What Tennessee, Penn State, and Florida State all have in common...

What connects all of them, and what creates an environment in which Athletic Departments/Universities feel they can commit or allow egregious behavior to occur without fear of facing backlash, is the fact that their local media aren't journalists, they are fans who refuse to question anything.

Tennessee, Florida State, and Penn State beat writers, are notorious for being unapologetic fans of the programs they cover, and you cannot objectively cover a team if you are a fan. In all of these cases, no questions were asked, nobody was pressed, and the toxic culture surrounding each school was ignored because the local media was willing to be fed bullshite and never question a single thing. In all such cases, it took national news organizations to uncover the problems that were pervasive and obvious to anyone who wanted to see it.

I understand why coaches would want friendly media, but if you love your school, as a fan you should want objective eyes on your school at all times to keep people honest. Institutions held unchecked are at a higher risk for corruption and embarrassment without it.