By Adrian Musolino
June 22nd 2009 @ 7:00am
We can’t have sports stars bypassing the media
Australia's Tim Cahill wins the ball against Abe Yuki of Japan, during their final match of the Asia Qualifiers round for the 2010 World Cup, in Melbourne, Wednesday, June 17, 2009. Australia beat Japan 2-1, with both countries having already qualified for next year's World Cup in South Africa. AAP Image/Joe Castro
As the fallout from Tim Cahill’s stoush with News Limited continues, what is becoming clear is the relationship between sports stars and the media, especially in the current climate of trash tabloid stories, is being damaged. As a result sports stars are being more guarded with their media dealings and the fans are losing out.
Cahill had every right to feel aggrieved with the Sunday Telegraph.
It was a disgraceful piece of journalism.
While his ‘protest’ toward Fox Sports was misdirected, he is well within his right to never speak to the Tele again.
Putting aside the immorality of the story and how it was put together, not to mention the inappropriateness of it being on the front page with all else that is going on in the world, what such tabloids are doing is driving a wedge between sports stars and themselves and therefore the fans.
The result is guarded sports stars retreating even more into PR spin, unwilling to be themselves and open up to the media lest they be incriminated for it. Therefore we are deprived of the chance to see their personalities shine through.
If Cahill’s response is what we will have to come to expect from such scenarios, then the fans will miss out and sport will lose some of its luster.
You have to wonder too whether the tabloids are digging their own graves.
The public is finally waking up to their sub-standard journalism and wondering whether there really is agenda’s at work within these organisations.
They are alienating themselves from the sporting public and codes.
How long before the public and athletes turn their backs on them completely?
Sports stars are finding other avenues to open direct lines of communication with the fans that bypass the media entirely.
The latest social networking craze, Twitter, a micro-blogging service which allows anyone to follow anyone, has been embraced by sporting identities the world over.
The likes of Lance Armstrong, Shaquille O’Neal, Andrew Bogut and Cadel Evans are big twitterati’s, keeping us informed of everything from the mundane to the interesting in their everyday lives.
Some journalists fear Twitter and the Internet in general will mean athletes won’t need them and the media anymore.
Some of these athletes may feel the same way as it gives them a direct and unedited forum for their views.
But such mediums, Twitter updates and one-way lines of communication are not enough.
We need analysis, opinion and debate and this can only be achieved when journalists and athletes are able to communicate with one another, free of agendas and acrimony.
We need our sports stars readily available to the press and it is up to media organisations to ensure that this openness is reciprocated with respect, honesty and truthfulness.
Those who don’t will be left out in the cold, but that doesn’t mean other media outlets and the fans should suffer too.
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sheek said | June 22nd 2009 @ 8:13am | Report comment
It seems everyone is twigging to the internet being the new news medium, & journalists & politicians (especially currently) & just about everyone else, are becoming lobbyists, pushing hard their own version of events, & the supposed “truth”.
It’s no longer a matter of just clicking onto your computer. From now on the reader has to wade through the chaff, separating the truth from all the fiction.
With Cahill, it’s an ongoing saga of “I said, you said”. My perception tells me the guy’s a bit of a spoilt brat anyway, irrespective of what actually happened at the night club in question.
And is the purported email from a fellow Socceroo distancing himself from Cahill’s behaviour, the real thing? Why doesn’t the guy have the balls to stand up & name himself?
This is the new world we now live in. Previously, we had to read several different newspapers & magazines in order to smoke out the truth. Now we have to access various different internet sites to work out the truth of a story.
With many of the pathetic journalists masquerading as serious social & sports commentators at the Daily Telegraph, it’s no wonder the readership of that newspaper is declining sharply. And it’s not just technology killing it off.
Same jockey, different horse. Or is that same horse, different jockey? I can’t remember anymore.
Mike said | June 22nd 2009 @ 9:28am | Report comment
A report on Freddy Fittler’s drunken escapade in Daily Telegraph this morning speculates as to whether Fittler’s days as coach are over.
