By JOE SULLIVAN
The Boston Globe

	WORKSHOP

Emilio Garcia-Ruiz says you have no choice.

The hard news story is going to affect sports editors and their sections, so be prepared, warned the sports editor of the Washington Post during his workshop entitled "Winning the hard news story, a guide to competing off the field." A story such as the BALCO scandal or the horrific murder at Baylor University could explode at your doorstep, so you need to be ready when it happens.

"Do you have people on your staff who can chase these types of stories on their own?" asked Garcia-Ruiz. "Are you going to be proactive to break some of this stuff or can you be reactive? If you've got beat writers, backups, feature writing GAs and columnists and that's all you have and you're a very good sports section, you run the risk of getting yourself killed."

To prepare for the big story that's sure to come, Garcia-Ruiz recommends reviewing your staff and deciding who can be trained to handle it. Then you need to make a commitment to that reporter and his or her stories.

Garcia-Ruiz talked about the value of Greg Sandoval to his own staff at the Post. He also had two specific examples and both sports editors were in attendance. First, Bob Yates of the Dallas Morning News shared how his paper put together a task force of reporters after the murder of Baylor basketball player Patrick Dennehy.

Then Garcia-Ruiz complimented Chuck Scott of the San Diego Union-Tribune for his decision to hire Brent Schrotenboer of the Mobile, Ala., Register as a hard news reporter instead of filling an opening for a national college football writer. Scott's commitment to Schrotenboer produced several excellent news stories, one of which led to the folding of the city's professional indoor soccer team and a second one which led to the cancellation of a college football game that had been secretly subsidized by the city of San Diego. Scott admitted his staff did not whole-heartedly embrace the decision.

Training is crucial. Someone (or hopefully more than one person) needs to have the skills to report these types of stories. They need to be trained to do background checks and other computer-assisted reporting. "If they can do computer-assisted shopping, they can do computer-assisted reporting," said Garcia-Ruiz.

Garcia-Ruiz recommended finding the person in the library who is the top researcher and make that person your best friend.

He also distributed a useful handout of websites, most of which were free that reporters can use to seek crucial information. David Sell, sports editor of the Colorado Springs Gazette, good-naturedly served as an example. Using some of the websites from his handout he demonstrated how information could be quickly compiled on an individual. Sell's phone number, address and the cost of his home were obtained almost as fast as Garcia-Ruiz could type.

Garcia-Ruiz also shared a fascinating story that his staff worked on which concerned the possible theft of a Rolex watch at the Atlanta airport at the same time that Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and some of his friends were passing through security. Using both traditional and computer-assisted reporting, the Post chased a tip about the incident for several months. The effort did not result in an award-winning investigative piece but it showed how certain reporting efforts, when mastered, can help reporters seek the truth.

"By using all the weapons, high-tech, low-tech, you should be able to compete on a hard news story," said Garcia-Ruiz.

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