At Sunday afternoon’s postgame press conference following a tough loss to the Bills, Jaguars head coach Liam Coen stood at the podium ready to be peppered with questions he most likely didn’t want to address.
But instead of suffering through the same old game related questions, Coen was serenaded with something coaches seldom receive after a loss.
Kindness, courtesy of Jacksonville Free Press reporter, Lynn Jones-Turpin.
“I just want to tell you, congratulations on your success, young man. You hold your head up, alright? You guys have had a most magnificent season,” said Jones-Turpin to a stunned yet pleased Coen. “You did a great job out there today. You just hold your head up, okay? Ladies and gentlemen, Duval, you the one. Keep it going, we got another season, okay? Take care, and much continued success to you and the entire team.”
Coen’s surprise and slowly developing smile showed how much he appreciated the words of encouragement voiced by the veteran reporter.
Yet instead of the moment being appreciated for what it was- kindness and support- it turned into a debate over journalistic ethics.
Before we address the controversy, let’s see who Lynn Jones-Turpin is.
She is the associate editor of the Jacksonville Free Press, a Black newspaper that’s been around since 1986. She’s a member of the NNPA (National Newspaper Publisher Association)/Black Press of America and has been in the media business for over 25 years. That means she’s credentialed, experienced and knows her craft.
Despite that, some called her unprofessional, fake media and questioned her journalistic integrity.
“Awesome? Are you serious. That’s not a reporter,” posted Mike Harrington, a baseball columnist for the Buffalo News. “”That person shouldn’t even have a credential.”
First off, Lynn Jones-Turpin doesn’t owe critics like Harrington anything. But since they’re whining, let’s talk.
She didn’t ask for a photograph or season tickets.
She didn’t ask Coen or the Jaguars to write her a check for her heartfelt verbal support.
And she definitely wasn’t looking to lure Coen into giving her an embarrassing soundbite that many love to elicit from coaches so they can have viral content.
Instead, she put down her pen and spoke from the heart the way a mother or grandmother would to someone who is hurting and in need of support.
And it wasn’t just any mother or grandmother. No, it was the supportive, kind and healing words from a Black woman whose empathy runs deeper than what any video could show.
But traditionalists don’t want the good; they only want the bad when it comes to sports because it’s more engaging.
Being a reporter doesn’t necessarily mean you have to always ask hard questions during emotional times; not every moment demands reporters turn into Jim Gray.
Lynn Jones-Turpin is a Black woman reporting for a Black publication meant to inform Black communities. That carries a unique responsibility that doesn’t need mainstream approval. It’s something Phil Lewis addressed in his insightful story on the situation.
Plus, she was doing her job by adhering to the mission of Jacksonville Press:
“The publication was developed as an answer to a community response which was crying out for a wealth of positive news… informative news for African-American Americans, about African-Americans, by African-Americans.“
If you’re still perturbed by what she asked, what would you have preferred she spent her time asking?
Should she have asked Coen about how great Josh Allen is? Should she have asked him if the season is a disappointment because they didn’t make it to the Super Bowl? Or maybe she should have asked him what he would have done differently?
That would put her in line with the generic questions pretty much every other reporter had queued up.
Instead, she demonstrated her uniqueness (a good quality reporters should have), spoke from the heart and let Coen know what the season meant to Duval and its fanbase.
And she did it without breaking journalistic standards.
So if you’re mad, be mad. Lynn Jones-Turpin doesn’t owe you anything.
Hopefully we’ll see her at the Super Bowl, too.
