Chip's article on Smart and Media

MacDawg15 · August 2018

@bigdawg2223 said:
Chip has had sour grapes since CKS got here about not being able to talk to players. It’s nothing personal but I don’t read Towers take anymore, I know not all of what he writes is crying about how CKS is handles the media. It’s like this when Chip Towers is the head coach for the Georgia Bulldogs he can decide how much the players talk to the media.

Lol as soon as I see he wrote it, I just go to another article or 247 . He gives his opinion more than stating the facts about whatever the subject matter is. My beef with him is him basically questioning our head coach on the fact that Zeus was on the punt team. Like he shouldn't be out there. As CKS said Michel was on it last year, Derick Henry in the past etc. He was medically cleared to do everything. So if he just asks what the diagnosis was and severity of an injury; that's fine. But we all know he was basically saying to Kirby that he shouldn't have been on the field for the punt team! His opinion means zero to me, doesn't know what spellcheck is and I mean it when I say he is the worst journalist I've ever seen. Do your job correctly before basically asking our HC why he coaches the way he does and the people that he chooses to fill the positions. I mean when you have to put that kind of busch league article out there to begin with that should say enough. I mean why would you be so **** as to question CKS because he didn't give you enough time to do your article. It's always more about you and your opinion than JUST PUTTING FACTS OUT THERE FOR PPL TO MAKE WHAT THEY WILL OF THE SUBJECT LIKE JOURNALISTS ARE SUPPOSED TO DO.....THIS kind of **** is what divides a fanbase.....

MikeGriffith · August 2018

Sometimes journalists ask questions even though they know the answer -- why? Because fans/readers want to hear the coach provide the answer, not the beat writer. So in this case, I can assure you, Anthony Dasher already knew the answer to the question -- and he also knew there would be fans who questioned Kirby having the kid out there -- and he was teeing it up for Kirby to provide the answer. Again, it's about getting the answer in the media, and that means sometimes asking the most obvious of questions. One example, after a big win, the reporter asks: "How do you feel coach?" Of course we know they feel great -- but people want to hear how the coach expresses it. Sure, there are some questions that aren't great, and maybe some journalists who don't have the intention I've expressed, but in this case, the beat writer was doing his job and asking a question he knew fans would have, and helping the fans get that answer straight from the horse's mouth. I'm sharing this information as a service, not an excuse. I want people on this board to have knowledge and background.

MacDawg15 · August 2018

@jarred_buck said:

@WCDawg said:

@JayDog said:
The information surrounding Zamir's first ACL was that it was not so severe that he couldn't walk around on it for a couple of days before questioning it. What I remember was folks were optimistic he could return by the start of the season. When fall camp began he was "full go" which means the brace was a precaution. The doctors cleared Zamir to play and media reports said he seemed to be fine.

Given this, what was the point of the question about Zamir being on punt returns? I understand why Kirby reacted as he did. The question implies Zamir should not have been playing special teams. It implies someone made a mistake playing him. The player had the go ahead. Why shouldn't he play on punt coverage?

Zamir probably shouldn't have been playing gunner on a punt return just 8 months after surgery, there is little to no upside, huge downside.
As for the brace, I've had femoral nerve constriction on my left side for 13 years. It causes pain and numbness down my left leg into the foot. When I'm on uneven ground it's not the left leg and knee that usually gets sprained though, it is the right side. We compensate by shifting weight and balance away from weakness and injury, that should have been considered with White wearing a brace, which in itself causes altered mechanics.

I’ll email Ron Courson and ask him to resign so that you can fill in. If kirby makes another mistake like this, you’ll be able to take over for him too.

Lmao no joke. We have a TON of coaches on here that know more about roster management and how to go about developing a national brand than CKS. I guess their the special guys that look in on us practicing every day and know who should be where on special teams.. Look what he's brought to us in 2 years! But surely these fellas think they could do it as good or better. I guaran d a m n tee that if we lost KS it would be absolutely crushing to the future of UGA football! Yet some idiots still **** and moan that he should or shouldn't do this or that. I LOVE THE DAWGS and KS is a true blessing for this team! And I personally think for a guy who was never a HC before coming here ;he's done as good of a job as anybody could hope for. IMO he's just a younger Saban..

