Southern California News Group holding Clippers’ contest for an “honorary beat writer”

Step right up and experience the glamour of press conferences! The Southern California News Group (which comprises 11 newspapers, including The Los Angeles Daily News and The Orange County Register) is running a “Clipper’s Contest” to “make headlines as an honorary beat writer!” Here’s what’s included:

To qualify, all you have to do is write a 200 to 300-word essay explaining why you are a worthy choice for this unique and special opportunity.

One winner will be chosen by our judges to attend the Clippers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves game on Thursday, January 19 at STAPLES Center. The winner will also receive the choice assignment of writing an article recapping his/her experience to be published in the Sports pages of 11 Southern California newspapers and websites on Sunday, January 22.

PRIZE INCLUDES:

• 2 tickets for winner & guest
• Introduction to Clippers beat writer Dan Woike
• Pregame meal in press room
• Access to pregame press conference with Coach Doc Rivers
• Access to pregame media session in Clippers’ locker room
• Reserved seating for game in special media section
• Access to post-game press conference with coach & players

If you love to write and you love basketball, this could be the chance of a lifetime. So fire up your keyboards Clipper Nation and get ready to join the full court press.

For a lot of people, that sounds more like a day at the office than a prize worth winning. (The three-day delay between the game and the article’s publication does seem rather like a holiday compared to standard beat reporting, however!) This could potentially be an exciting opportunity for high school or college students looking to get into journalism, though, and if the right person’s picked, it might also make for an interesting story about what it’s like to see a game from the media point of view.

However, if the wrong person is picked, this could wind up being a distraction to other media members trying to do their jobs; there’s a reason we don’t often see contests like this. Contests like this also can contribute to the idea that sports media work is a recreational lark, not a serious profession, and there are some problems with that idea. We’ll see how it goes, but here’s hoping SCNG picks the right person, and this turns into a positive experience for them rather than a negative one for other media. (Also, hopefully whoever wins will know to use Clippers’ rather than Clipper’s.)

[Southern California News Group]