Post by keita on Dec 10, 2009 22:55:14 GMT -5
Media should be ashamed for Tiger Woods coverage'
Editorial by Jason Whitlock
McClatchy Newspapers
Published in The Sacramento Bee
KANSAS CITY, Mo.-- In the pursuit of web traffic, relevancy and ratings, the mainstream media established a precedent in its coverage of Tiger Woods' car accident and alleged affairs that will forever change the way the sports world is covered.
More dangerously, our coverage of Tiger's tumultuous Thanksgiving and personal infidelity will have dramatic, negative impact on Tiger's pursuit of Jack Nicklaus' record for career major championships.
Don't expect an apology from the media. We're no better than the gossip rags, tabloids and blogs, and we will no longer strive to be.
The high road no longer pays our bills. So, like TMZ, the National Enquirer and all the rest, we will pick through the personal lives of celebrity athletes, and when we turn up dirt, we will shout they owe us a televised, remorseful, ratings-driving explanation.
I disagree with this approach. But I'm willing to accept it, as long as we're honest about it and enthusiastically accept the consequences of our decision.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
In justifying our desire to have Tiger discuss the intimate details of his personal life, we have offered up several ridiculous explanations, but, for the most part, we've settled on one: Tiger is a high-profile celebrity who makes a lot of money based on his good-guy image.
It's not true - he endorses many products because he's a great golf champion - but I'll accept it.
The mainstream media makes a portion of its money based on the perception that it's fair, balanced, transparent, ethical and compromised of good people. Some of us in the mainstream media have achieved a level of local or national celebrity and earn salaries in the mid-six figures to low-seven figures. We're not Tiger. But we're not the average factory worker, either.
In addition to money and fame, some of us in the media influence public opinion on important and unimportant issues. We call for people to be fired. We paint other public figures as competent and/or incompetent, good and/or bad.
Look at what we've done to Tiger in a week. We've convinced the public, among other things, that Tiger was wrong for exercising his right to remain silent with the police. We did this while young Americans are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan in protection of this most American freedom.
We also convinced a segment of the public that Tiger owes us an explanation about his personal life. This sense of entitlement and belief that Tiger has denied us something we're owed are going to have ramifications on the golf course for Woods. He is going to face severe harassment as he pursues Nicklaus' record of 18 major championships.
For allegedly cheating on his blond-haired, blue-eyed wife, Tiger's pursuit of Nicklaus is going to resemble Aaron's pursuit of Ruth. Tiger's galleries will be peppered with angry detractors who believe Tiger's infidelity makes him unworthy of holding golf's most prestigious record.
There will be a contentious racial division as Tiger chases Nicklaus, because a portion of the attack on Woods will have bigoted overtones and because many black supporters of Woods will view the entire attack on Woods as racist.
I've already been hit with numerous e-mails wondering why the media have expressed no displeasure with the assumed assault Elin Nordegren committed against Tiger. Had Elin been found barefoot, floating in and out of consciousness, with facial lacerations and Tiger hovering over her, the tone of media commentary would be quite different regardless of whatever alleged actions Elin might've taken to provoke Tiger.
Yeah, this is going to turn very ugly.
Tiger's media critics will argue he invited the animosity by refusing to apologize to the American public. The truth is the American media ignited and fanned these flames with a weeklong crusade painting Tiger as deserving of our collective disdain.
When the golf course becomes an obstacle course for Woods, we'll pretend we played no role. We just observed. Sure.
You have every right to question the motives of the American media. We're a desperate business taking desperate actions.
There's public demand for information about us. We're a major part of the story. Blogs such as Deadspin.com and TheBigLead.com are starting to meet the public demand for information about sports media. Before this Woods saga, I was not comfortable with Deadspin's delight in exposing embarrassing personal information about members of the media.
I now look forward to it, and I realize I'm a target.
I deserve it, as do my peers. We want to exploit the lives of celebrity athletes for our economic salvation. Why should we complain when a blogger exploits celebrity sports journalists for his economic salvation?
