The Josh Innes Show - Media People Outraged By Nice Jacksonville Lady

Episode Date: January 13, 2026

I know we discussed this yesterday. But, I'd like to add some thoughts after having spoken with Lynn Jones. Dan Patrick has weighed in and I disagree with him. Here's the biggest issue...you are supposed to work for the people. If the people aren't bothered, why are you? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All right. So we just played the interview we did on the Josh Ness show in Detroit. We interviewed Lynn Jones, who was lovely. I mean, tell me that wasn't a great time. Tell me you don't hear that and feel it's infectious and great and wonderful. It was great. I love talking with her. I was like talking with like Wanda Sykes or something, just great personality, upbeat, comes through the radio. We're laughing our asses off and that's great. The fact that she's a news story is fascinating to me. because that's the world we're in. And you got a bunch of stodgy old media fucks who want to rip this person because she said, you know, she gave the coach of the Jaguars a little positive affirmation after the game. And it's like a time and place thing. Like I'm aware that that's not what you're supposed to do. But I'm also aware that I don't care because it's 2026 and the media world is so different that the world is not what it was. And you're covering sports.

It's not Woodward and Bernstein. You're not trying to take down the president. You're not trying to uncover scandal at a children's hospital or priests molesting kids. You ain't talking about diddling here. You're talking about sports. It was 20 seconds out of someone's day. And it didn't keep anybody from achieving anything. It didn't keep you from writing your little stories.

None of that. It's just bitter, curmudgety assholes who realize that where they stand on the totem pole really doesn't all that matter. It matter all that much, and it bothers them. So let's play a couple commercials. Let's listen to what Dan Patrick has to say. Man, I was listening to Sports Radio in Detroit, and they're ripping this woman. Like, guys, like, it's 20 fucking seconds. This woman's not out here pretending to be what she's not.

She just said, hey, good job, man. Who gives a shit? Do you guys have a problem when the guys bring their kids to the press conference? Like, do you care about that? Like, who cares? I'm not trying to shit on your profession. but look man nobody cares what you write

the people are going to care about what they care about what they care about is about shit about their team that's all this is man that's all it is so let's play a couple commercials and then we'll listen to what Dan Patrick he of elite media training thinks about this

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You were made to scream from the front row. We were made to quietly save you more. Expedia made to travel. Savings vary and subject to availability. I love this woman. I'm on her side. The more I think about these things, like when you, like, I'm not. saying that sports shit, like in its own vacuum isn't serious in its own world, just like

entertainment shit is serious in its own world. But in the macro, not the micro, it really isn't that big of a deal. And I'd like to know how far into this press conference that question was, or the statement was made. Like, I'm pretty sure you got all you're going to get out of the coach. We lost. It sucked. I shouldn't have made this decision. I fucked up here. On to the next one. But let's see what Dan Patrick has to all. offer up about this topic. Here's a story. I'm not sure why it's a story, but it's a big story, or at least it's being talked about on social media. So the reporter for Jacksonville Jaguars is named Lynn Jones. She works for the Jacksonville Free Press. And oh, by the way, after speaking

with her, this woman worked for Tom Coughlin. So the way people talk about this person, like she's some sort of moron or something that hasn't been around the block, like give her credit. She worked for Tom Coughlin and the Jacksonville Jaguars. I guarantee you a lot of the people shitting on this woman have not worked for an NFL team and have no idea about anything that's going on. But I let's

shit on this woman. And following the loss by the Jags to the Buffalo Bills, Jones, the reporter, offered support and some positive words to head coach Liam Cohen. I want to tell you. Congratulations.

on your success, young man. You hold your head up, all right? You guys have had a most magnificent season. Thank you. You did a great job out there today. So you just hold your head up, okay? And ladies and gentlemen, Duval, you're the one. All right?

You keep it going. We've got another season, okay? I appreciate it. Take care of much continued success to you and the entire team. Thank you, ma'am. There's nothing wrong with that. Like, I understand the way the media world is supposed to be and you're not supposed to have rooting interest.

Look, man, the lady worked for the Jaguars at one point. Like, you know what? I'm more offended by. I'm more offended by dudes who are employed by a team that try to act as if they're impartial. And then, like, we'll talk shit about other teams. And then when it comes to covering their own team, don't do shit. Like the Dave Spaderoes of the world, the people like that in Philly, who I used to go at it with. Like the Dave Spaderoes, who are employees of the team, have no problem shitting on the cowboys or calling out every little thing about every other team.

