Recently the NRL, thanks to Mitchell Pearce, and the A-League, thanks to certain fans, have suffered from some very negative press coverage from the Australian media. In Pearce’s case, the media coverage has been international and damning.
Looking domestically it is clear to me that the NRL needs to learn to control its message and how it is perceived by the public. For inspiration, they must look no further than the AFL.
The Daily Telegraph’s recent coverage of the NRL included numerous stories of NRL clubs in debt. There were stories of Nick Politis threatening to leave the SFS if it is torn down. Throughout the off-season there have been stories of poor viewing figures and attendances. Late last year there was a reported leadership crisis with Dave Smith at the helm.
I then ventured over to the Herald Sun and their coverage of the AFL. Every story was about the upcoming season bar one, the new players and the clubs hopes of winning a flag. The one negative story was about the two hosts of the AFL footy show Billy Brownless and Gary Lyon not getting along.
So then I looked deeper and found an article about ‘soccer’ from an avid AFL man in Tom Elliot where he goes on the attack against the A-League and its fans. However, halfway through it morphs into am attack piece against soccer the sport. He claimed that the recent controversy in the A-League was because there were too many 0-0 draws.
So does the AFL receive better treatment from the media? And if so, why?
I then found an article from Bruce Guthrie of The Age entitled ‘If elite sport had a spin bin, AFL would be in league of its own’. Guthrie then goes in to explain the AFL’s response to a story that he published about drug trafficking at a certain unnamed club. He claimed hours after the story was published he had received calls from former AFL boss Andrew Demetriou where he said they had “beaten up” the story. He later received a call from ABC’s Media Watch who had received a tip from a “third party” had briefed them on the story and how it was a beat up.
It goes to show that the AFL will go to the effort to control the news and its message. I have spoken to a number of friends who live in or are from Melbourne who also believe that the AFL does a very good job at controlling the message that is put out in the media, whether it be via its own media arm or through the papers.
That said, it’s worth noting AFL Media is an independent arm, and journalists there are briefed to report about the sport holistically and truthfully.
So is it time the NRL took this hard line approach that the AFL uses? The constant stream of negativity that seems to flow from the Daily Telegraph, in particular Buzz Rothfield and Rebecca Wilson, has to be damaging to the game and its ability to attract new fans.
For the good of the game, maybe it is time for the NRL to control its own message, like the AFL does successfully.
Philip
Guest
Probably not related but I have been watching footy for a long time now and most of the stadiums are under half at every game ?? Would it not be better to drop prices and have a full stadium and make the money up elsewhere than to have empty seats ?? I can never understand this it's a business so why not run all stadiums as one example bulldogs vs titans probably only 1/4 of seats full how much are seats ??
Agent11
Guest
Probably because there was video footage of Pearce doing his antics. Video footage of anything gives a story far more impact than just a verbal report and sticks in the memory.
Craigo
Guest
Well said Elton. I feel the same way.
Fairdinkum
Guest
How come the Wade Graham incident wasn't front and back page news in papers and the leading story on tv news reports??-The way the Pearce incidents have been reported in comparison to others have been a total disgrace.Not condoning anything he has done but fairdinkum it is way way way over the top gutter reporting.
Russ
Guest
Jarrod why do you think ".....the Rugby League brand needs some positive vibes injected into it..." How do you think that comes about? What causes that to happen? If you create a certain picture of anything and add to it over time, some of it as they say is going to stick! There is some news that is real, some that is created and an awful lot that that is simply made up! This is the road Journalism as a "craft" has chosen to take step by step, the whole way,which they have to take responsibility for and by which we can judge them! While the news/journalism runs the course it does it deserve little respect or inversely you can imagine journos are all like Jimmy Stewart morally bound freedom of speech fighters from black and white movies. In the meantime as newspapers happily sinks into viral and virtual oblivion - In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti! :-) But RL could do with positivity from its own as a good starting point never mind the press!
Jarrod McGrouther
Roar Guru
I don't always like to negative press the NRL gets, there is a tradition of whinging in the media, but I'd prefer to hear the stories and make up my own mind then to never hear them at all... I'm not sure what is better but I agree the Rugby League brand needs some positive vibes injected into it
Russ
Guest
Mind you, who'd have thought it a discussion on the decline and fall of journalistic tradition and integrity on an RL website!
Russ
Guest
East bounder I think that's more ro less what all of us are saying, there is a paradox to freedom of the press as an essential part of democracy, free speech and the press we've all ended up with. Journo's act without responsibility in a worlrd where the Simon Cowell is more important than Mother Threresa and where Rupert's agendas and anger are allowed far more expression than is good and proper. Poor journalism is the result and RL is one of its lesser victims but a victim none the less.
East Bound & Down
Guest
The is absolutely nothing you can do if the media decides to deliver a biased message , they edit their content the world over and there a very few that actually have the ultimate power to decide what that content is , sorry to say but 99% of mainstream media is contrived rubbish that appeases pressure groups and progresses the cause of others .
Russ
Guest
Matt I think this already happens world wide but "harrassing journalists" should be done regularly to most of them and points awarded for a really good bashing! I think we've just invented a new computer game, if we put in some virtual semi - automatics! steveng I think zero tolerance is great but punishing people twice isn't . A banker doesn't get fined by his bank for DUI's so why do we think it's okay for sportsmen. Or are we expecting the moral code of a messiah from them because heroes are not supposed to have clay feet? Though we could include bankers in the game above - killing two birds with a virtual and very cathartic stone! ;-)
Matt
Guest
I don't think covering up incidents and harassing journalists who report things you don't like should be commenced.
steveng
Roar Rookie
Its a mess and this same problem was encountered with DUI driving in the 70's! The NRL should have a similar attitude to drunkenness, drug taking as drivers do and are punished by!!!
Jack Aubrey
Roar Guru
You make some very good points. The NRL has alot of trouble controlling what is going out their and often it is painted in a bad light in spite of anything good that may be happening in the game. The Telegraph in particular likes to highlight anything negative they can to create drama, Rothfield is a serial offender. Unfortunately changing this isn't going to be easy as it just seems to be a cultural thing. These journalists can write whatever they like, if people keep buying the paper and reading the stories they are going to have a job. So why would they start writing positive things if their is nothing in it for them?
Elton
Guest
No I don't think the NRL should follow the AFL's lead. The AFL can have their media arm which works to play down negative stories, control the media and sweep under the rug if it wants but not everybody is a fool all the time. I would rather follow a code where it's stars are held accountable for their behavior even if its often a media beat up. If people in Melbourne want to live in a city where AFL players can do whatever they want without repercussions then more power to them.
football
Guest
Thanks for this when you find out the answer to how the NRL can minimise negative press attention, could you please inform the A-league and the FFA? i dare say both codes could learn from Aussie Rules management. thanks