This is the inevitable end game for capitalism. We eat our own.
Editorial by Jason Whitlock
McClatchy Newspapers
Published in The Sacramento Bee
KANSAS CITY, Mo.-- In the pursuit of web traffic, relevancy and ratings, the mainstream media established a precedent in its coverage of Tiger Woods' car accident and alleged affairs that will forever change the way the sports world is covered.
More dangerously, our coverage of Tiger's tumultuous Thanksgiving and personal infidelity will have dramatic, negative impact on Tiger's pursuit of Jack Nicklaus' record for career major championships.
Don't expect an apology from the media. We're no better than the gossip rags, tabloids and blogs, and we will no longer strive to be.
The high road no longer pays our bills. So, like TMZ, the National Enquirer and all the rest, we will pick through the personal lives of celebrity athletes, and when we turn up dirt, we will shout they owe us a televised, remorseful, ratings-driving explanation.
I disagree with this approach. But I'm willing to accept it, as long as we're honest about it and enthusiastically accept the consequences of our decision.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
In justifying our desire to have Tiger discuss the intimate details of his personal life, we have offered up several ridiculous explanations, but, for the most part, we've settled on one: Tiger is a high-profile celebrity who makes a lot of money based on his good-guy image.
It's not true - he endorses many products because he's a great golf champion - but I'll accept it.
The mainstream media makes a portion of its money based on the perception that it's fair, balanced, transparent, ethical and compromised of good people. Some of us in the mainstream media have achieved a level of local or national celebrity and earn salaries in the mid-six figures to low-seven figures. We're not Tiger. But we're not the average factory worker, either.
In addition to money and fame, some of us in the media influence public opinion on important and unimportant issues. We call for people to be fired. We paint other public figures as competent and/or incompetent, good and/or bad.
Look at what we've done to Tiger in a week. We've convinced the public, among other things, that Tiger was wrong for exercising his right to remain silent with the police. We did this while young Americans are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan in protection of this most American freedom.
We also convinced a segment of the public that Tiger owes us an explanation about his personal life. This sense of entitlement and belief that Tiger has denied us something we're owed are going to have ramifications on the golf course for Woods. He is going to face severe harassment as he pursues Nicklaus' record of 18 major championships.
For allegedly cheating on his blond-haired, blue-eyed wife, Tiger's pursuit of Nicklaus is going to resemble Aaron's pursuit of Ruth. Tiger's galleries will be peppered with angry detractors who believe Tiger's infidelity makes him unworthy of holding golf's most prestigious record.
There will be a contentious racial division as Tiger chases Nicklaus, because a portion of the attack on Woods will have bigoted overtones and because many black supporters of Woods will view the entire attack on Woods as racist.
I've already been hit with numerous e-mails wondering why the media have expressed no displeasure with the assumed assault Elin Nordegren committed against Tiger. Had Elin been found barefoot, floating in and out of consciousness, with facial lacerations and Tiger hovering over her, the tone of media commentary would be quite different regardless of whatever alleged actions Elin might've taken to provoke Tiger.
Yeah, this is going to turn very ugly.
Tiger's media critics will argue he invited the animosity by refusing to apologize to the American public. The truth is the American media ignited and fanned these flames with a weeklong crusade painting Tiger as deserving of our collective disdain.
When the golf course becomes an obstacle course for Woods, we'll pretend we played no role. We just observed. Sure.
You have every right to question the motives of the American media. We're a desperate business taking desperate actions.
There's public demand for information about us. We're a major part of the story. Blogs such as Deadspin.com and TheBigLead.com are starting to meet the public demand for information about sports media. Before this Woods saga, I was not comfortable with Deadspin's delight in exposing embarrassing personal information about members of the media.
I now look forward to it, and I realize I'm a target.
I deserve it, as do my peers. We want to exploit the lives of celebrity athletes for our economic salvation. Why should we complain when a blogger exploits celebrity sports journalists for his economic salvation?
This is the inevitable end game for capitalism. We eat our own.
