New Mexico Beat Reporter Is Reassigned

The Albuquerque Journal has reassigned Greg Archuleta after the New Mexico football beat reporter sent an inappropriate email to Lobo running back Demond Dennis.

In the Oct. 4 email, Archuleta asked Dennis about his status with the team and suggested it might be "a step in the right direction" if Dennis quit. The running back turned the email over to team officials, who contacted the Journal.

"While Greg was trying to do his job by finding out whether an important member of the team had left, the email itself crossed the line when it suggested that it would be better if Mr. Dennis quit," editor Kent Walz said. You can view the story by clicking here, but the newspaper has a paywall.

Archuleta had covered the team for more than a decade. Columnist Rick Wright took over the beat last Friday.

Dennis, who had been averaging a team-leading 29 yards a game for the winless Lobos, had only one carry in New Mexico's 38-20 loss to Texas El Paso on Oct. 2. Locksley said after the game that Dennis needed to concentrate on academics.

Archuleta followed the email to Dennis, which ended with "...that's why I'm trying to get a hold of you, to get your side of it. Let me know whether you can help, and I hope everything works out for you. If you have quit, maybe that's a step in the right direction."

Archuleta, asked to give his interpretation of the email, told the Journal: "The context of my comment, 'If you have quit ...,' was never intended to suggest to Dennis that he should quit the team. Based on the information I received, it was reasonable for me to assume Dennis already had quit."

Archuleta, who had covered the team for more than a decade, was in the middle of a controversy that was first reported last month involving Locksley and Ryan Tomari, the sports editor of the student newspaper the Daily Lobo. Locksley, who is 1-17 as coach, reportedly engaged in a heated confrontation that involved the use of profanity with Tomari in July after the reporter wrote an article that was critical of the coach and program.

The incident, which occurred at the Uptown Sports Bar and Grill in Albuquerque, was recorded on videotape. Locksley obtained a copy of the tape and allowed Archuleta to view it, but other reporters, including Tomari, were not given the same access.

Thanks to Bleed Crimson.

Comments

[David Gladow]

Dude, this is fairly timely what with the Brett Favre nonsense.

This is the kind of thing I point to when reporters try to discredit bloggers/Interent types as being "unprofessional". What the heck was this then?

[edward allen]

Do you have the full e-mail? If so, it might be good to post it in full so we can see it in?context. Reading this story, I am sort of siding with Greg Archuleta's interpretation, which is contrary to what other media are reporting. They say Archuleta suggested he quit.

[The Wiz]

I do not have the full email, only what the Journal printed. I'd be happy to print the full email should it become available.

One could certainly interpret that Archuleta is getting a bum deal, especially considering that he has been on the beat and with the newspaper for so many years. Perhaps loyalty and years of service don't count like they used to.

[Crunch Meister Duckingham]

Newspaper are drowning in red ink and will do anything they can to get rid of long-time employees. There is no such thing as loyalty, whether you worked 70 hours and were paid for 40 for two decades.

That said, a lot of other college scribes have wondered why this paper hasn't sought out a better beat guy than Archuleta. He is not well-respected and a lot of eyes were raised at a conference media day when former Lobos coach Rocky Long asked him if he wanted to go have a beer.

I see this as an opportunity for the Journal to move on after the season and conduct a national search and bring in someone credible with Mountain West Conference ties that can improve the caliber of coverage that the good folks in Albuquerque deserve.

[LoboLucas]

Dear Albuquerque Journal, please hire Crunch Meister Duckingham.

Would like to see that name at the top of articles.

Thank You.

[Dcristofaro.blogspot.com]

It seems like the reporter is in fact getting a "bum rap." He's trying to sympathize with Dennis in hopes he can get his side of the story since many sources point to Dennis leaving. He was not suggesting it was a step in the right direction if the quote is put into context.

[ffxiv gil]

I see this as an opportunity for the Journal to move on after the season and conduct a national search and bring in someone credible with Mountain West Conference ties that can improve the caliber of coverage that the good folks in Albuquerque deserve.