/R one of the best sports forums I've seen.

      this line meant a lot to me mate - thanks

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  11. Zander Freund 11 months ago

    Way to speak your mind Long John. I agree that ultimately it will hold our network back if we don't give constructive criticism to one another and pretend like all articles are created equal.

    I will be sharing your thoughts with the content management team at our next company meeting—thanks for getting the wheels turning LJ!

    The Captain

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      Cap

      thanks - thats a common theme i found in f-1 and tennis ....

      thats why am looking forward to the new system of comparing my work with the other top writers

      because its not all about the POTD's .... if you need thoughts developing metrics to compare writers, please do let me know

      would love to compare quality too - in addition to quantity

      cheers -

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  12. A-Train 11 months ago

    Someone sensible--I like it!

    I posted on Monday about a three-way NBA trade I thought could potentially be in the works. I said up front I had no insider knowledge, and that everything was purely speculative. This is a blog, and we say what we feel and think, etc.

    Some LOSER on www.shamsports.com posted about my article here on Bleacher Report, and went through it line by line finding reasons to disagree and to insult me. I mean, it was a complete roast. Even half of the details he brought up in his defense were inaccurate, but meanwhile he criticized me for not getting the facts straight. I mean, it was ridiculous. Someone must not like me, or maybe someone took my criticism the wrong way, etc.--I don't know. But it was a move that was extremely low class, especially considering I put my face and name out there, and this jerk blogger hides behind his screen.

    Anyhow, the experience made me wonder about what's wrong with people. I know it's the Net and we're all behind screens in our own little worlds, but still, why can't people act decently? If we disagree--so freaking what? If we argue--so freaking what? Most of us on here are men and we should act as so. Men shouldn't be jealous or hold grudges. We exchange words, fine, and then keep it moving.

    I called YungCaucasoid an idiot the other day because he called me a liar (I then proved him wrong). Am I going to hold that against him forever? No. Am I going to ignore his existence? No. Who cares? We're freaking men!!! I'll keep reading his stuff and argue with him when applicable.

    The feedback I have had on here has been overwhelmingly positive in comparison to stuff I've seen on other sites. On Foxsports blogs, once upon a time, I can remember bloggers getting booted for being abusive, only to come back under a new name and be abusive again... and it just continued. Ridiculous.

    I have no problem with people being brutally honest, but under no circumstances should people make attacks personal. And if they do, they should apologize--like men--and continue to peacefully co-exist.

    We're all amateur bloggers here regardless of whether or not we've freelanced for money; we DO NOT get paid to post here, so naturally, people don't approach their writing with the same level of seriousness--at least I don't (kudos to those of you who do). Thus, it just makes it that much easier to point out flaws and stuff. Be easy, people... BE EASY.

    With that said, I dig this site (I'm new), and have found most of the people on here nice.

    Good post!

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  13. A-Train 11 months ago

    FYI-- the clown as shamsports.com has since taken down his slanderous post.

    Hey Zander... 2,000 views in roughly 24 hours ain't bad for a newbie, huh?

    Nice site.

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      NOT BAD AT ALL - 2G is pretty good - up there with the very best

      am sorry you had a bad experience - i wud ve done exactly what you did - ignore him completely

      you are perf right in pointing out that attacks cannot be personal, dont take anything personal - if you do, you are only fueling his desire to do what he did before

      cheers mate - this is a wonderful platform and most of the people in here are very reasonable

      looking forward to reading your work in the future - cheers

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  14. Dorothy Willis 11 months ago

    The Roosevelt quote is also a favorite of mine and the way you used another favorite of mine, the picture of Bambi and Thumper, was ingenious! Loved the article and as a grandmother, the mention of your mother's cooking truly warmed my heart. You are a terrific writer and role model for the rest of us, regardless of age and sports interest. Bravo!

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      Dorothy

      such a high praise coming from someone as seasoned as you - is a huge compliment

      thank does not justify it - but its the least I can do

      thank you - I love that quote from TR ! like I said, I love it and live it

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      my age dorothy - is high 20's

      my sports interests - love tennis and formula one

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  15. Thomas Brown 11 months ago

    You are so valient, all hail you

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  1. Wesley Marshall 11 months ago

    Good read,

    I enjoy Br b/c of the give and take in the comments section. I have written 3 articles and have had several good arguments with people who disagreed. Anyone who knows me on BR can see I stalk Cowboys articles, but I try to make educated comments when I read an article, I don't just bash an article b/c someone doesn't pick the Boys to have a good season.

    But as you say, it is just as harmful to call a bad article good as the other way around. And while the majority of writers work hard to put out good work, I think alot of good articles loose face time b/c weaker, one paragraph thoughts make the front page of a certain sections, or someone writes something ridiculous or controversal about a popular team/player just to get alot of reads and comments.

    It is important for people on BR to understand that educated writing and informed give and take is what seperates BR from any other sports discussion site.

