And here we go again. For what seems to be the 18,007th time, a blogger is expressing frustration at the Avs' strict "No Blogger" policy. And it's not even me, this time, but Tapeleg from Jerseys and Hockey Love. While many teams around the NHL have embraced bloggers, the Avalanche are still a definite no-go. They aren't even neutral to bloggers; they are anti-blogger. Tapeleg is hoping to change that.
First, I have to say that I disagree with Tapeleg on the issue that sparked him today. He cites an Adrian Dater blog post as being as being the negative straw that broke the camels back.
The Post needs to do it’s job, and that is report the news. And they need to be given the leeway to state their opinions in the appropriate places. It isn’t that the Post needs to conform to us, the fans. But we don’t need to conform to their output either.
Actually, the Post is reporting the news. The game was covered in the paper by Mike Chambers, in the same professional manner that Dater uses for his print stories. What Tapeleg is citing is Dater's blog post and that is a completely different animal entirely; Dater Unplugged, if you will. Dater's blog is no more a news outlet than Mile High Hockey or Jerseys and Hockey Love. Holding it to MSM standards is missing the point.
But, on the rest, Tapeleg and I are in complete agreement.
The overall issue here is a lack of choice on the part of the fans. The Denver Post is the only credentialed media outlet that consistently puts out Avalanche material. They don’t have to do anything other than what they are doing, because they aren’t pushed to do so
I like the Post. I think Dater and Chambers do a good job covering the Avalanche. But I wholeheartedly agree that coverage of the Avs could use a jolt of diversity that bloggers could bring to the the table. I'm not boasting when I say that I think we do a pretty good job covering the Avs here at MHH. But imagine how much more we could bring to Avalanche fans if Cheryl was given media credentials, for example. I've said for years that I'd be happy just to get some notification of minor transactions, but I can't even get a confirmation of qualifying offers for restricted free agents. Heck, I couldn't even secure media guides for the staff.
We cover the Avalanche with essentially no help or support from the organization. Sandie and Angelique have both interviewed players in the past, but those were set up with connections outside the organization. Cheryl and AJ have covered practices and training camp as members of the public, not as credentialed media. We recap the games based on what we've seen on TV, without the benefit of talking to any of the players afterward. As frustrating as that is, I have always considered this to be the Avs' loss, not ours. The fans lose out too, of course, but I honestly feel we do the best we can with what we're given to work with. I firmly believe we could do better, given the opportunity.
With that in mind, we're definitely open to Tapeleg's suggested blogger summit:
This summer, I’m asking for an Avs blogger summit. A meeting of the bloggers who want to be granted credentials or given access to the Avalanche. This would be an initial first step in collectively seeking to work with the Avalanche to get in the door. I’m asking for this in the spirit of inclusiveness, to get many perspectives.
As the host and organizer of the annual Avalanche Blogger Roundtable - a series meant to showcase the talented Avalanche blogging community - I am 100% in favor of an Avalanche blogger summit. I just wish I had more confidence that it was going to do any good.