Rugby media serve up same nonsense
Roar Guru
By Gatesy, 28 Jan 2009 gatesy is a Roar Guru
Here we are again, about to enter into a new season. The journos are all refreshed and ready to get into it, after a long summer layoff, where we were served up the usual rubbish. Do they think that the rugby fraternity is made up of idiots?
In this, my comments do not include anything that happens on this website, as it is about the only decent haven of interesting rugby – or general sporting journalism – in this country.
Thank goodness that the French Rugby scene has suddenly become interesting, because the fare would have otherwise been pretty thin over Christmas.
So, Messrs Growden, Morton and co, have had their holidays and now they’re back. And what happens?
They all write a version of the same story. Journalism by press release.
Each of the main papers and news sites carried the story about Daniel Braid, with almost identical reportage. Then we had little snippets from the Super 14 franchises – again the press releases.
Mortlock won’t be the Brumbies Captain. Big deal, but at least 20 journos wrote 20 similar versions of the press release.
Each also carried the Tana Umage comeback story. Again, almost identical reporting.
Are we in for another season of the journos trotting out the trite and true?
Is this how it works? The ARU, the Waratahs, the Reds, or the Brumbies announce a press conference, all the hacks turn up.
If they’re asleep in the back corner, it doesn’t matter. They just trot out the contents of the press handout and pretend that they’re a real journo.
If that’s not how it is, it certainly is how it appears to us mugs in the public!
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LeftArmSpinner said | January 28th 2009 @ 5:28am | Report comment
gatesy, a point of clarification. I dont consider publishing a press release puff piece as journalism. To that end, your piece has even more relevance and accuracy.
They sure take long holidays, those journos.
If you look back over some of the Roarer’s contributions, (and here exclude Spiro and the other journos on the Roar) probably 70% would have caught people’s attention in the main media. Its not that hard to come up with interesting opinion pieces. The purpose, effect and use of the bench, refereeing tactics with Yellow cards, international rugbu comps, etc etc. Just look at the great work, and the research James Mortimer does for us all and the debate that ensues.
I for one no longer read the rugby pages. I go direct to the Roar, read the press release stuff and then read/comment on the Roarers informed views. Now that it interesting!!!!!
Rickety Knees said | January 28th 2009 @ 8:47am | Report comment
Gatesy, this is part of a wider journalistic malaise. There is very little investigative journalism left in this world. About 90% of all news now comes from press releases and advertorials. The immense power that the advertisor now has is not widely understood.
Gatesy said | January 28th 2009 @ 9:38am | Report comment
Unfortunately, the editorial staff here at the Roar edited my original submission – I must have been too long winded… (comes with the late night and the red wine..) but another point that I make is that I use email alerts to troll around the world of Rugby and every day I get between 15 – 20 emails with web links to interesting stories, from all around, and i can get a sense of what is happening in Kenya, or Sri Lanka, or the US etc – you get the idea… this takes absolutely no effort, apart from the two minutes it took a year ago to set up the alerts.
Thus, even less excuse for the journos to be lazy.
Brett McKay said | January 28th 2009 @ 9:54am | Report comment
Oh the irony, Gatesy, that a piece about the demise of rugby journalism should get edited!!
Something I’ve noticed since Growden and Morton got back is that they’ve slotted straight back into their agendas as if they were never on holidays. Growden’s pushing the Waratahs barrow, Morton’s towing the Reds bandwagon. Apart from “view from afar” commentary on the Force/Mitchell situation, and as you said, token coverage of Mortlock making way for Hoiles as Brumbies captain, you’d swear there was only two Australian S14 teams…
I’m with Leftie though now, pretty much straight to The Roar….
Isaac said | January 28th 2009 @ 10:07am | Report comment
Gatesy,
can you do me a fav and list the sites through which you subscribed to those alerts?
Also where do you (and anyone else) get your rugby news from?
I have basically 3 sources: a) rugby.com.au (and I hate this one – it’s not at all critical, just glowing praise for the “men in gold” week after week), b) rugbydump.com (this I like becaue as far as I can tell it’s run by a fan, and c) the local rag, which rarely has enough on rugby; if I’m lucky it will have one story and it will just be about who’s injured or yeah some commonplace news like a captaincy change or the like.
Cheers,
I.S.
Leonard Lee (Eljay) said | January 28th 2009 @ 10:20am | Report comment
Folks, if you want to read something entirely refreshing (rather than rehashed media rugby releases) over the summer can I point you in the direction of this fabulous piece of journalism by Paul Sheehan, SMH, published in the last few days:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/conservation/the-extraordinary-story-of-myrtle/2009/01/25/1232818241433.html
Greg Russell said | January 28th 2009 @ 10:22am | Report comment
There is no doubt that Gatesy is correct: the average standard of Australian rugby journalism is embarrassing.
However there is also the uncomfortable reality that most people sweep under the carpet: by and large the media just gives the majority what the majority want (if they didn’t, then someone else that did would put them out of business).
Greg Growden is a regular guest on NZ radio and TV shows on rugby. The contrast between this well-informed, articulate, insightful person and what appears under his name in the Sydney Morning Herald could not be more striking.
It’s a similar story with TV commentaries: compare the intelligence and erudition of the Channel 9 rugby league team with that of the rugby commentary teams in Australia. (That said, I quite enjoy The Goon Show put on by Clark, Kearns and Martin – I appreciate that if they are not allowed to be clever, then at least they try to be funny.)
Is it possible that media controllers completely misunderstand what the average rugby followers in Australia want, or is it that Roarers – with their thirst for in-depth rugby analysis – stand aside from the majority of rugby followers?
A word of praise for Wayne Smith of The Australian, and bring back Evan Whitton!
The Link said | January 28th 2009 @ 10:28am | Report comment
Greg, don’t start on the Fox commentary team, they’re embarrasing.
Who Needs Melon said | January 28th 2009 @ 10:29am | Report comment
100% agree with everything above.
Gatesy: See the problem with this submission is that everyone agrees!!!
News is called news because it’s supposed to contain something new. You are more likely to get something new on this site than any other news outlet. In addition we can also discuss the news on this site.
If my employer ever barred me from this site, I don’t know what I’d do.
Rickety Knees said | January 28th 2009 @ 10:33am | Report comment
I would be interested to read Spiro’s thoughts on this subject.