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      yea yea yea --- we are not perfect, but we try and we will get there

      its upto each of us to try mate - cant agree more wesley

      yeah - that annoys me sometime too ... the fact that the front page articles are chosen random sometimes

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  2. J. Michael Morris 11 months ago

    Opinions are like bologna sandwiches, nobody would choose to eat it willingly, but sometimes that's what mum gives you. This article is a pile of dogs**t. You cannot write a check.
    JK...HAHAHA...LOL ;)

    Was that helpful criticism?

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      ABSOLUTELY ! The very best I have received

      was is david coulthard who told 'opinions are like &&& hol$, everyone has one'

      good on ya - good for the sense of humor ... love that

      and you have not told me what else i shud play on my i-pod when walking down Manhattan

      i responded to that comment with choices

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    • J. Michael Morris 11 months ago

      I just did it.

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      you cannot write a check ..... made ma laugh for the fifth time - love a bloke with a sense of humor

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  3. PJ Edelman 11 months ago

    Great article (I'm being candid right now). I do agree with some of what Alex wrote--star ratings and pick of the day do seem to be based more on the "happening event" rather than the skill, thoughtfulness, and style of the writer.

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  4. Long John Silver 11 months ago

    yeah - but if somethings hot that day - then people are naturally interested in that

    cant blame them for that, i do agree with you though - but look at POTD as a prize and not an incentive, its not the driving force for you and i to write

    if we get it - its nice, if not, no biggy

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  5. Burton DeWitt 11 months ago

    Terrible article Long, just terrible. You suck. Why do you bother?

    Just kidding. Great job as always. Pick of the Day for sure. Although when discussing ESPN, I'm not sure I can give constructive criticism. Unless curl up and die in constructive, in which case I know I can.

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      I LOVE that line - why even bother trying ?

      love a bloke with a sense of humor

      whats the beef with ESPN ? are they doing a rather good job with tennis at least, when compared a year or two before ?

      love to know

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    • Burton DeWitt 11 months ago

      The tennis coverage, minus many stupid comments by the commentators, isn't awful. It's everything else that is terrible. For the past five years, 50 percent of the coverage has been on steroids and the other 50 percent some flavor of the month, whether it is Kobe Bryant raping a girl or Brett Favre considering unretiring or more on steroids. It is just awful.

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      WELCOME to the world then Burton

      if you think thats awful

      so is the Indian cricket media - and their obsession with their star cricketers

      and of course ITV and Lewis Hamilton - their golden child ...

      if you gonna hold ESPN culpable, well, they are not alone in that category

      am OK with ESPN, they give me good tennis, I rather like p-mac and killer cahill

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  6. Mackenzie Kraemer 11 months ago

    I don't mind constructive criticism at all. My articles aren't perfect, so if people can point out ways in which I can improve, I'd love to hear them.

    One of my last articles, some guy just called me a "punk ass kid" a few times. That was not an example of constructive criticism.

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      punk ass kid ....

      have you seen Italian Job ?

      reminded me of that for some reason,

      punk ass kid though, sounds more funny than menacing ? am i wrong

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  7. Todd Morse 11 months ago

    I don't rate a lot of articles, and am incredibly picky about what I rate. This is the first article I have ever given a 5 to.

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  8. Long John Silver 11 months ago

    then - that definitely makes my DAY !

    no kidding man -

    you take care

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  9. Gaz V 11 months ago

    Great article, too bad it was already posted here:

    http://bleacherreport.com/articles/42275-how-to-give-constructive-criticism-of-journalism

    Seriously, this ia a very well-written and thought-provoking piece.

    Thanks for sharing.

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  10. Long John Silver 11 months ago

    thanks gaz - appreciate the comment

    although - i did not get the - too bad already posted part

    cheers -

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  11. P. Aceto 11 months ago

    This is a great article.

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  12. Sheiban Shakeri 11 months ago

    Mr. Silver, I have to admit, I did read it a few times over to make sure I got everything down cold. It's a good instructional piece, and I think that it should be seen by all who want to write and leave opinions.

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  13. Sean Crowe 11 months ago

    While I enjoyed and agree with this article, I also think it brings to light another weaknesses of the five-star system. This a sports opinion and news site. There have been plenty of news worthy things, huge stories, that have happened today. But the main article on the site is about giving constructive criticism to other writers, rather than criticizing today's big trades.

    Something that needs to be fixed. A non-BR member who happens upon the site just looking for sports articles probably has zero interest in this...

    Nice job, but I'm still a little sad that this is tonight's main Bleacher Report article....

