Jerry Jones Family Matters: ‘Fair Game’? Dallas Cowboys Watch

It’s an imperfect policy applied to an imperfect world. How does it work?

Dear Reader,

It’s an imperfect policy applied to an imperfect world. 

And I recognize how it could be misinterpreted, especially when it is applied to arguably the most powerful figure in sports, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

But it is a policy that I have had in place in my 32 years of covering sports in Dallas - and, imperfectly to be sure, it’s a policy that I’ve tried to apply to every newsmaker …

Starting in my first year here, 1990, And starting with a relatively obscure defensive tackle named Dean Hamel.

It was my dealings with Hamel - who long-time fans with sharp memories might recall came with the cartoon-based nickname “The Tasmanian Devil” -  that caused me to ask myself two simple journalistic questions with often-complex (and imperfect) answers:

One, is the story angle I’m considering “fair game”?

Two, is there a way for the story to be “fair,” period?

My extended thoughts are below, if you please …

This “fair game?” policy isn’t a claim of my superiority and isn’t about being “holier than thou.” I admit to its flaws. But it does help me to slow down and to consider - both sides and all angles. That includes being "fair'' to both the Joneses and the Davises, as we do here in our news story when noting a Davis family illness.

But it is, for me, valued as a guideline that has helped me make professional judgments as an imperfect writer covering imperfect people in an imperfect world - no matter whether they are immensely powerful or relatively obscure.

Sincerely,

Mike Fisher

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