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It’s a tricky one. As a reporter, you can always defend yourself against accusations that what you are writing or saying is hurting rugby league.
“It’s not my job to promote the game”, “My boss is the truth” or – in the case of columns like this – “the truth as I see it”.
But what about commentators?
A commentator isn’t bound by the journalist’s code of ethics. Is there a commentary code of ethics? Should there be?
NRL ratings are reportedly down on free-to-air TV, up on pay TV and up overall. Some in the Twittersphere have attributed this to fans preferring one group of commentators over another.
As someone who has seen far more games live than on television in my lifetime, I have always found the obsession with commentators puzzling. But I guess if you watch most of your footy on TV, the commentators are like the actors and the game is the story.
Plenty of people go to watch movies based on who is in it, rather than what it’s about.
I’ve never called a match play-by-play, but I’ve done co-comentatary and the sideline. When I’ve done it, I’ve been there as a journalist so I’ve aways felt the same rules applied as they do when you’re sitting at your desk: you’re there to tell people stuff they don’t know, without even considering whether you’re being positive or negative.
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But if I wasn’t that guy – if I was the other guy – what would I feel my obligation to the game to be?
I think I’d feel obliged to make the whole presentation entertaining. Whereas the reporter in me finds taking a position on an issue just for show – one that I don’t actually believe – to be anathema, as a commentator I guess doing that would be acceptable.
So I’d be trying to give things context, trying to raise and lower my voice at the appropriate time, trying to make proceedings sound exciting.
If a game was boring, would I say so? Maybe once, at the end, when everyone’s stayed with me for most of 80 minutes. I wouldn’t labour the point. I’d want people to stay tuned.
Here’s the big issues: #refsfault.
Blaming the referee all the time is just braindead. It’s like explaining each time a try is scored that it’s worth four points and if the conversion is kicked, that makes it six.
Referees should be treated like weather and surface and other variables – environmental factors to be overcome if a team is to win.
As a journalist, it’s a choice to not raise a rabble by holding referees up to ridicule. As an entertainer – which is what commentators are – I would say it’s almost a duty.
Point out every mistake by all means, but don’t make sweeping generalisations that could be repeated the next morning by an irate parent down at the local park.
Should commentators who constantly harp on about officiating be ‘pulled into line’ by station management? That’s an even tougher question.
I’d rather they be pulled into line over grammar first.