The Bernstein Brief: Bears' Stupid Media Policy Provides Opportunity
By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columinst
(CBS) Having been in broadcasting and media for almost 30 years, I've spoken with any number of ambitious young men and women eager to enter the industry. Whether at formal gatherings at schools and symposiums or just casual conversation, I have had hundreds of conversations about how best to start making a name for oneself, from the ancient days of VHS and cassette tapes into our digitized, instant age.
Now, thanks to the paranoid Chicago Bears clamping down on what can be disseminated by professionals covering the team during practice, an aspiring reporter now has a chance to shine, and all he/she needs is some time, a keen eye and a Twitter feed.
I'd urge anyone so motivated to attend as many publicly open Bears practices as possible -- most are at training camp -- and start reporting every available detail. As one of my favorite college professors always reminded: describe, don't characterize.
Send images and videos and notes about anything possibly newsworthy. Watch your following start to grow.
Make the Bears nervous. Make them find you, and make them kick you out of training camp. An NFL team banning a fan would make a martyr -- and certainly a name.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. You can follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.
