This is the key factor. The Press plays footsie with the FO, not so much the player, until the FO is done with the guy. The players really can't blacklist a writer or reporter, because the organization will not allow that. If players had that kind of power, the clubhouses would be almost empty of reporters. It also has nothing to do with the papers catering to the readers. Negative news sells. An article about a guy having a charity bowling tournament can't compare to an article about a guy knocking down a senior citizen, beating his wife, or cheating on his wife. The papers are dying to crush some of the guys that they don't like, but the Red Sox would freeze them out. When the Sox cut ties, they help the writers out with a few tidbits of information and let them proceed to perform a colonoscopy on the guy.