What rubbish! He had a bender, he fined himself, $10k is going to charity and Fittler should soldier on doing what he does best.
If and when anything he does affects Freddy’s coaching, then it may be time to look at his future. One bender is not remotely close to having that effect. Sack the journalist, not Freddy…
Towser said | June 22nd 2009 @ 9:44am | Report comment
Have a look at old newspapers before the media itself became the Star & not the subject matter reported. Not just sport news generally. Pretty boring stuff, as todays generation would judge it . Report as is ,no controversy or grey areas open to human emotional manipulation. Unfortunately the media has been moulding our expectations this way for years. I suppose money from advertising begets stories, begets more advertising ,begets bigger stories, sells more papers,bigger TV ratings & so on,therefore more advertising revenue. Give the public driving home in the traffic jam every day from work some escapism,they expect it. We the media have been inside their head over the years telling them “:this is what you need”
Often when inside a store nowadays they have on a radio station. Always Commercial aimed at a generation or two younger than me. To say that it is banal crap their churning out hour by hour is in my book praising it. Lightweight,little substance, dumbing down the population subliminally.
No wonder Phil Rothfield is called dumb several times on TWG see comments on following article :-
http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/australia/news-ltd-bias-what-bias-196111
We the Dumb monster created by Dr Media Frankenstein have sired him.
mahony said | June 22nd 2009 @ 10:49am | Report comment
Mike – where in the paper was the story located?
The Bear said | June 22nd 2009 @ 4:12pm | Report comment
mahony, well pointed.
In any case, with Football/Soccer, when the trivial “negative attention” is maliciously printed on front and back pages (for no apparent and rational reason), and huge “positive attention” is buried in the sheets with a black and white photo (if we’re lucky), the Country is all for the worse. Our Nation’s children rightfully look up to our Socceroo’s and yet these grumpy old “journo’s” just want to steal their candy….
The Bear said | June 22nd 2009 @ 4:27pm | Report comment
sheek, the online world is peer reviewed quite extensively and instantly. It has an advantage, as long as one can calibrate a bullsh!t detector. By the by, it’s no wonder libel and defamation is so prevalent… i wonder how much the Tele’s involvement in Socceroo affairs of late has contributed in your character assessment of Timmy Cahill as a Spoilt Brat? Anyone who has ever read or heard Timmy talk about anything over the last 10 or so years can only hold him in high esteem. A giving and most humble person if there ever has been, to his Country and his Family and Friends.
Mr said | June 22nd 2009 @ 5:37pm | Report comment
Cahill is the same guy who wore a black armband whilst playing for his club team during the Victorian bushfires. I don’t think Super Tim will ever find there is a wedge between himself and Socceroos fans. There is certainly now a wedge between News Limited print/online and Socceroos fans – which also shouldn’t occur in a non-bias scenario.
rory said | June 22nd 2009 @ 6:42pm | Report comment
there is a clear link between foxsports and news ltd, just look at the football column on the website, its riddled with stories from that rothfield git so i think timmy had every right not to answer questions after that match
sheek said | June 22nd 2009 @ 7:08pm | Report comment
The Bear,
I could be wrong of course. But I had that perception of Cahill before this latest spat. I still think he’s a great player & yes, he does do good things elsewhere. But you hear the odd story filter through. One or two stories in isolation don’t mean much, but several strung together suggest a bit of a pattern.
I’m open to censure. I did also say “a bit of a spoilt brat”, as opposed to an out & out dickhead, which I’m sure he isn’t.
Now, did I manage to extricate myself here???
BTW, from the totally useless file. I asked a mate who works for News Ltd if he knew Phil Rothfield, & what he thought of him. He replied Rothfield was arrogant & one of the most despised people in the organisation. If he got into a lift with you, he wouldn’t acknowledge your presence, because he was so full of himself.
Midfielder said | June 22nd 2009 @ 9:56pm | Report comment
I have copied below 3 posts of mine on the Mariners forum about the TC article.
