The life of an NFL reporter can be quite tricky, needing to balance relationships with key sources while also trying to break the news that fans of the sport are desperately craving.
New York Jets beat reporter Connor Hughes detailed his mindset when it comes to reporting on the team during a recent guest appearance on the Awful Announcing Podcast, saying that when it comes to the constant battle between breaking every bit of news and maintaining relationships with sources, relationships typically win out.
“Any time a source gives me a break, I report it and get it done. And once my work is done, the first thing I do is I call them,” Hughes told AA Podcast host Brandon Contes. “I say, ‘Look, I understand you did not have to give me this.'”
Hughes acknowledged that he is obviously not as big as the likes of Adam Schefter, Tom Pelissero, or Ian Rapoport when it comes to his number of trusted sources around the NFL giving him information.
But what Hughes does have is relationships that he knows will be there because he will only report on information that he knows will not land the original source in hot water.
“I got a piece of advice from somebody very early on in my career,” said Hughes. “Before you write anything before you hit send. Ask yourself, Is reporting this information worth this person never talking to you again.”
Hughes used his reporting on Aaron Rodgers’ recent minicamp absence as an example, reporting that Rodgers was on a pre-planned trip and why he felt the trip was important, but not revealing where this trip was to.
One example of the complete opposite approach being done was when former WFAN host Joe Benigno exposed his texts with Jets head coach Robert Saleh about Zach Wilson in 2023.
Benigno has since apologized for the comments. But chances are, Benigno’s relationship with Saleh is nonexistent at this point due to this incident, which Hughes called “a bummer”.
“That’s a bummer. Just because I know he was warned. Robert loves talking to people. And Robert is so damn friendly that it backfired on him. I love Joe Benigno, but he’s not a reporter. There’s a sourcing relationship between reporters and media that is understood. What’s off the record and what’s on the record.
“If I showed you my phone and what some people have told me. Yeah, if I wrote that, it would go viral. But also that person is never going to talk to me again. There’s an understanding of how communicating with sources works. And unfortunately, he got burned because I don’t think that understanding was necessarily there.”
Obviously, there is a fine line between getting important news out to interested followers and maintaining important relationships within NFL locker rooms. And it sure seems like Connor Hughes has that balance well understood.
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About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.