From the Wall Street Journal
June 2, 2011

For four months, muckrakers from media outlets around the country sifted through allegations of NCAA rules violations by Ohio State's football players. On Monday, the pressure compelled the school's head coach, Jim Tressel, to resign.

Tressel's move came on the heels of an especially tough report last week from a rather unlikely source: The Lantern, Ohio State's student-run daily. In a story last week, the Lantern quoted a former Buckeye player, Ray Small, who confirmed some of the allegations the school was investigating. The player was also quoted as saying some players "don't even think" about NCAA rules.

Uncovering rules violations in college athletics might seem like it should be easy for student journalists. After all, they live on campus and have unparalleled access to players and their friends and classmates.

But if history is any guide, this sort of reporting takes more nerve than you might think. Student reporters who paint a school's sports teams in a negative light have faced ridicule and social isolation. Some have been fired from their posts.

Read the entire Wall Street Journal feature, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303745304576359741199883706.html?mod=googlenews_wsj