MacDawg15 · August 2018

@MikeGriffith said:
Sometimes journalists ask questions even though they know the answer -- why? Because fans/readers want to hear the coach provide the answer, not the beat writer. So in this case, I can assure you, Anthony Dasher already knew the answer to the question -- and he also knew there would be fans who questioned Kirby having the kid out there -- and he was teeing it up for Kirby to provide the answer. Again, it's about getting the answer in the media, and that means sometimes asking the most obvious of questions. One example, after a big win, the reporter asks: "How do you feel coach?" Of course we know they feel great -- but people want to hear how the coach expresses it. Sure, there are some questions that aren't great, and maybe some journalists who don't have the intention I've expressed, but in this case, the beat writer was doing his job and asking a question he knew fans would have, and helping the fans get that answer straight from the horse's mouth. I'm sharing this information as a service, not an excuse. I want people on this board to have knowledge and background.

So if he just worded it differently and said why would you have Zeus on the punt team it would have been different? We're all big boys, and everybody knows **** well he was insinuating coach why would you have him out there in that situation... Injuries, stats, who's making strides in the off season, severity of injuries etc are perfectly fine.. But when our HC is questioned on how he does his job and where he wants to play people; that's bush league because your questioning how he runs the program.. Does anyone think Saban would put up with that??

MikeGriffith · August 2018

The reporter asked the question that many fans have asked -- he did his job. Sometimes it is the media's job to ask questions that some might consider challenging. Coaches don't always like it, and that's understandable. But fans want to know about that third-down call that didn't work out, or why this guy is starting over that guy, or why this person is on special teams -- right? I thought it was beneficial for Kirby to point out all the other talented backs that have played on special teams -- that made his case. If the reporter doesn't ask the question, Kirby doesn't have the chance to introduce that information to the discussion!

donniea1107 · August 2018

@MikeGriffith said:
The reporter asked the question that many fans have asked -- he did his job. Sometimes it is the media's job to ask questions that some might consider challenging. Coaches don't always like it, and that's understandable. But fans want to know about that third-down call that didn't work out, or why this guy is starting over that guy, or why this person is on special teams -- right? I thought it was beneficial for Kirby to point out all the other talented backs that have played on special teams -- that made his case. If the reporter doesn't ask the question, Kirby doesn't have the chance to introduce that information to the discussion!

I actually have no issues with the question that was asked. The issue I have is not even with the reporter that asked the question. He got chewed out but he got over it and moved on. The issue I have is with Chip. He did not even get the worst of it and he goes the next morning and writes a whole article whining and complaining about it. Just move on. Why devote a whole article complaining about Smart and UGA? It just seemed so childish and it did nothing to help the situation. Nobody else in that room felt the need to write an article to whine about it.

scooterdawg · August 2018

@levander said:
I’m really surprised at the blowback Chip is receiving for writing that article. Like once every two or three months Chip will say something about this access to players thing. Now I don’t agree with him. But to take it so far you’ve stopped reading his articles?

This is why you turn on CNN every night and wow! Somehow, some way, they’ve managed to find another way to report that Donald Trump is evil! It’s because way too many of you get frustrated when you hear something you don’t want to hear. So these national media outlets have given in, and just jazz up whatever reporting they do to accommodate for the biases of their viewers.

I’m glad Chip hasn’t done that.

And there is the issue of goal posts. Where when the coaches take stuff away from the media, what are they going to take next?

You guys think the local OSU media is **** up to Urban Meyer? They may be. I don’t know. But being willing to push back against the administration is what we need if we want to have any kind of sensible reporting during controversial issues like that.

And I’m finding on this board I need to be more specific sometimes. Let me make it clear this post isn’t not a response to @Red_N_Black. I just disagreed with his interpretation. I don’t think he’s one of the people I’m talking about with this post.

I agree. I’d rather have reporters who do more than just tell me what I want to hear. I’m not getting into the political crap but if you get your news from CNN, HuffPost, Fox News, Hannity or wherever, I have a news flash, both sides report the news however they think their particular fanbases want them to. I go to sites like yahoo and I know exactly how a story is going to be framed by which site it is linked from. Usually Foxnews on one side and HuffPost on the other. News is a business and to blindly follow one side and say all the others are biased frankly doesn’t speak well of one’s intelligence no matter which side you fall on. Nor does getting mad because a reporter doesn’t report in a way that validates your personal beliefs.

