I consider Jerry Tipton among the best sports writers in the country. The Herald-Leader is lucky to have him, and so are Kentucky fans.

but the main difference between you and Mr. Tipton is that you have the anonymity of the blogosphere on your side…. as well as I don’t believe that this is your primary job, just your hobby… am I correct? If my presumption is right, then a man who considers this an intense hobby is doing a much better job of covering UK sports than a man who’s identity is not only crystal clear to everyone in central Kentucky. Not to mention that he’s a man who’s primary source of income (I assume) is to do one particular task. I don’t think Mr. Tipton should be fired but some sort of punishment should be in order. It’s not like he wrote a 40 page essay concerning the relationship between UK fans and their coach and how it directly effects the agriculture and climate in the entire state! It should be pretty easy to fact check coverage of an inter-squad scrimmage I guess is what I am trying to say!

The comments were at the beginning and the end of the article. I was irritated when I read it and I still am. Sometimes in an effort to be fair we become bystanders when we should be more active. I find the actions afterwards curious. The paper pulled the article. The Tipton blog correction is just strange because it is not a real correction. Having John Clay respond is strange. The fact that the Pattersons accepted “the apology” has nothing to do with my reaction. What choices do the Pattersons’ really have but to be above the fray? If the “error” happened as now surmised then the LHL would have a story up now.

Is this a grand plot? I think not. Is it an innocent mistake? I think not.

A good rule – we are all entitled to our own opinions but NOT our own facts.

he probably would get a pass for this particular article. But since he seems to take pleasure in implying that something sinister is taking place everywhere UK, he deserves to get hammered for his 1) lack of attention to detail 2) failure to meet professional standards; or 3) outright lying (whichever the case may be). I want to be able to see the best in Jerry but he makes it difficult at times.

you should at least follow fundamental moral and professional standards yourself. Or, at least admit it when you are wrong or have made a mistake.

I cringed when I read the article. I was relieved when I found out later in the article that his parents bought it, but I think he did exactly what he intended to do, imply that Patterson got the truck through some underhanded means that would put UK Bball in a bad light (ala Marcus Camby). I don’t ever remember seeing any other player at any other time in recent UK history (Under Pitino, Smith or Gillespie) having what they drove, if they did, brought up. Tipton knows everyone is on edge about everything UK bball and he took advantage of it and put in a completely superflous reference to his new ride to get a rise out of everyone. Congratulations to Twyanna Patterson for calling him on it and reinforcing for the whole world that they bought it for their son that they are proud of and want to reward with a nice Christmas present for being a stand up guy and a role model that all UK fans can be proud of. Shame on you Mr. Tipton. Your half a** rewording shows your intent for what it was. They had a very straightforward unpolitically correct word for what you did when I was growing up, it was called being a liar.

So after the game he assumed he "climbed into his new truck…".

If you are as you say, daniel81, a reporter you should know that not printing assumptions as facts is one of the first commands of journalism education. That you condone such blatant violation of journalistic standards, especially by an experienced, award-winning reporter, exceeds the bounds of even maximum tolerance, not to mention logic as stipulated by the late Jay Gould.

"The invalid assumption that correlation implies cause is probably among the two or three most serious and common errors of human reasoning"

…that most of the ire is based on an overall context of things Tipton writes, not really on this one specific incident. Because of the context, people rush to assume Tipton’s diabolical intent.
But if it were any other reporter, would there be the same response?
I never saw the originally posted article (I don’t think), but I do seem to recall that PPat himself was quoted speaking about the truck, and apparently that was legitimate reporting….so if the player is talking freely about his new truck, it certainly doesn’t seem like the journalist is rushing to exploit some wild secret.
As for writing something that was not factually true, but was simply made up…..I think there are lots of problems in this area in the mainstream media. (I recall at one point in my life thinking that “I’ve never read an account in the media of an event I actually attended and found it to be factually accurate.”)
On the other hand, I can easily imagine the following hypothetical scenario (even if the example is silly… it’s just to make the point):
 - after football game, journalist talks to assistant coach. Coach says player is having a problem with his foot, and trainers believe that new cleats will help, so they are going to put him in new cleats.
 - during the week, trainer changes mind about the new cleats
 - player has a breakout game in the next game a week later
 - journalist writes a story, focusing on all the factual details observed onsite at the game, and mentions in passing “little did he know when he laced up those new cleats before taking the field, that they would carry him to an SEC single-game rushing record”
Easy mistake. No big deal?

although I will concede to daniel that it is just a truck, tipton made up something for color – where does it stop.

given how long he has been the beat writer, he should have known the implications of his statement.

as I have stated before, I do not want HL writers that are only cheerleaders – it is their job to help keep things inline. however, jerry has lost any credibility he had – imo

When I think I am finished I get sucked back in.

Some might benefit from reading the original. The story was later altered.

.
Tipton’s lead in yesterday’s HERALD-LEADER:

Patrick Patterson drove to Rupp Arena for Wednesday’s Blue-White Game in his new Lincoln Mark LT. The black truck was not the only difference for Kentucky’s big man.

"I’ve got a new game to go with my new car," he said. "I’m trying to show the new areas I’m working on."

