How Jon Wilner broke the USC-UCLA Big Ten story on June 30

Jon Wilner talked to @Paulsen_SMW about the events of June 30, when he broke the USC-UCLA Big Ten bombshell. It’s a detailed look at the complexities of getting a big scoop.

In a few years, Trojans Wire will cover Big Ten athletics on a more regular basis, but for now, USC is still in the Pac-12, so this conference is still our home — or is it our rental property? — for two more years. (Maybe it’s our summer beach house? We digress. You get the idea.)

Out here in Pac-12 country, few journalists are more prominent or pervasive than Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News and the Wilner Hotline. Wilner’s sourcing is second to none among Pac-12 reporters and columnists. He talks to everyone in the conference and gets a read on the whole room, not just certain narrow constituencies. His stories and analyses are must-read material for Pac-12 watchers.

On June 30, he broke the story which changed USC and the Pac-12 forever.

Have you wondered what that day was like for Wilner? Have you thought about the process of breaking that story, going public with it, and then handling the tsunami of calls and media requests for the next 12 to 36 hours after he scooped everyone else?

If you’re interested in how a quality journalist broke a story and then handled the fallout from it, there’s a podcast you should listen to.

The Sports Media Watch podcast had Wilner on its latest show to explain what went into the process of breaking the big USC-UCLA story on June 30. It’s a great look behind the curtain at a journalist in the center of a seismic story he uncovered.

Follow the Sports Media Watch podcast and the companion website for the best in sports television industry analysis:

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