It’s also disingenuous to say that reporters should only report facts; should we go back to the days when the only way to get news was for a guy to read it off a ticker tape telegraph machine? If that’s the case then get rid of ALL news sites, newspapers, etc. We can just have a channel with a ESPN style ticker at the bottom while playing soothing music and showing pictures of puppies and then each side can go to their liberal or conservative forum/message board of choice and interpret it in an echo chamber of likeminded people. Of course since Kirby, Saban, and most other football coaches would prefer no news get out at all unless they have spun it their way first, following college football would be pretty boring to follow.

I don’t really care if people think Chip is a bad writer or just don’t like him. I’m not the president of his fan club and I’ve been on record about how I think most of the DN writers could use an editor. But if you don’t like him then don’t read his stuff. That’s everyone’s right. I just think that asking for him to be censored because you don’t like something he says is pretty close minded, and having a history degree and being a on overall history dork, history will tell you that having a one sided or censored press has never been particularly good at any time or place. If you can’t handle someone because they don’t write exactly what you want to hear at all times then either grow up or again, stop reading. And if you can’t handle someone having the nerve to dare question someone you like, be it a politician or a football coach then I think you need to open your mind a little bit. I’m not saying you don’t have the right to disagree with what he writes, what he asks, or even his merits or lack thereof, but acting like he should be punished or censored in some way is pretty out there.

How did having nothing but writers who worshipped at the altar of Ohio State football and Urban Meyer work out? I guess for some of y’all just fine, but I’d rather not be lumped in with those ignorant homers. If you only want rosy puff pieces all the time then maybe you should stick to getting your Dawg news from the official UGA website. I like BA but this site would be pretty boring if every writer was an unapologetic fan. Some of y’all are fine with Kirby treating the fans like mushrooms .ie. keeping them in the dark and feeding them crap (unless they are McGill donors) but I prefer to make my own opinion and read those of others. I’m not even saying that Kirby is wrong for following the Saban way of limiting the press, but it puts the guys whose job it is to write about the team in a no win situation. Either they can stick to the facts that Kirby decides to give them and maybe write one story a week that is basically just a box score, or they can try to find other things to write about and give their opinions, and probably get sh#t on either way.

Sorry, but I personally wanted someone to ask Kirby about Zamir being on the special teams unit. Any part of society goes to crap pretty quickly when the press can’t dare to ask a question of someone in power without that person going off on them and others acting like they committed a crime or something. Believe me, Kirby is a grown man who knows what he is doing and doesn’t need people on a forum to protect him. In fact I’m quite sure that he knew someone was going to ask him about the punt coverage thing, and his reaction was probably calculated to a certain extent at least. That or he made a mistake, because to blame the press who wasn’t even at the practice for leaking the story when there were over a thousand big donors who got to see every minute would be disingenuous at best. He got to vent a bit of frustration, didn’t really have to answer the question, and deflected most of the attention off of him and onto the reporters. Even he realized that it wasn’t right or why would he have apologized right after? Again, he knows what he’s doing. I don’t think he needs people to get offended on his behalf.

Anyway, that’s my opinion and if you feel threatened by it or by Chip, or someone else writing something that you don’t like, then you’re certainly entitled to feel that way. I just happen to think that the world is definitely a more boring and probably less healthy place when everyone has to toe the company line or else. When everyone has the exact same point of view and opinions, and we all close our minds to anything we don’t want to hear. Just a thought. Go Dawgs.

Red_N_Black · August 2018

@MikeGriffith said:
The reporter asked the question that many fans have asked -- he did his job. Sometimes it is the media's job to ask questions that some might consider challenging. Coaches don't always like it, and that's understandable. But fans want to know about that third-down call that didn't work out, or why this guy is starting over that guy, or why this person is on special teams -- right? I thought it was beneficial for Kirby to point out all the other talented backs that have played on special teams -- that made his case. If the reporter doesn't ask the question, Kirby doesn't have the chance to introduce that information to the discussion!

