The only valid rationale for this would be to distinguish between U of A Fayetteville and Little Rock, Monticello, Pine Bluff or Fort Smith.
I think this is next. The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, not in Georgia, North Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New York, Alabama, Ohio, Texas, West Virginia, Tennessee or Pennsylvania.
Idle time led to this post and probably to the referenced title advanced by these media outlets.
Wally Hall, Little Rock, today informs us:
“Apparently the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, the flagship university in this great state, has a board of trustees that is considering emulating Arkansas State University and the University of Texas.”
I have no idea what the remainder of the article said. I rarely read Wally and his bizarre determination to explain for the rest of us the campus whereabouts of the “flagship university” is one reason why. Yet regardless, you would think the sports editor for the AD-G would be schooled in better writing skills than to shove redundant and entirely unnecessary content down our collective throats.
There’s a hidden agenda attached to this nonsense and the Fayetteville reference is insulting to any Razorback fan with a brain, in my opinion.
Go Hogs.
hawg…I’ve been around for 58 years. I cannot remember a company that went against the wishes of so many of its customers. I know there are some that could care less about this subject but it sickens many of us. I was a subscriber for over 20 years and I let my subscription expire last August due to this issue. I was getting to where I would pick the sports up and scan the article for the phrase and if seen, I would not read it. Then it got to where almost every article about the Hogs had it so no need to pay for something I’m not going to read. Many of us asked for an explanation all of last year and were ignored. Oh well, I guess losing subscribers does not effect this publication.
it SURE IS GETTING OLD to read about the RAZORBACKS in one paragraph then in a paragraph below it it will say U OF A-FAY. I don’t understand their thinking at all.
Our self proclaimed “trusty scribe”, Wally Hall, Little Rock, informs Razorback readers today:
“As the old saying goes, better lucky than good. On Saturday, the LSU Tigers were so lucky they looked good as they beat the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville 94-86.”
Later, within the content of the same article, Wally says:
“Like the earlier game in Fayetteville, the Hogs didn’t appear to have an answer for freshman point guard Waters, who had 10 points and six assists in the first half and then took over in the second half.”
A few questions for Wally:
Are you certain the earlier game was in Fayetteville, as opposed to possibly taking place in Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Fort Smith or perhaps Monticello? :roll:
Are you truly the sports editor at AD-G? If so, could you explain your unique writing style of informing Razorback fans the campus whereabouts for the University of Arkansas?
I rarely read your work, but do you and some of the other writers believe that fans are too stupid to find a Razorback home game without geographic references to the whereabouts of the campus?
I’m neither a graduate of the flagship university nor reside in the state, yet as a life long Razorback fan do you understand how such a moronic reference to the University of Arkansas campus may be offensive or insulting to UA graduates as well as other readers? If so, do you care?
What is really the motivation behind such redundant idiocy?
Go Hogs.
What is the reason for this “policy”, and who is responsible? I believe these are possibly the only questions in the long and storied history of the ADG that have never been adequately answered. Inexplicable. Inexcusable. Indefensible.
It aggravates me every time I see “University of Arkansas, Fay…”. I try to skip over it so i don’t have to hear it in my head.
Clearly, someone has an axe to grind and an agenda to go along with it. If it were truly for “communication purposes” to avoid “confusion”, they would absolutely attach towns to the flagship universities outside of Arkansas. Nope! They respect those universities and know how absurd it would be to attach “Tuscaloosa” to every mention on AL or “Athens” with GA, etc.
They are okay insulting us. Their agenda is more important than keeping their readers happy. They treat us like children to be manipulated with language, Orwellian style, as if we are too stupid to see through it.
It might be time to organize a boycott of the ADG, Little Rock. It’s obvious the person driving this policy doesn’t mind losing a few subscribers or upsetting most. But at some point, when they lose enough revenue, and feel enough pain, somebody will determine that constantly insulting their readers isn’t worth their little pet project. Probably couldn’t be organized through this site but I bet we could get some momentum behind a boycott at another very popular free site. If we can’t get a positive resolution with our words we should try with our actions - I know I would be willing to give up my subscription to help make the point.
Too many great sources of info to constantly take these insults.
It’s obvious how awkward this looks.
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Razorbacks
This is used is almost all articles. It looks so awkward that you have to believe the writer realizes this as well. It’s like referring to The Texas Longhorns as the University of Texas, Austin Longhorns.
When I first started this thread two weeks ago, I really expected to get some kind of response from someone with WHS. The lack of response is interesting to say the least. Silence on the subject may say more than a response.
Maybe the journalism major has a duty to not assume the reader knows where the Arkansas Razorbacks are located? Maybe a stretch here but trying to be fair.
Or maybe you guys are right. It’s personal or someone with an axe to grind. I really did not think that would be the case. But the more I pay attention to this subject, and the less that is acknowledged here by anyone with WHS, then what are we supposed to think.
I believe this is insulting to the readers. What you (WHS) may find trivial the customer may deem very important. Business 101…
Do not insult your customer.
[quote=“hawginTN”]
… When I first started this thread two weeks ago, I really expected to get some kind of response from someone with WHS. The lack of response is interesting to say the least. Silence on the subject may say more than a response.
…
[/quote]Or maybe this topic has been hashed and rehashed over and over.