The first was about my view of what has happen to date as of Sunday night… the second was a comment made to me about my post from a non sports mate of mine and the final post was in response to a statement News was in a better position than Fairfax…
My brief summary is this was a message to the FFA from News … share … and don’t do Fairfax any favours…
This best summarises my feelings.
………. Sunday the first post ………
It’s not online, but if you saw yesterday Tele’s paper version you would have noticed yet another back-page piece on Cahill. But this time the article opposed almost everything the Tele had previously reported. (Found the article in the Courier mail today http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25661178-5003412,00.html)
The piece gave a lot of precious space to Frank Lowy, who pointed out how ridiculous it was for media to beat up the Cahill incident. The Tele even reported Lowy making some unflattering comparisons with rugby league’s notorious recent problems (unflattering for league, that is). The article was almost entirely about Lowy’s point-of-view, and the Tele included a lengthy interview with Lowy spread across two-pages inside.http://www.news.com.au/dailyTerrorgraph/story/0,22049,25661302-5006068,00.html
So what happened? I’ve got two ideas:
1. Lowy finally decided he’d had enough, rang up the editor-in-chief Gary Linnell (or, more likely, Linnell’s boss), and told him to end it. A phone call like that would carry implicit financial threats, even if Lowy was as engaging and courteous as he always is. Linnell agreed the coverage had been problematic, and asked Lowy for an exclusive interview on the World Cup bid. The interview led to yesterday’s fawning story about how wonderful Lowy is, which gave the Tele an opportunity to improve its relationship with the FFA.
2. Pretty much the same as the scenario above, but there’s a chance the Tele initiated the rapprochement, because of concerns about the public’s reaction to its stories and – especially – Sanitarium’s decision to drop advertising. We have no idea how many complaints the Tele received, except that it received far more complaints than the number of negative comments they published online. Perhaps the reaction was enough to convince the Tele it had erred and needed to seek amends.
But that Football got a whole bunch of negative articles one after the other is beyond question…and it was a TerrOR thing … but when advertisers pull advertising as a protest … it is more than just a Football Full Moon whinge… it’s starting to hit home…
But why did it all start … IMO it is over money and access to players… a compassion of the adds taken between News and Fairfax … the adds in Fairfax were half page stuff and in the TerrOR cigarette size … I think the tiff is over but News have send an blunt message to FFA do not show the smh any favours that you do not give us… Frank’s got the message .. and so have News that Football is not as easy to push around as they may have through… TC will sue and win but that will be 5 or 6 years down the track…
The email just has to many loose ends for me and we will see if there are any follow up claims during the week… if I have read the tea leafs correctly there will be none as News have got there message across… meaning long term it’s good news as they must value football as a product to go to this much trouble…
………….Second Post re my mate………
My previous post said I believed that this as all about News sending a blunt message about wanting a equal if not better share of FFA revenue and access to players… which in the weeks leading up the Bahrain match to me was greater in smh than in the TerrOR.
Spoke to a non sporting mate this morning who said he through I may be on to something … he said it is expected by both SMH & the TerrOR that in the medium distance only one will survive … and News will do everything it can to be that last man standing.. Newspapers are under enormous pressure to remain profitable … so this all may be about as I said before News saying to FFA treat us as an equal to Fairfax otherwise these articles will keep coming…
………..Third post about the News and Fairfax ……..
Spot on about about Fairfax V News … but that News and the TerrOR in Sydney do not the smh to have any slight advantage over the TerrOR is beyond question..
So if my logic is correct you will see FFA have the same size adds in both the TerrOR and the smh and News in general will get access to players and good news articles will appear in the TerrOR about football… the proof will be after the NRL season but before Christmas the whore will write a great good news story about Football.
jimbo said | June 22nd 2009 @ 11:51pm | Report comment
There are plenty of people in sport, entertainment and politics who shun the media,
Wayne Bennett was famous for it. Never copped a serve from anyone in RL.
If you can’t choose who you want to speak to, then what sort of world do we live in?
John said | March 15th 2010 @ 2:42pm (5 days ago) | Report comment
Journalists are their own worst enemies. If Michael Clarke never spoke to another journalist in his life I would not blame him.