But then the second there's any controversy with the team they cover, it's like, hold on, I got nothing to say on that. Those are the people that legitimately bother me. This lady for 20 fucking seconds saying, hey, good job, buddy. Like, who gives a shit? But I hate, hate, hate team provdha media people who, you know, talk all their shit about everybody else. And then turn a blind eye to the issues with their own team. But like, and what makes it worse is it's like they look for shit to shit on another teams because it makes it seem like they have hard opinions.

they don't. How about you have an opinion about the team that pays you? And if you're not going to have an opinion about the team that pays you, then stop having opinions on everybody else too, you, Pud. Anyway. She's been in broadcasting, broadcast journalism for over three decades. She is the associate editor and sales team manager for the Jacksonville Free Press. She has a lot of hats. I think she's also done some hosting in TV as well.

I don't know her. I don't think that I've met her. but here is the point that is being made by a lot of either host, former players, analysts, a lot of debate with this. Should you be saying this in a press conference? You're a member of the media. Again, it's all about how you view members of the media now. The media isn't what it used to be with podcasts and blogs, teams that have employees that are media, people that host their podcasts and do their web content.

This isn't 1975. It's 2026. It's a different universe, man. And yes, Jacksonville just lost. You're a hometown reporter, but you're still a journalist. Your job is to ask questions to get answers from Liam Coem and then you put it in your article. That's what your job is. You're not a former player who plays for Jacksonville,

it's not like Tony Bisselli. If he went there and said that in a press conference, conference, no one would have a problem with that. But if you're a reporter and you're saying this, you can say it in a way that you almost want Liam Cohen to tell you what he accomplished this year. That's obviously not what she was doing, Dan. She just wanted to sit there and say thank you for a good season. Like you can question whether or not she should even be credentialed. That's a fair question, right? Like, I get that. But going so deep into this, like in trying to explain to people what the media is job is. The media's job, if you want to get technical, if you want to use a rich lord term here,

the media's job is to be the conduit to the fans. And that's what media people love to say. They love to tell you that we exist to get the information. We ask the questions. We go to the press conferences for you because we ask what you want to know. Then they never actually do, but that's what they claim to be. The fans don't give a shit. Like that's what you're going to learn. Read social media. Fans only care about what they think is important. And they think is important. Fans do not care if a media person goes in and says, hey, good season, man. They don't care. And if they don't care, then why the fuck do you care? Because if you're doing it for them, if you're as a conduit to the fans, and that's why you're doing this, then why do you

care if the fans don't care? If the fans don't care that this person did this, why do you care? Now, the argument might be, well, you know, the media can't worry about what people think. You just have to get the truth. We need the truth. And sure, if that's, you know, trying to get down to a sex scandal in the White House or if you're trying to figure out who's diddling who at the church, yes, you don't give a shit. It's sports. And I think what's happening is these people are starting to realize that people consume them in a different way than they used to. Mostly because there's a thousand other options out there.

People just want what they want and they don't care about your decorum or your rules of journalism or whatever. This is not serious shit. It is sports. No real fan is out there bitching about them unless there's some bitter, curmudgety old fan. It's just angry anyway. Anyway, let's see here. Let us continue with Dan Patrick. If you just put it in question form, coach, tough loss, can you put it into words what you've done this year?

So now you've let him kind of tell you what you are already telling him in that clip that I... But she obviously didn't care about that. She wasn't doing that to get a quote. She didn't care. She probably got all the quotes she needed. She just did it because she wanted to say, hey, you made people proud. That's it. It's 20 fucking seconds.

Like, I appreciate you trying to lecture us. I know that Dan Patrick has like a, you know, he teaches some sort of media college or some shit. So rock on, dude. good for you. But like, brother, that's not why she did that. She just wanted to tell the guy she's proud of what he did. And that's it. If you think it's out of line, fine, like it is what it is. But it shouldn't be this federal case. Who gives a shit? It's 20 seconds you move on. I just played for you. And this is, this is different than if Tony Dungey says something about Mike Tomlin or two Mike Tomlin or Rodney Harrison says something about the New England Patriot.

They're former players. this is a press conference and you're a journalist. Now look, I don't root. I don't root. I didn't like it when Stuart Scott rooted, openly rooted or Chris Berman openly rooted. I didn't like it.

Because this is a very serious world of sports journalism, Dan. Hey. Like imagine being such a miserable, I'm not saying he's a miserable human, but like it's sports, man. It's sports. Have a fucking team if you want to root for someone, root for someone. I mean, be honest in what you do.

Be fair in what you do. But who cares, man? Like, what are we doing? They had their own agenda. I'm sure there are things that they didn't like of my approach here. But it shouldn't be a big deal. I think this reporter was very compassionate and it was a tough loss. And she said it.