    -Sean

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      would it be apt to say -

      one cannot please everyone ....

      would it be presumptuous to say ...

      when something is really good ... it gets presidency

      sean - i see your point, but you are looking at things from a short run, and i look at things from a long run

      this helps us in the long run - in terms of quality of articles contributed - the headlines have no end, they'll keep coming

      i only can possibly think of one solution to your concern - i need not have written this one

      but if i dont write this -fearing it would hinder with headlines ... every day has headlines - there isnt a day when they are not there, so the only solution is to not write it at all

      so - we are at a stale mate

      am an economist, i see your viewpoint as - for every benefit there is a cost, this is the cost we pay for the benefit we derive from the article

      as long as the benefit is higher than the cost - its a good option

      cheers -

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    • L.J. Burgess 11 months ago

      Agreed Sean.

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  14. colt xavier 11 months ago

    great article...

    i can see myself in it...

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  15. Long John Silver 11 months ago

    thanks for the comment CX ...

    just curious - how do you see yourself in this ?

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  1. Saraswathi Siriginia 11 months ago

    Criticism is a back-handed compliment :-)

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      am not sure I wud agree .... i see where you are coming from though

      you only criticize things that interest you - but not always

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  2. L.J. Burgess 11 months ago

    While understanding your premise, like Sean, I'm not entirely happy with it.

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  3. S M Napier 11 months ago

    Great read. Why write? If you can't accept, you have one opinion and another fan will have the opposite of yours. I blog on eight different sites, including six pro-teams and BR. Guess which site, I spend the most time on? It's on BR, love the site it fits my style of being a sports fan the best. I also feel they reallly don't have to change much on the site, visit some of the other blogs out on the web and you realize just how good BR really is.
    One thing I would like to see them change is to add a POTD for articles where the writer created their own article. By this, take my Craftsman Update, that I publish each Wednesday. It's written from scratch, with many hours of looking for news tidbits to publish in it and enjoy writing about the Series. The reward's are the comments, or as I call them feedback and it doesn't matter good or bad. Because if it's bad, they read your work, although they disagree with you they still read your work. To me that's more important, than getting upset about it.

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      HI SM

      I could not agree more

      The POTD is like your first crush .... its inviting, its wonderful .... but after some time you get past it

      and could not agree more with you in the fact that - you write, to just write, the comments are the real feedback ... POTDs are nice, but not the driving factor

      what do you write about - i saw your profile and was it NASCAR ?

      yeah - its funny i got very good positive feedback yest, but a couple of them were, you are to blame because you wrote this piece that took the first page all day, when we had trades and drafts .... which shud ve made the front page

      world works very different - cant please everyone ....

      so yeah - the real reward are the comments - good bad and ugly

      cheers -

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    • S M Napier 11 months ago

      Mostly about the NASCAR and the Craftsman Truck Series, doing my weekly Update, and Race Recaps. Also a couple about Bobby Labonte, my favorite Sprint Cup driver. Have another Series titled the Next Joey Lagano which is periodically and wrote a great one about Craig Steltz a rookie on the Chicago Bears.

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      INTERESTING - i'll check em out from now on

      good day

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  4. Janean Marti 11 months ago

    To quote the other Roosevelt:

    "It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something."--Franklin Roosevelt

    I've tried to write articles questioning Brett Favre because I am such a huge fan of Favre's, I want to try to position myself on the other side just so as not to suffer from blind athlete worship.

    I've labeled all my articles "editorial" or "humour", never analysis.

    One change I would like to see in Bleacher Report is a big, bold sub-head labeling the article as It "editorial", "humour", "fantasy", whatever. Someone could write an article with the header "Ramirez traded for Sabathia" but the article is purely fantasy or satire. ESPN's Page 2 recently ran an article with a phony reinstatement letter from Favre. The article was on Page 2 so astute/regular readers of Page 2 could safely assume it was supposed to be satire. It was a phony letter but posted on a high traffic internet site sponsored by the highest profile sports 'news' corporation in the world so was it responsible journalism?

    Is it okay to post well-sourced rumours but then retract them if incorrect? When are rumours news? If an agent for a free-agent NFL player states four teams have contacted the agent about signing the player, is that news? Or should it only be reported after the reporter has gotten confirmation from at least four NFL teams?

    It would be great to see a continuous round table discussion on Bleacher Report related to these issues. Why a continuous discussion? Because the issues continue to evolve and change.

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      yeah - the eternal challenge of being a news hound or a reporter

      there is a very fine line - between publishing what you believe is true - (and risk the news being not so true later) ... and waiting too long and letting the time sensitive information pass by

      its a thin line we all tread

      am sure NYT and WSJ all have that problem - remember the John Mc-Cain piece on his affair with his assistant that NYT did - that defined what we discuss here .... how long wud they have waited ? before publishing such an impact article

      very good point -

      its called occupational hazard !

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  5. Wesley Fricks 11 months ago

    Long,

    This is my favorite article of yours.

    I would like to add the Teddy R quote on my profile with your permission.

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    • Long John Silver 11 months ago

      knowledge is a public good Wesley - dont even need to ask .... besides its TR's not mine -

      thanks - appreciate the comment, cheers

      watching any games on Olympics ?

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