Quick Lesson: News Sources

At one point or another, blogs are going to find their way into press boxes across the NHL. Perhaps networks such as SB Nation can even go so far as to hire "beat writers" and send them around the world with their respective teams. Right now, this is not the case. Each team has its compliment of beat writers, and for the most part, those beat writers do a fairly good job at what they do. As with anything, some are better than others.

The point of this post is not to lavish praise on the beat writers. We do that enough. The point is to point out that readers are still struggling mightily to separate the legitimate sources for news from those that either report completely inaccurate information as fact, or those that simply make it up as they go.

If you would like to come along for the ride, make the jump.

One thing that anyone who reads Hockey Wilderness knows, it is that I am a strong proponent for blogger access. The NHL has begun the process, but it has been a painful journey with many of the teams allowing bloggers in the box. I have defended bloggers, and I have criticized them, as I have done with MSM members. Who belongs in the press box and who does not is not a difficult choice to make, at least not from my perspective.

Obviously the old guard of newspapers, television, and radio are going to have first dibs. The thing that gets me, is we are told that there is not room in the box for everyone interested, and yet 85% of the chairs sit empty on any given night. This is not an attack on any one team. I have seen it at Vikings games, Twins games, Gopher games (and they credential almost anyone), and at Wild games.

Protecting the sanctity of the press box is what PR gurus get paid to do. There is no way in hell they are going to let a painted face, flag waving super fan into the press box and the locker room to embarrass themselves and the players. It just won't happen, and it shouldn't happen.

The point of all of that? Hockey Wilderness does not claim to be a source for breaking Wild news. At least the last time I checked, Nathan, JS, and I provide different angles on stories that you would not find elsewhere. As I once told Russo, we don't break stories, we comment on them. We will certainly pass on any news that is presented to us, or that we may come across, but 99.9999% of the time, that news comes from a member of the MSM, usually Russo himself.

With access, Hockey Wilderness could certainly be a place to come to for breaking news. We don't have that access, at least right now, and so we do our best to stay on top of happenings, and get the info to you as fast as possible. Regardless of the source, if it is legit, we want you to have it.

Now... what in holy hell are we getting at here?

While I am blocked from the feed, there are still ways to access Twitter feeds. Welcome to the internet. I run multiple accounts for various purposes, and blocking them all would be impossible. Also, signing out of Twitter, you can access anyone's posts you wish, so long as they are public.

So, we come to Mr. Brad Ratgen, "beat writer" for Hockey Buzz, the home of Eklund. Many people follow him. Too many in my opinion, but it comes with the connection to the site that cons people out of their hard earned money everyday. So be it. What I still don't understand is how people still believe he knows what he is talking about. To the point that they bypass the reliable sources and go to people like Ratgen for their news.

Case in point:

Per capgeek.com, #mnwild have 16 players under contract for next season and have $15,707,223.00 in cap space left to sign the remaining 7

about 23 hours ago via web

Huh. Because if you go to CapGeek.com, it says that the Wild have 23 players under contract, for a cap hit of $56,846,026, leaving the remaining cap space at $3,528,974. Of course, CapGeek includes Nate Prosser, Casey Wellman, and Cody Almond in their number, none of which are assured a spot on the roster. Still, those three guys do not come close to adjusting the cap by $12 million.

Anyone follow the link to CapGeek and see where Ratgen went wrong?

The 16 players under contract is for the 2011-12 season. Yeah. Whoops. So, he read the wrong column on the website. Simple mistake to make, I guess. Yet for someone who claims to be a "beat writer," should he not have his own cap numbers? Should he not be able to assess the team's cap position without the use of outside sources? Should he not be able to work his connections with agents and players to get his own numbers?

I mean, I use CapGeek, too. It is as reliable a source as I have access to, and I have yet to find a time they were incorrect. The difference being that I can understand the difference between the column for 2010-11, and the column for 2011-12. For general purposes, when reading sites made using the English language and the standard Arabic numbering system, we read from top to bottom, left to right, but maybe things changed. One can never tell.

The thing that gets me the most is a tweet he posted just two days before:

@jrmehle Stop drinking all of Russo's kool-aid!!!!! Coveted is a little much, don't you think. Yawn :O

1:53 PM Jul 2nd via Twitter for BlackBerry® in reply to jrmehle

Stop drinking Russo's kool-aid. I'll give you all a minute to soak that up.

You with me? The guy who can't read CapGeek properly, and who "writes" for the same site that throws darts at a chart of players and makes up so called rumors, says that people should not trust the one guy who writes about the Wild on a regular basis with the connections and sources to actually get the story correct? Who should we trust, Brad? You? You still think Eklund has actual sources in the NHL.

Maybe I should run with the story that the Wild only have one player under contract, are $54 million under the cap, and are going to struggle to meet the salary floor. I mean, it's as accurate as what Brad is reporting. I could even site CapGeek to make it look official. Turns out, people aren't going to check my facts, they are just going to assume I am correct, right? CapGeek does say the Wild only have one player under contract. For the 2014-15 campaign.

Should we trust a guy whose main source of information seems to be Eklund and HF Boards?

The reason this irks me just a bit? Just a bit, mind you. I am all for people being able to express what ever opinion they see fit, whether it be based in fact or not. No, what gets me is that for all of the reasons given for why bloggers are not allowed access to the press box, Mr. Brad Ratgen has his credentials. Every game as far as I know. Bruce Brothers still has his credentials, despite not being able to tell you the difference between an RFA and a UFA.

Bitterness, thy name is Buddha.

Am I wrong, here? Please let me know if I am.

Author's note: I am not, repeat NOT criticizing the Wild's decision to credential who they do. It is their choice, and I respect their right to choose who they credential and who they do not. I simply do not understand the process. Perhaps it is not for me to understand, and that is perfectly fine with me. We will continue to do what we do, and if teams see fit to credential us, we will welcome that decision.