And she's been there in the community for over 30 years. Okay. It's not what we should be doing. but it's not the end of the world. And now you've got people who are, you know, saying, oh, you old journalist and you guys, you know, your days are numbered. They are. Polar credit, you know, you know, we need journalism.

We need people asking questions. Again, yes. But like, now what you're lumping is journalism into one category instead of specific things like sports journalism or like media journalism. Like, you just throw it under one blank and say, journalism, journalism, journalism. Okay. There's a major difference between, hey, the president's fucking a bimbo in the White House or the Jaguars lost in a playoff game.

Like, get real, bro. I've admitted I got too close to players before. Paid the price, you know? What price did you pay for getting too close to players? You can't do it. because you you know I got too close to Jason Jombie and Mark McGuire

and then when I had to report on them then all of a sudden I lost friendships well that's fair like that's a fair point again that is a bit of a more serious issue though than saying hey good job in the playoff game you're talking about steroids and by the way Dan all of you turned a blind eye

to that shit anyway but that's on me that's on me so I've done this firsthand but I'm not openly rooted for you. I mean, Kurt Warner went to the Super Bowl with Arizona. And I did an interview with him that season. I said, if you take them to the Super Bowl, you're going to go to the Hall of Fame. And that's exactly what happened. But you know what I did after that Super Bowl? I went to

Kurt Warner privately and told him that was an incredible job and you are going to the Hall of Fame. Not at the press conference. I understand the point. But it's It's a different world, man. I keep hammering this point. It is a different universe. Things change. 75 years ago, the Andrews sisters is what music was, right? Like 80, 90 years ago, however long ago the Andrews sisters were, the 1930s and 40s,

the Andrews sisters were singing boogie-woogie bugle boy and drinking rum and Coca-Cola, and that's what shit was. And then it evolved. and wow, there's Elvis, and wow, there's Chuck Berry, and wow, there's Jerry Lee Lewis, and then it evolved, and there's the Beatles, and then there's the Grateful Dead, and then there's Metallicod. Things evolve and they change. The most important factor here is you are serving the people. Do the people care? Do the people truly want that?

Is that what they are there for? And do the people give a shit that this woman did this? And if the answer is no, then fuck off. This isn't difficult. Fuck off. It's 20 seconds out of your day. It's not a condemnation. It's not like some sort of referendum on what journalism is today.

I'd like you to have that same passion with real journalism or real topics where there's a lot of people that really mind fuck people and are dishonest and important things like politics and things that impact people's lives. Fox News, CNN, people who are dishonest and have an agenda. I need that same passion for that as opposed to, oh, no, are we really doing journalism here when we're doing it this way? Like, it's preposterous. You could still pull him aside if you want to talk to the coach. Hey, coach, I just want you to know what you've meant to this community. But this isn't, hey, you know, the old school journalist. No, we still need people who ask questions.

Not everybody has to be a cheerleader. And former players are not journalists. That's true. Don't expect them to be. You know, people would pile on Pat McAfee. You've got to ask, you know, Aaron Rogers, tough questions. Pat's an entertainer. That is correct.

I agree with you. I'm not expecting him to ask the questions that I would ask. But like, but here's where I think you're full of shit. So, like, your sports talk show is just journalism now? Like, you're sitting there talking to a bunch of people that you call McLevin and Pauly and all these other people and Skidmark? or like that's journalism? And vice versa. Like it's a paid interview.

You have him come on, you talk, let him talk, okay. There's a reason why he wanted to keep going back on that show. He got freedom to say what he wanted to say, but that's Pat's show. This is true. I don't have any problem with that. Yes, Heaton. It's kind of. I also love like the thing about the Dan Patrick show, which I don't enjoy it all.

Is it like he gives the guy's permission to talk? Like, yes, Seton, yes, Polly. It's like he's granting them permission to say something. Anyway, my point remains this. This was 20 seconds out of everybody's day. It is not a referendum about journalism in general. It is sports journalism. Who gives a shit?

If you're writing about something serious, write about something serious. It's the end of a football season. The coach has probably answered 10 questions already. anyway, it is what it is. You know, she was a very nice lady. By the way, based on our conversation with her, she's got some form of credibility. She worked with, you know, Tom Coughlin doing whatever the hell it is she did in the scouting department with Tom Coughlin.

Like there's certain things you just look at it and go, okay, life goes on. But what you have here is a group of people who are sensing that their importance is dwindling, their relevance is dwindling because people don't need it as much. because everybody's getting the info from somebody and, like, they're just not needed as much anymore. And I think that makes them uncomfortable. I get it. I'd be uncomfortable if I were doing that, too. If I were in a fading business, as it were. So, look, I am. I'm in radio. But anyway, more to come.