Mike, please take a couple of minutes to watch this video.

https://247sports.com/college/georgia/Video/Kirby-Smart-wants-recruits-who-want-to-win-8544645/?View=Full

Obviously, you and Chip and Anthony Dasher must not remember this topic already being addressed at Kirby's 8/3 press conference. And if you do remember this, then I would like to ask you if you really think it was necessary to bring it up again. Dawg fans remember this being talked about then and even if we didn't see it, we have known for a long time that Kirby has put this kind of top priority on special teams and we're 100% supportive of what he's doing. We are dog-tired of suffering through countless seasons of ____ poor special teams play. So why was this question really asked? Was it done inform the public? Nope! It comes across as a reporter being critical of the Head Coach's judgement and blaming him for this injury. Sad to say , it also comes across as a couple of other reporters being supportive of this type of "yellow press".

MikeGriffith · August 2018

There's nothing "yellow" about how that press conference went down, and for you to infer that shows a lack of understanding of how reporting works. We get paid to ask questions that the public can't ask for themselves. There is plenty of evidence that, even after Kirby explained it, people want to know why a player 8 months out from surgery with a knee brace was on special teams. The question needed to be asked, and you can quibble with the wording or style, but it was hardly confrontational or second-guessing. The whole shoot-the-messenger thing gets old, because I know Chip and Dasher and have known them for a very long time, and they are very well respected and in no way shape or form "Yellow." Very **** word to use, and in this case inappropriate and naive, in my opinion. For the record, I don't have an issue with Zamir White on special teams because he was not going to make the travel team otherwise, he was not among the top four backs and was working his way back into a football mindset.

MikeGriffith · August 2018

As for Georgia fans already knowing, rule number one in journalism is don't assume your audience has read your previous stories. Obviously we don't need to remind people what the mascot is every time -- although we do -- but I thought it was very useful that Kirby was able to give examples of other players who had played on special teams. In fact, I thought Dasher did him a favor by asking the question so he could make the case. No one considers that part of the equation, and it's unfortunate. I'm sure I'll ask questions Kirby doesn't like, but reporters aren't paid to go in there and be fans and tell the coach how great they are. Kirby is a championship coach and everyone in the room knows it, we're there to ask him how he goes about what he does, why he makes the decisions he does, and to tell us more about the team. That requires questions that are sometimes challenging and sometimes what coaches consider invasive. There's a natural rub. I think Kirby handles it well, I enjoy his press conferences, and I was impressed he went over and shook Dasher's hand and made sure they were "all right" after he raised his voice at him.

Kasey · August 2018

@MikeGriffith said:
As for Georgia fans already knowing, rule number one in journalism is don't assume your audience has read your previous stories. Obviously we don't need to remind people what the mascot is every time -- although we do -- but I thought it was very useful that Kirby was able to give examples of other players who had played on special teams. In fact, I thought Dasher did him a favor by asking the question so he could make the case. No one considers that part of the equation, and it's unfortunate. I'm sure I'll ask questions Kirby doesn't like, but reporters aren't paid to go in there and be fans and tell the coach how great they are. Kirby is a championship coach and everyone in the room knows it, we're there to ask him how he goes about what he does, why he makes the decisions he does, and to tell us more about the team. That requires questions that are sometimes challenging and sometimes what coaches consider invasive. There's a natural rub. I think Kirby handles it well, I enjoy his press conferences, and I was impressed he went over and shook Dasher's hand and made sure they were "all right" after he raised his voice at him.

I feel like this notion is getting lost in everything. I think Kirby lost his cool in the heat of the moment and then went to make it right. He cares and to me that means a lot

umooner · August 2018

@scooterdawg said:

@levander said:
I’m really surprised at the blowback Chip is receiving for writing that article. Like once every two or three months Chip will say something about this access to players thing. Now I don’t agree with him. But to take it so far you’ve stopped reading his articles?

This is why you turn on CNN every night and wow! Somehow, some way, they’ve managed to find another way to report that Donald Trump is evil! It’s because way too many of you get frustrated when you hear something you don’t want to hear. So these national media outlets have given in, and just jazz up whatever reporting they do to accommodate for the biases of their viewers.

I’m glad Chip hasn’t done that.

And there is the issue of goal posts. Where when the coaches take stuff away from the media, what are they going to take next?

You guys think the local OSU media is **** up to Urban Meyer? They may be. I don’t know. But being willing to push back against the administration is what we need if we want to have any kind of sensible reporting during controversial issues like that.

And I’m finding on this board I need to be more specific sometimes. Let me make it clear this post isn’t not a response to @Red_N_Black. I just disagreed with his interpretation. I don’t think he’s one of the people I’m talking about with this post.

