October 19, 2015
The twists and strange turns of the 2015 Jackson State football season continued today as the Clarion-Ledgers announced it was going to http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/college/jackson-state/2015/10/19/clarion-ledger-halts-beat-coverage-jsu-sports/74232126/">halt beat coverage of the team. This decision was made after JSU stopped making players and assistant coaches available to the media on Tuesdays and Wednesdays before practice.
Since Harold Jackson was fired on October 6, the Clarion-Ledger says that JSU has violated its own media police by only making interim head coach Derrick McCall available to the media. The only time since Jackson was fired that players and assistant coaches were allowed to speak to the media was after the Tigers 28-22 loss to Alabama A&M this past Saturday.
JSU stated that mid-term exams as the reason players weren't made available and this week announced it was a coaches decision not to let them speak to the media. Due to only one person's view point, coach McCall, the C-L decided not to have a beat reporter cover Jackson State until the matter is resolved.
While it is unusual for local media to not cover a team, it is not unheard of even in this age of mass media. Last August, the http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/florida-international-university/article1984656.html">Miami Herald stopped covering Florida International football after their beat reporter was denied credentials to the beat reporter.
The Clarion-Ledger says their beat reporter spot for JSU will remain vacant until the matter with the university is resolved. Reporter Antonio Morales will move to different sports coverage including other SWAC schools.
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