The Chronicle of Higher Education looks at the NCAA’s attacks on New York Times columnist Joe Nocera and other journalists. “Lately those exchanges have gotten personal, with NCAA representatives referring to some journalists as ‘lame,’ ‘dumb,’ ‘pseudo-journos,’ and ‘bad ones,’” writes Brad Wolverton. Nocera tells him:

Calling me names or pushing back doesn’t really bother me. I have always felt that I get to have my say in my column, and the subjects of my columns should have the right to fire back however they see fit. What has been striking in the case of the NCAA is how ad hominem the attacks have been, and how little interested it seems in engaging on the issue, especially the issue of whether its enforcements are unfair.

* The NCAA wades into a war of words
* NCAA blog: News not fit to print

“In this environment, too many news organizations are holding back, out of fear — fear that we will be saddled with an uncomfortable political label, fear that we will be accused of bias, fear that we will be portrayed as negative, fear that we will lose customers, fear that advertisers will run from us, fear that we will be assailed as anti-this or anti-that, fear that we will offend someone, anyone.” — Boston Globe editor Marty Baron
* Read the full text of Baron’s speech

Jeffrey Zaslow’s family has set up a @RememberingZazz Twitter feed (“celebrating and remembering Jeff’s life”) and website. (The funeral services are today.)

* Earlier: “His journalistic life has been a source of inspiration for all journalists”

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