I hate it too and I’m pretty sure that Clay, Matt, and Dudley are not at all fond of it either. They have addressed this issue many times over. The articles that don’t appear in the paper (HI articles) never carry that silly designation.
As alluded to earlier, this topic has been hashed and rehashed, over and over, again. Yet, a reasonable explanation in referencing the campus whereabouts for the University of Arkansas has never been provided. One can only surmise that a logical explanation hasn’t been provided because it simply does not exist. As a consequence, the running objection to such nonsensical and poorly written reporting by WHS and affiliates will surely continue - and, rightfully so, in my opinion.
The better writers on staff [Clay, Matt, Dudley, Richard, Scottie] seldom use a mind blowing silly campus reference for the flagship university in the state of Arkansas. I have stopped reading the other writers, altogether. Regardless, as mentioned by someone previously, it has become increasingly easy to find better written stories in other publications involving Razorback sports.
To follow is partial content by Wally Hall, Little Rock, in an article today: “Some message boards and tweets have claimed that the only reason the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville gave John Stephen Jones a scholarship is because his grandfather is a billionaire who has donated millions and millions to his alma mater, the UA.”
A couple of more questions for the AD-G sports editor involving Razorback news:
Are you sure the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville, offered a scholarship to John Stephan Jones? It wasn’t the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff?
Are you certain that Jerry Jones’ alma mater is the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville? He didn’t graduate from the University of Arkansas, Monticello? Little Rock? Fort Smith?
To be clear, have you or any of the other writers EVER reported a Razorback story involving the University of Arkansas and any campus other than the one located in Fayetteville? If not, why [again] is the reference to the location of the campus necessary involving Razorback news?
Other than to make a point, I stopped reading Wally long ago. Instead of actually editing and cleaning up redundant or unnecessary content, for some reason, our self proclaimed “trusty scribe” promotes it. :roll:
Go Hogs.
[quote=“BaumbasticHawg”]
The irony here is that this site is WholeHogSports. Dedicated to all things “Hog”.
So given this premise, it is silly to put the University of Arkansas,Fayetteville Razorbacks in every article. As no other UofA campus is known as the Razorbacks. This is where the editors get into " insulting the reader’s intelligence territory "
As dwp points out it’s not hashing and rehashing if no reasonable explanation has been given by WHS for why this is deemed a necessary practice.
I understand that this is probably more of a Demo-Gazette policy. But I read this site for information as I live outside the state of Arkansas. I grew up reading Orville Henry though, and he never found it necessary to point out the the University of Arkansas was in Fayetteville. If it were a Razorback article then… duh.
So I would still like see an official response from WHS here. If I’ve missed it please repost it.
Thanks in advance.
Walter Hussman is the publisher and majority owner of WHECO, the media company that owns the ADG. I suspect that the use of University of Arkansas, Fayetteville is mandated by Hussman.
I don’t know if this truly annoying use of U of A Fayetteville is in retaliation for withholding FOI requests or some other issue with the Razorback Athletic Program.
In all likelihood, this asinine policy will continue until Hussman changes it. Don’t be mad at the writers who are paid by Hussman, They are just doing what the boss wants.
[quote=“Ricemab54”]
… In all likelihood, this asinine policy will continue until Hussman changes it. Don’t be mad at the writers who are paid by Hussman, They are just doing what the boss wants.
[/quote]Except that the writers are not doing it. Some anonymous editor is inserting that into any article that gets printed in the paper. (That’s why there are no such references in on-line only articles.)
[quote=“BaumbasticHawg”]
Why would an anonymous editor do this? Especially when it is unpopular.
It really makes no sense at all. What is their angle? It has to be someone that can hire and fire. Otherwise, you’d think the writers would tell them to take a flying leap.
So we know now, an anonymous editor is making sure to point out daily that the Hogs reside in Fayetteville when editing the writer’s story.
But why is it necessary to say University of Arkansas, Fayetteville when writing about the Razorbacks?
Unfortunately the question still hasn’t been answered.
What has been explained is the newspaper’s policy in, say, the business section is to identify the UofA campuses by site, such as UofA Pine Bluff, UofA Fort Smith, etc., to distinguish them from each other. As crazy as it may sound, the paper has adopted that policy for all UofA articles, including those in the sports department. Who made that decision and why have never satisfactorily been explained (addressed but never to the satisfaction of WHS readers). Editors are following their marching orders as are reporters by placing the Fayetteville tag on the UofA. At least, that is my understanding of the whole situation.
It’s certainly understandable to make the distinction when discussing funding, building projects, administration changes, etc. But seems a bit lame in sports as the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville is the flagship university of the UofA system. It’s the University of Arkansas. The other campuses are satellite campuses that have always been referred to as UAPB, UALR, UAM , etc.
It seems all the readers here agree that the emphasis on the Fayetteville tag is at the very least, just silly. Especially when the article is posted on WholeHogSports.
I agree with you. Just trying to shed some light on the subject. I’m not a spokesman nor do I play one on TV.
I have yet to see a reason even remotely close to being a logical explanation regardiing the nonsense of describing the campus whereabouts of Razorback sporting events used by some of these writers [or editors].
The answer, in my opinion, is to: i) keep complaining about it; ii) find better sources for Razorback news; or iii) both.
Go Hogs.