Sydney Blue wrote:
Good Thread.
My angle to this is are the Journo's at fault or is it the reluctance of the people involved to come forth with anything of substance.
Everyone seems reluctant to speak out or say their piece. The Nick Stevens / Mark Williams was another one where the truth is hidden.
The sports media are definitely at fault here. Just as politicians will often obscure the truth if they have a vested interest in covering up "distasteful" events sporting organisations are no different and will do the same. In politics however there's no shortage of journo's looking for the truth whereas in AFL...?
That's the whole point of journalism - you dig and dig and dig and uncover things. Spouting the soundbites isn't even reporting - it's quoting. Reporting involves a reporter telling the story from the reporter's hopefully unbiased perspective. Journalism involves finding out the real story. There are plenty of ways you can find out what's really going on and plenty of people associated with football clubs who are willing to talk. Good journalists will work for years to build up a stable of sources in their area of interest. Caro's the only one who seems to understand that very basic way of working.
As for the argument that they're just giving the masses what they want? If ever there was an argument for the end of civilisation that'd be it. If journalists are content in the knowledge that the drivel they serve up is of sufficient quality to genuinely stimulate the grey matter of the masses (rather than simply help add to the sludge) then as far as I'm concerned they shouldn't be journalists.