Then, this:

For Patterson, the fun figured to continue as he climbed in his new black truck and drove away.

"He just gave in," Patterson said of his father finally fulfilling his pleadings for a new vehicle. "I’m ecstatic."
 
PP2 did not drive the truck to the game. PP2 did not drive the truck from the game. He did not have the truck in Lexington on the day of the game. Reasons Tipton had for what was written? Who knows but the statements surely leave an impression based on false information. The core of this is simply how could Mr. Tipton write “he drove to Rupp” and then “he got in his truck”. What did these comments add to the story? What were the intentions of how the original was written. Look at the correction on Mr. Tipton’s blog and the matter is stil clear as mud…unless one supposes motive.

I am not a fan of Tipton. Generally, when I read his articles, I expect the Tipton “shadow of gloom” to be cast upon whatever UK basketball related article. Fine. I have come to expect nothing less.

Tipton should know that criticism of the Big Blue Nation’s favorite team will be met with exponentially greater criticism from the BBN. I believe that a beat writer has a difficult job to do; 1.) remain unbiased in their view of the local team while 2.)entertaining their paying readers who are typically fans of the local team. Tipton should understand this. The only difference is, Jerry has found that he garners more attention to himself locally AND nationally when he brings up controversial topics. The negative undertones in his articles act like fishing lures looking for hits.

The only drawback to his style is that when you start making stuff up, you tarnish your reputation. Negative undertones are a way of insinuating without actually saying what everyone else is thinking. The belief that Tipton is a negative writer by the majority of BBN means that when he does mess one up, he is going to get pounded by our fanbase. He should expect nothing less.

I don’t think he even cares. He’s a grumpy man who loves the attention. He keeps his job because he helps Kentucky.com sell ads. Think about how many times our beloved blogs have linked his articles to prove how negative he can be. He is probably the king of hits on kentucky.com.

Personally, I would love it if Tipton left the LHL. I think UK fans in central Ky deserve to have a beat writer who does it right (see Vaught, Larry). However, Jerry is going no where unless he continues to write factually incorrect articles.

I’ve got a few things which have been thus far glazed over that might help put things in perspective. At the beginning and throughout the article, as noted here, Tipton essentially made incorrect assumptions and, inadvertent or not, implied mischief with regards to the big, shiny, new truck.

However that is not the only implication and fabrication in the article – the last line of the piece notes that two top prospects sat in the front row watching the action, from which vantage point they could hear the fans chanting their names. This sentence gives a great segue back to the rest of the article and the complaints that many of the commenters on this board have had; in an earlier article Tipton referenced a minor NCAA ByLaw violation saying that, in effect, fans cannot chant the names of recruits or have signs or posters featuring their names or likenesses therein.

Quoting Tipton: “One hopes the possible secondary NCAA rules violations committed by the crowd when it chanted prospects’ names were a misstep to be written off to runaway zeal. That happened four times, each an apparent violation of NCAA rule 13.11.4 which forbids the chanting of prospects’ names at an event open to the public.”

Later this statement was proven to be false – not only is there no ByLaw 13.11.4(an innocent misquote), but the actual law itself(13.10.5) talks about member institution not publicizing a recruits visit. People who happen to have a ticket to go to Big Blue Madness/ the Blue/White Scrimmage aren’t considered to be included in a member institution. Yet here he makes the case that they are in violation, and later – in the article originally in question – says outright that the recruits could hear their names being chanted by the fans, clearly implying back to his own article and insinuating wrongdoing.

If it were merely a typo or two, this would be no big deal; Jerry, however, has a history of transgression upon the Kentucky fan base and program, including his huge claim to fame in a Pulitzer which he pulled out of the gut of the basketball program he had just disemboweled, in the late 1980s. To preemptively address Paris, it’s not that I want anyone to be a cheerleader, it’s that if there isn’t a fire, why start one? There’s no good reason to continually dig around as Tipton does, trying to pick out things that aren’t there and report on things that either aren’t true or are factually inaccurate. Unless you’ve been greatly rewarded for it in the past(and if Tipton can’t let go of his Pulitzer from the 1980s then maybe he shouldn’t be reporting anyway) or are trying to bring an organization down for whatever reason due to some secret agenda, why would you go to the trouble and put your neck on the chopping block?

Look at John Clay – while he applauds Kentucky where they do things well, he is in no sense a cheerleader, faulting them when they deserve to be faulted. Clay doesn’t insinuate and undercut in a deliberately sensationalist fashion, nor does he feel the need to use irrelevant tangent to spice up his work. His good writing and ear for decent journalism is what he uses and so he has remained among fan favorites, certainly on the LHL staff.

Since the day he got his fifteen minutes of Pulitzer limelight, Jerry Tipton has been begging for attention through the use of underhanded whispers, rumors and innuendo. He reports the skeletal facts(well, sometimes it’s the facts) while injecting the vile, toxic slant he so adores into his work, pointing fingers and tripping up wherever he can. Look at Azabuike(his dad’s problems are a mirror to his son!), Rondo(where’d he get that car?), and now Patterson(a new truck – time to make sh*t up!) for recent examples off the top of my head. It’s sickening.