Don't give too much attention to the blogosphere
As former talk show hosts, we used to have an inside word for many of the callers who would wait for long stretches of time to get on the air and offer their rants on a particular sport or athlete.
The lunatic fringe.
We knew studies showed that of every 100 listeners to a sports radio show, only 1 percent actually bothered to call into that show.
Today we have the blogosphere where anyone with an internet connection can go beyond the call into the local radio station and become a self-proclaimed expert on anything from college to professional sports. That would be innocent enough if it wasn't for the mainstream media elevating these bloggers into the stratosphere.
Witness ESPN's newest creation, Sports Nation anchored by Colin Cowherd in the middle of the afternoon. It would seem to be something you would have seen as a skit from Saturday NIght Live or the Onion if it wasn't on the self-proclaimed world-wide leader in sports. The show, responding to a trend across cable TV, is symbolic of the trend of giving bloggers, twitters, emailers and anyone with an internet connection not only a forum but legitimacy. ESPN even uses a service that ranks what stories are dominating the blogosphere, a silly notion that equates somebody living in his basement(ala the Raul Ibanez rant) the same weight as a more respected site like The Huffington Post or even ESPN.com. Rating the buzz from the blogosphere and saying it is a vital stat is like lumping in the New York Times, Washington Post with the National Enquirer and Star and saying they represent all newspapers.
It is true newspapers are going away gradually, a sad fact for the state of journalism in the USA. But like the callers into our talk shows, Paul from Pittsburgh, Carlo from Columbus and Larry from Long Beach, bloggers are given a lofty status of accuracy, respectability and accuracy for just voicing an opinion, passing on a rumor or injecting their own fantasies into a subject.
Interactivity is a great thing, particularly in the world of sports. But when journalistic integrity is watered down to the point where legitimate reporters, editors and on-air personalities take the words from the blogosphere and treat it like 24 karat gold, it is time to take a step back and re-evaluate. What does it matter what are the top 10 stories each day from all blogs; what kind of sources do they use? Are they based on fact or fiction? Are facts just hurdles getting in the way of a good rant or chat?
As ESPN and other outlets drift toward paying homage to these rants, the resulting affect is that coaches, administrators and athletes think the blogosphere is the new mainstream media. We teach in our sessions for pros and colleges to be careful about what you say to any interviewer but to be particularly cautious of dealing with those with little or no journalistic background. It is often a tough lesson.
Like the Simpsons' episode where Sideshow Bob goes on a big screen TV to say he wants to eliminate all televisions in Springfield, we are aware that by blogging on the subject we are using the very tool we are holding under a microscope. If the media really wants to go the easy route and use blogs, tweets etc for the basis of their stories and shows, at least go back to Journalism 101. Check out the credentials, legitimacy and factual content before passing it off as a legitimate source.
The lunatic fringe.
We knew studies showed that of every 100 listeners to a sports radio show, only 1 percent actually bothered to call into that show.
Today we have the blogosphere where anyone with an internet connection can go beyond the call into the local radio station and become a self-proclaimed expert on anything from college to professional sports. That would be innocent enough if it wasn't for the mainstream media elevating these bloggers into the stratosphere.
Witness ESPN's newest creation, Sports Nation anchored by Colin Cowherd in the middle of the afternoon. It would seem to be something you would have seen as a skit from Saturday NIght Live or the Onion if it wasn't on the self-proclaimed world-wide leader in sports. The show, responding to a trend across cable TV, is symbolic of the trend of giving bloggers, twitters, emailers and anyone with an internet connection not only a forum but legitimacy. ESPN even uses a service that ranks what stories are dominating the blogosphere, a silly notion that equates somebody living in his basement(ala the Raul Ibanez rant) the same weight as a more respected site like The Huffington Post or even ESPN.com. Rating the buzz from the blogosphere and saying it is a vital stat is like lumping in the New York Times, Washington Post with the National Enquirer and Star and saying they represent all newspapers.
It is true newspapers are going away gradually, a sad fact for the state of journalism in the USA. But like the callers into our talk shows, Paul from Pittsburgh, Carlo from Columbus and Larry from Long Beach, bloggers are given a lofty status of accuracy, respectability and accuracy for just voicing an opinion, passing on a rumor or injecting their own fantasies into a subject.
Interactivity is a great thing, particularly in the world of sports. But when journalistic integrity is watered down to the point where legitimate reporters, editors and on-air personalities take the words from the blogosphere and treat it like 24 karat gold, it is time to take a step back and re-evaluate. What does it matter what are the top 10 stories each day from all blogs; what kind of sources do they use? Are they based on fact or fiction? Are facts just hurdles getting in the way of a good rant or chat?
As ESPN and other outlets drift toward paying homage to these rants, the resulting affect is that coaches, administrators and athletes think the blogosphere is the new mainstream media. We teach in our sessions for pros and colleges to be careful about what you say to any interviewer but to be particularly cautious of dealing with those with little or no journalistic background. It is often a tough lesson.
Like the Simpsons' episode where Sideshow Bob goes on a big screen TV to say he wants to eliminate all televisions in Springfield, we are aware that by blogging on the subject we are using the very tool we are holding under a microscope. If the media really wants to go the easy route and use blogs, tweets etc for the basis of their stories and shows, at least go back to Journalism 101. Check out the credentials, legitimacy and factual content before passing it off as a legitimate source.
Posted by Randy Minkoff at 7/16/2009 7:35 AM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: Journalism takes another hit
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: Journalism takes another hit
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