Sportswriting 2001

"Some say it isn't real journalism," Helms reflects, "but the people who have been involved understand it can't replace a real sportswriter." Moreover, Helms urges papers to indicate which stories have been written by SportsWriter.

Isley agrees that the program could never go beyond the level of a good high school journalist or a cub sportswriter, but for help in meeting deadlines, he knows a sportswriting computer is valuable. "At this level, after the lead, a lot of game stories are repetitive," he says. "This program eliminates the need for me to write dozens of game stories, when my time could be spent on something more productive."