After Bernie Fine was accused of sexual abuse in November, Syracuse University athletics department officials said they have continued to handle media inquiries for the men’s basketball team on a case-by-case basis. But not all media outlets have been granted entry to the team’s practices, signaling a shift from previous policy.

Practices were closed to all media for approximately two months after the Fine allegations surfaced, said Pete Moore, director of athletic communications. The program took this step to protect the basketball players, who were being approached by reporters staking out Manley Field House and the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, Moore said.

In early January, when Fine-related news began to subside, Moore said he informed some reporters who continued to make interview requests that they could discuss attending practices.

All media inquiries have always been dealt with on an individual basis, and reporters are required to notify him in advance with the specific story idea they’re working on if they would like to attend a practice, Moore said.

‘We did reach a point where there were a number of inquiries from the media about being able to come to practice again,’ Moore said. ‘At that time, I talked to coach (Jim Boeheim) and the situation was different than it had been in November, primarily because people were no longer camping out. So at that time he was all for adjusting what we were doing.’

Moore said the athletics department does not consider there to have been a policy change, as the policy is flexible depending on what Boeheim, the SU head men’s basketball coach, has in mind.

Boeheim could not be reached for comment.

Since January, The Post-Standard has attended practices regularly and filed stories with reporting from watching those practices during a record-breaking season for the team. Other media outlets, including The Daily Orange, have not been allowed to attend.

Jason Murray, sports editor at The Post-Standard, confirmed beat writers from the paper returned to men’s basketball practices in early January and that they currently have access to practices. However, Murray would neither confirm nor deny whether they were required to contact Moore with specific story ideas before showing up.

WAER and CNY Central did not return multiple messages left by The Daily Orange.

Ron Lombard, the news director at Your News Now, released a statement on behalf of the network to The Daily Orange. Lombard said YNN was not aware of any major change in the SU Athletics policy and valued its relationship with the athletics program.

‘Some basketball practices are open to our cameras and reporters and others are not. I believe that’s the way it’s always been and we work within those rules,’ Lombard said in an email.

However, in the recent past, reporters from local media organizations were able to attend practices on a regular basis. Game notes from SU Athletics were phrased differently before the Fine scandal and included no mention of a need for media members to report for a specific story.

In November, the game notes read: ‘Most Syracuse men’s basketball practices are open to attend but not to conduct interviews. …’

Current game notes now read: ‘Syracuse men’s basketball practices are currently closed. When practice is open, REPORTING ON INJURIES OR GAME STRATEGY IS PROHIBITED. Contact Pete Moore to obtain the practice schedule and site, to learn if the practice is open, and to notify him if you plan to attend.’

Dara McBride, editor in chief of The Daily Orange, said men’s basketball beat writers have attended practices in the past without intending to write a story. Although the sports department has not contacted Moore with a specific story idea in mind since the scandal broke, it was never made clear that writers needed to communicate an idea to Moore before going to practices, she said. They were only told practices were closed.

Tyler Dunne, former men’s basketball beat writer and former managing editor at The Daily Orange, said he attended practice about every week during his time at SU to see what was new with the team and make his face known. Dunne said he would regularly contact Moore to see where practices would be located, but rarely had a specific story idea in mind.

‘I remember multiple times going in and just standing on the sideline and maybe blogging something here or there, and it wasn’t an issue at all,’ said Dunne, a 2010 graduate who now works as a Green Bay Packers beat writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Because it is a standard practice for credentialed media to have equitable access to practices, Michael Anastasi, president of Associated Press Sports Editors, said he would urge those responsible for the decision to reflect on the mission of their university and what it stands for.

Frank LoMonte, executive director of the Student Press Law Center, said because SU is a private institution, the athletic department can legally admit and deny whoever it wants to practices. But he said the policy goes against the traditional system for most major college athletic programs.

‘The common practice at any major college athletic program is to let all local media attend practices,’ LoMonte said. ‘That’s a widespread standard because that’s the way journalists get access to the coaches and players.’

egsawyer@syr.edu 

Published on March 7, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Liz: egsawyer@syr.edu | @3sawyer