The AFL media is so biased that they are “brainwashing” the public, according to struggling Carlton recruit Dale Thomas.
The former Collingwood star made this claim on the weekend, just one round after a similarly underperforming player, North Melbourne’s Drew Petrie, lambasted allegedly bitter former players who now work in the media.
Thomas suggested on TV he was appalled at the way the football media was reporting on Carlton’s struggles after they stumbled to a 2-4 start to the season.
“With the media the way they are at the minute some of the reports that come out are just so one-sided and biased in a fact that it’s almost brainwashing the general public into believing things that aren’t true,” he said.
“The only way you can answer the critics and to kind of shut the media up is by how you perform and fortunately for us the last two weeks we’ve put in some pretty good performances. People are starting to realise there’s a lot more upside [in our team] than what they may have said two or three weeks ago.”
Granted, very few humans enjoy being the subject of criticism, let alone in the public sphere. But some professions involve natural public scrutiny. If you choose to become a politician, actor or athlete, for example, you do so in the knowledge that your performance will be analysed regularly in the media.
As a journalist you have a similar understanding. When you put your name to a story you expect and receive feedback, not all of which is positive. The comments on The Roar illustrate this well.
Both Thomas and his new team have under-performed this season. Carlton are 16th on the ladder despite recruiting the Collingwood playmaker on huge money in the off season, the kind of move which suggested they believed they were in reach of a grand final berth. The firing of club legend Brett Ratten to be replaced by veteran coach Mick Malthouse the previous off-season was another strong signal the Blues thought their premiership window was ajar.
Yet their 2014 campaign has been so disastrous that Malthouse conceded on the weekend they were now essentially moving into a rebuilding phase. Accordingly, Carlton and Thomas have been receiving less-than-glowing appraisals in the press. What else would they expect?
Were Thomas dominating, instead of labouring, and the Blues in the top four, rather than the bottom four, they would undoubtedly be getting widespread plaudits. That is the nature of the beast.
Meanwhile, Petrie sought to denigrate former champion Essendon forward Matthew Lloyd, who is now a measured and respected AFL journalist. Lloyd made the observation that age may have caught up with the Kangaroos key forward, who turns 32 soon, and is “struggling for pace”.
He said Petrie had been a “great player for a long time” but his best footy may be in the past. It was a fair comment. Petrie has often looked behind the game this season and, statistically, is well down on his output from recent years. He has kicked just six goals in seven games, including only one across the three matches his side has lost.
Lloyd was speaking from experience too, having retired at the age of 31 following a career as a key forward which was similar in length to Petrie’s. He has admitted that beyond the age of 30 he couldn’t keep up with the pace of AFL.
Petrie responded to Lloyd’s balanced statements by saying there were “far too many old players employed trying to keep a job in footy making rash comments”.
That was an emotional reaction, but is there any truth to it Roarers? Is the AFL media too often unbalanced in their reporting?
Do you enjoy the increasingly diverse range of opinions offered up by football reporters each week or does it grate on you, as it clearly does for Thomas and Petrie?
I relish it, but as a professional journalist, I may be a shade biased.
What in tarnation
Roar Rookie
Ronan you are as professional Journalist and self identify that bias flavours articles. I agree with a lot of what you say in this article regards Petrie and Lloyd but question the reality of Journalist approach versus Opinionistic articles or commentary from explayers tying to branch into a new career. It is very rare to find a sound investigated, analysed and reported issue that does not have inherant bias.
macca
Guest
Have a look at their winning percentages at Carlton Darren and tell me why my "bias" isn't accurate?
Tina Searle
Guest
Then how can you justify calling Matthew Lloyd a "measured and respected AFL journalist" ? Every comment he makes regarding the Essendon Football Club, its players, coaches and personnel is the very epitome of bias. If those qualities are the ones the media respects then everyone is in a lot of trouble. For the record, I think when it comes to making statements just to provoke a reaction, Damien Barrett is guilty of far more excess than any former player (although Lloyd's attitude to all things Essendon is so biased it is laughable).
Janet
Guest
Dwayne Russell drives me insane. He unfortunately calls most of the Swans games and throughout the match he queries many free kicks the Swans receive, and then tries to highlight mythical ones where he feels the opposition has missed out on theirs. I wish someone would stuff a sock in the pipe.
Darren
Guest
And Macca that reflects your bias for Ratten over Malthouse
Jason K
Guest
Could it be that the media is right but Dale Thomas can't accept the truth? How is it a lie to say Carlton is underperforming this season?
macca
Guest
I am not sure it is bias but the media love drama and constantly want a coahc in the gun. the statement ". The firing of club legend Brett Ratten to be replaced by veteran coach Mick Malthouse the previous off-season was another strong signal the Blues thought their premiership window was ajar." Misses another point, the media constantly had Ratten in the gun, constantly pushed for him to eb sacked and eventually they got their man.
paul
Guest
The level of commentary at the moment seems to be at an all time low in the mainstream media. The AFL media appears to resemble a rolling maul of bullies looking to kick sides when they are down. Additionally, insightful commentary on how games are won and lost, and analysis of the tactics (unlike the excellent A league commentary in the Guardian Australian edition) too often gives way to personality analysis of the players.
Darren
Guest
Hi Ronan, We all have biases. How good are we at acknowledging them and then commenting in a more objective way? In the media some are much better than others. I think there is a clear bias to report softly on Essendon in Lloyd's reporting. I struggle reading him becasue I think he has an anti-Carlton bias. In my head that goes back to the fact that one more game from his dad and he is a Carlton father/son player. It's almost like he has become ultra anti-Carlton as a result. Does that mean anything to Lloyd? No idea. But that is the bias (likely irrational) in my reading of his comments. Another word for bias is an agenda. All opinion writers definitely have an agenda (others why give us your opinion). That can be to promote certain clubs, ways of playing the game, culture of the game. Some are more obvious than others.
MFairPlay
Roar Guru
Interesting article especially since I'm doing an investigation into how the media played a pivotal role in the Essendon supplement saga which looks at the representation. AFL media commonly portrays a villain and a hero in so many situations.
Shouts Chen
Guest
It's not biased. It's just the comprehensive info for player news.
Paul D
Roar Guru
No arguments there. That man could make golf sound interesting.
Bill O'Reilly
Guest
Rhetorical question?
at g
Guest
They the media ask stupid questions then they wonder why they get dumb answers . Mark stevens asked old mick a silly question then wonders why mick answers ignorantly.
Hanes
Guest
-- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
Hanes
Guest
Opinions are like a...h...s everyone's got one.. Most reporters or pundits will have a background that determines there expression .. But Thomas and Petrie are bad examples ; they're just going BAD..Thomas still limps and Petrie can't get the ball -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
Zed-62
Guest
Robbie. I don't barrack for Essendon but to say Lloyd was the most overrated player is a more stupid comment than anything those commentators could say. If it wasn't for Knights getting rid of him he'd be still playing with Fletcher. I don't agree with everything Lloyd says but get a grip mate.
Tad
Roar Rookie
You mean like GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
Knoxy
Guest
Can you imagine commentators in the NFL or top European soccer leagues acting like this? Absolutely embarrassing.
Knoxy
Guest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iCkpZsV04g