The Big Get?

When you break a story or secure that elusive interview, it's called a "Big Get" in the world of journalism.

In today's 24-7 news cycle, the conventional media (newspapers and magazines) rarely beat the electronic media to any "Big Get."

So, when the boys at Philly Magazine looked like they got "the biggest get" in this town -- at least in the sports world -- people took notice.

And you can bet Larry Platt was breaking out the champagne.

Instead of relaying the latest gossip on our favorite news vixen or bolding telling us what the best cheesesteak or microbrew is, Philly Mag was about to get back in the journalism business.

They convinced Andy and Tammy Reid to sit down and finally discuss the mess that is their two oldest children.

Not so fast...

Reid and his wife were given the ability to read the interview and "suggest"changes before it was published. And, apparently, the Reids exercised their right to make revisions. The magazine also donated money to a charity of Reid's choice.

In other words, Platt paid off Reid and gave him creative control over a fictional piece of work.
Here's how "Big Red" spun his story:

"For the last several months, Tammy and I have struggled with the proper way to handle our family’s personal situation in a public platform," Reid said in a release about the interview. "As many of you know, I chose not to answer or field questions for various legal and personal reasons. I wanted to instead focus on football-related matters.

"However, as time has gone by, the tremendous level of support and interest that was shown by many people -- even by those without any interest in our football team -- was stunning. Tammy and I are very humbled and thankful for that. Obviously, we are not the only family that has or will at some point struggle with these situations in their own households. The outpouring of letters, emails, and phone messages made me realize that our personal situation, as difficult as it is, could actually have a positive impact on many other people’s lives.

"With that in mind, we decided that it was important to share some of our family’s story. Because of open legal issues, there is still much we cannot discuss. The story is long and complex and we felt that a magazine was the best format to tell such a story. Therefore, we decided to let Philadelphia Magazine publish our story."

Both sides of this saga can be argued. Many feel for Reid and support him,while many others believe the coach's problems affected his job performance and he should be shown the door.
This puff piece did nothing to clear up the legitimate issues that Reid, a public figure, should have addressed in an honest matter many months ago.

Simply put, it's not Philadelphia Magazine's job to act as a public relations arm for the Philadelphia Eagles or Reid.

Derek Boyko and his minions at the NovaCare Complex are doing that job just fine. The Eagles' public relations staff has already created a bunker mentality that protects Reid at all costs.

I hope the small spike in circulation is worth it to Platt because he just joined Howard Eskin and Dave Spadaro as card-carrying members of the Reid Kool-Aid club.

The price of admission?

Credibility.