Mar

4

You Get What You Ask For

March 4, 2008 | by Keith | Categories Internet, Newspapers | Comments Off

When you ask readers for their opinion, they’re usually not too shy to share them.  That’s definitely the case with South Florida Sun Sentinel sports reporter Ethan Skolnick.

In a blog post yesterday, Skolnick asked his readers to comment, in general, on the work of the sports media.

Here’s his rationale:

Many of you want the media to give you information… and then get angry when the media tell you something that you don’t want to hear, or that you believe will compromise your team in some way. Many of you assume that media members should be fans of the team, perhaps unaware of the journalistic requirement of impartiality.

So, rather than respond to every attack under every entry, consider this entry your place to vent.

I recognize that there are problems with the current sports media landscape. Serious problems, in some cases.

But I also sense that some of you are simply guessing about how things work, or aren’t really sure what you want us to do.

And vent they did.  Here are some of the highlights (as they were written…so don’t get on my case for any grammar or punctuation errors):

asking the same dumb questions make me dislike a lot of the sports journalists out there today. asking “how do you feel?” after losing the super bowl? then wondering why so many players respond in a hostile manner is just dumb.

Seriously though here is my concern. WHO THE SELL HAS MADE THESE GUYS EXPERTS? Most have never played the game nor have the managed a team. They report news as opinion; the only real reporting especially on the radio is the news flashes. For instance I hear radio host all the time bash local teams for barely beating an opponent even though they are leading their division.
Now, I can’t imagine a sports media guy not being a fan of some team. The problem is that most in this market are not from Miami and however unintentional it may be their fan side come out.

I think that the journalism ideal of objectivity conflicts most with sports writers. Their audience wants them to give it to them straight, yet at the same time tell them that their team is doing everything right, and will win.

Sports Media Criticisms

1. Can not be objective because of personal relationships/bias;
2. Expertise should be based on writing/reporting skills vs. coaching/management skills;
3. Overstep journalistic boundaries; and
4. Take sports too seriously (covering sports, not actual war).

The sports media is no different than the news media IMO. The negative stories are usually the ones that are steeped in drama and keep the readers or tv viewers coming back.

There’s a lot more, so read it for yourself.   This one was my favorite, from Skolnick himself, “…looks like good fodder for a blog.”  Indeed.


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