I agree. I’d rather have reporters who do more than just tell me what I want to hear. I’m not getting into the political crap but if you get your news from CNN, HuffPost, Fox News, Hannity or wherever, I have a news flash, both sides report the news however they think their particular fanbases want them to. I go to sites like yahoo and I know exactly how a story is going to be framed by which site it is linked from. Usually Foxnews on one side and HuffPost on the other. News is a business and to blindly follow one side and say all the others are biased frankly doesn’t speak well of one’s intelligence no matter which side you fall on. Nor does getting mad because a reporter doesn’t report in a way that validates your personal beliefs.

It’s also disingenuous to say that reporters should only report facts; should we go back to the days when the only way to get news was for a guy to read it off a ticker tape telegraph machine? If that’s the case then get rid of ALL news sites, newspapers, etc. We can just have a channel with a ESPN style ticker at the bottom while playing soothing music and showing pictures of puppies and then each side can go to their liberal or conservative forum/message board of choice and interpret it in an echo chamber of likeminded people. Of course since Kirby, Saban, and most other football coaches would prefer no news get out at all unless they have spun it their way first, following college football would be pretty boring to follow.

I don’t really care if people think Chip is a bad writer or just don’t like him. I’m not the president of his fan club and I’ve been on record about how I think most of the DN writers could use an editor. But if you don’t like him then don’t read his stuff. That’s everyone’s right. I just think that asking for him to be censored because you don’t like something he says is pretty close minded, and having a history degree and being a on overall history dork, history will tell you that having a one sided or censored press has never been particularly good at any time or place. If you can’t handle someone because they don’t write exactly what you want to hear at all times then either grow up or again, stop reading. And if you can’t handle someone having the nerve to dare question someone you like, be it a politician or a football coach then I think you need to open your mind a little bit. I’m not saying you don’t have the right to disagree with what he writes, what he asks, or even his merits or lack thereof, but acting like he should be punished or censored in some way is pretty out there.

How did having nothing but writers who worshipped at the altar of Ohio State football and Urban Meyer work out? I guess for some of y’all just fine, but I’d rather not be lumped in with those ignorant homers. If you only want rosy puff pieces all the time then maybe you should stick to getting your Dawg news from the official UGA website. I like BA but this site would be pretty boring if every writer was an unapologetic fan. Some of y’all are fine with Kirby treating the fans like mushrooms .ie. keeping them in the dark and feeding them crap (unless they are McGill donors) but I prefer to make my own opinion and read those of others. I’m not even saying that Kirby is wrong for following the Saban way of limiting the press, but it puts the guys whose job it is to write about the team in a no win situation. Either they can stick to the facts that Kirby decides to give them and maybe write one story a week that is basically just a box score, or they can try to find other things to write about and give their opinions, and probably get sh#t on either way.

Sorry, but I personally wanted someone to ask Kirby about Zamir being on the special teams unit. Any part of society goes to crap pretty quickly when the press can’t dare to ask a question of someone in power without that person going off on them and others acting like they committed a crime or something. Believe me, Kirby is a grown man who knows what he is doing and doesn’t need people on a forum to protect him. In fact I’m quite sure that he knew someone was going to ask him about the punt coverage thing, and his reaction was probably calculated to a certain extent at least. That or he made a mistake, because to blame the press who wasn’t even at the practice for leaking the story when there were over a thousand big donors who got to see every minute would be disingenuous at best. He got to vent a bit of frustration, didn’t really have to answer the question, and deflected most of the attention off of him and onto the reporters. Even he realized that it wasn’t right or why would he have apologized right after? Again, he knows what he’s doing. I don’t think he needs people to get offended on his behalf.

Anyway, that’s my opinion and if you feel threatened by it or by Chip, or someone else writing something that you don’t like, then you’re certainly entitled to feel that way. I just happen to think that the world is definitely a more boring and probably less healthy place when everyone has to toe the company line or else. When everyone has the exact same point of view and opinions, and we all close our minds to anything we don’t want to hear. Just a thought. Go Dawgs.

It looks like no one read your post because it was so long, but it should be required reading. Everyone just wants their bias reinforced at all times.

DamnYankeeDawg · August 2018

@MikeGriffith said:
There's nothing "yellow" about how that press conference went down, and for you to infer that shows a lack of understanding of how reporting works. We get paid to ask questions that the public can't ask for themselves. There is plenty of evidence that, even after Kirby explained it, people want to know why a player 8 months out from surgery with a knee brace was on special teams. The question needed to be asked, and you can quibble with the wording or style, but it was hardly confrontational or second-guessing. The whole shoot-the-messenger thing gets old, because I know Chip and Dasher and have known them for a very long time, and they are very well respected and in no way shape or form "Yellow." Very **** word to use, and in this case inappropriate and naive, in my opinion. For the record, I don't have an issue with Zamir White on special teams because he was not going to make the travel team otherwise, he was not among the top four backs and was working his way back into a football mindset.

Mike...I've seen you mention this one other time. IIRC, you also said that he didn't have the same burst/cut/speed or words to that effect in the same post.

Just curious...did you find your observation of Zamir consistent with other RBs that you covered who were at a similar stage in the recovery process, ie 8 months post injury, knee brace on, participating in drills, making cuts etc? Were you surprised that he didn't seem all the way back from his injury given the way he was practicing? Or, did he seem on schedule...he just needed more time?

I was under the impression (wrongly maybe) that he was ahead of schedule and looking good to this point.

MikeGriffith · August 2018

Yes, I saw the same thing happen with Robert Meachem at Tennessee .... didn't look like the same guy for a couple years, and then all the sudden, he was back...... Jamal Lewis had a shoulder injury in 1999, I wondered if he'd ever get back, and not only did he get back, but he went for more than 2,000 yards in one season for the Ravens. Backs are finely tuned machines... hate it for Zamir, hope he gets back. Long road ahead, very unfortunate.

scooterdawg · August 2018

Sorry for posting a wall of text. I didn’t realize it was that long. And I know that I shouldn’t be giving the Dawgnation guys crap about needing an editor when I misplaced a number of words myself. After I posted I wanted to edit it but I’ve had issues a number of times with a long post disappearing when I tried to. Glad someone read it @umooner lol.

I probably have given you crap about the headline thing in the past @MikeGriffith but I actually think you’ve settled in a bit since you first started. I get the “shooting the messenger” thing after all this popped up because I’m one of those people who wanted someone to ask Kirby that question. I’m not saying he’s at fault for a guy getting hurt but I wanted to know what he had to say about it and I don’t think that should be taboo or that it makes me less of a fan. I love the Dawgs and I try not to insult people who feel differently than me though I’m certainly guilty of flying off the handle now and then as most are. The **** season just needs to start already lol. Go Dawgs!!!

UnderDog68 · August 2018

@biggen said:
He needs to grow tougher skin. He got chewed out by CKS and he needs to write an article to vent about it like a child.

Exactly. They still aren't used to the new Sheriff in town, it seems.....and are whining about his rules.

JayDog · August 2018

I think part of the negative reaction to the question and then the article Chip wrote actually stems from a recurring theme that started during the 2016 season. The complaining about the press restrictions has been laced into some of what Chip writes. Then there is the article like this week's and the scab is picked for some people. It all got old in 2016 and it continued periodically into 2017 and now we see it again in 2018. I've come to pretty much ignore it--but I do note when it happens. And I don't mind adding my 2 cents on the topic.

Dawg14 · August 2018

@MikeGriffith said:
The reporter asked the question that many fans have asked -- he did his job. Sometimes it is the media's job to ask questions that some might consider challenging. Coaches don't always like it, and that's understandable. But fans want to know about that third-down call that didn't work out, or why this guy is starting over that guy, or why this person is on special teams -- right? I thought it was beneficial for Kirby to point out all the other talented backs that have played on special teams -- that made his case. If the reporter doesn't ask the question, Kirby doesn't have the chance to introduce that information to the discussion!

Mike, thanks for your explanation and it makes sense to me that reporters ask the tough questions to get the response and that we fans want to hear from the coach’s mouth. The problem with Chip and this article is he got offended by the response even though we all knew that question was not going to be received well. If you’re going to ask the question don’t cry about the response. Like a kid sticking his hand in a beehive then getting pissed when he’s stung.

TomGrose · August 2018

I liked Chip's article.

TomGrose · August 2018

Great article, thanks Chip.

Chip's article on Smart and Media

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