In many ways, rugby league fans talking about the media is exactly what the media wants. You care whether they are positive or negative but, commercially anyway, they don’t have a similar interest in whether your reaction to their content is.
With so much behind paywalls and more free NRL blogs and podcasts than ever, the traditional media is engaged in a desperate war to keep something like its market share by getting your attention and then making you part with your hard-earned.
‘Exclusives’ don’t really exist the way they used to because the essence of them can be reported elsewhere within seconds. So stuff not easily ripped off, such as uber-strident opinion, holds much more value for proprietors.
People will pay for the honour being angry, indignant or offended as readily as to be entertained or informed.
If I’ve noticed one thing in the near-two seasons since I was an accredited NRL reporter (last year I had to borrow a generic pass every time I went to a match), it’s that reporters have become the story now.
With players and coaches refusing to say anything of interest if they can be contacted at all, it makes sense for media executives to talk up what their on-air talent says, with other reporters quoting them. It closes the circle – you need to ring-fence your properties when so many people are doing stuff for free, and consuming stuff for free.
I don’t really have much new to say about the Bulldogs stuff or the Rabbitohs stuff of the last fortnight. Did it happen? Could it be seen from a public place? Has it, or would it, lead to police charges?
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (Photo: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
If the answer is yes then to me, it’s reportable. I could go into the nuances of whether someone needed a telephoto lens or had to stand on a fence and I might say I don’t think X should have appeared in the paper by Y should have.
But that’s boring. I’ve written those columns a dozen times before.
What is interesting is that probably you don’t agree with me, or that your X, Y and Z are different than mine. There has clearly been a backlash against much of the coverage and that backlash is also against my views expressed above.
Could it be a rugby league media spring?
Here’s the point of this column: if you don’t like it, don’t read it. Forget what I think should be reported and what shouldn’t. Don’t read me either if it upsets you.
Canterbury and Souths players won’t be embarrassed by the coverage if no-one saw it. You won’t be angry about the coverage if you didn’t see it.
I’ve completely changed my media diet since I moved to the UK this year; I don’t waste time consuming stuff I don’t care about. Because I am interested in the media, I am interested in this subject.
But if you really don’t care about players’ private lives, why does this subject interest you? Did you pay for the right to be infuriated?
I still believe the traditional media plays an important role in keeping rugby league, along with other parts of public life, honest. I started covering the sport in 1986, player behaviour is infinitely better now and that’s at least as much a result of coverage often labelled intrusive as it is full-time professionalism.
But it is a simple fact that you no longer have to give a shit about that.
If you don’t want to know what those naughty blokes got up to in Arizona, you don’t have to read about it. It is actually possible to see a bloke on the front of the paper holding a beer with his genitals pixilated and decide ‘nup, not gonna read it’.
You can immerse yourselves in websites and podcasts and Facebook Live shows that focus on the on-field action.
If a tree falls in the forest, and an NRL player pushed it but no-one sees it fall, then just tell yourself it never really fell at all and stop getting outraged at the media no-one forced you to consume.
Just so I’m completely clear, I’ll say it one more time: instead of whinging about negative coverage, become oblivious to it.
These days, you can immerse yourself in the world of Mauritian Jazz, be almost unaware of who the current US president is if you really, really want to try. Tweet me and I’ll tell you how to fill your week with ‘alternative’ rugby league coverage – I know all the outlets.
(As an aside: for my entire career you’d never get young, up-and-coming writers criticising senior reporters by name the way I have seen many doing of late – because that young reporter’s career would be over before it began. But is newspaper journalism even a career anymore? It’s harder to push around people who’ve nothing to lose.)
And if people stop caring about what NRL players do in their spare time, the mainstream media will stop covering it – because it will have lost the white-knuckle battle to remain a part of your life.
And sure, player behaviour will probably go back to what it was in the 1980s. But you won’t care, will you, because you’ll have let your actions match your convictions by switching off.
Bernie Vinson
Roar Rookie
Lower grade South Sydney player in court for domestic violence in a paper spruiking its female credentials by highlighting domestic violence, male political bullying and promoting the metoo movement but this issue in a big week for Rabbits ( Prelim finaland following Sam Burgess incident) is on the inside less read page 14
Ted Baxter
Guest
I don't want to know what players get up to in their own time, that's their business. But how do you get away from it? I've stopped buying papers, I've stopped watching the 6 pm news, but still I get bombarded with it - it is being forced down my throat. The other thing is that the media play favourites. With one team or player, it's the end of the World & the player should be executed with the other it's boys will be boys. I remember one player got into the headlines many years ago & he was splashed all over the papers. He moved teams to a far away city (& still got into trouble from what I hear) but it was swept under the carpet. I bet that player will be an immortal one day. But the hypocrisy of the media is amazing. I have seen disgusting photos of media personalities disrespecting women & recently one was arrested for being drunk & stomping on someone's car. But they do not report on that endlessly do they?
Bernie Vinson
Roar Rookie
My version of todays herald (wednesday) has no mention of the car crash texting drama, could someone in Sydney enlighten me if its anywhere in hard copy (apart from buried online) and of course Burgess headline has the best spin possible in the circumstances. He still has to answer to his missus of course
peeeko
Roar Guru
so true
farqueue
Roar Rookie
I take a similar attitude towards the news and current affairs shows... don't watch them....it's all negative,scandalous and depressing....I think it's because life is too good in Australia....I've just come back from 2 years living in Asia.....no road rage over there...why.... they struggling to survive... the last of their concerns is someone making them slow down or not indicating.....try that in oz and people ready to kill you.
Bunney
Roar Rookie
I find RL coverage so disappointing. Its a game I love, and love to read about, but so much of it is absolute dross. I've always enjoyed your writing Steve - keep it up. I don't have twitter, so can't tweet you, but would love to see these other RL media I can go to instead of the main media players.
Bernie Vinson
Roar Rookie
And while its a barely related RL story its buried on the Sydney herald website so maybe its worked.
Bernie Vinson
Roar Rookie
Hers why the media is important. Its a big story even if it wasn't barley related to RL. texting, drunk, critically injures a family but then the ex wife of a controversial RL figure - tabloid newspapers who get most of their sales over the counter couldn't ask for more for a screaming headline. The NRL run a full page ad in the Sydney herald today in the sports section promoting the Souths/Roosters game - are they trying to sell more tickets (supposedly going to be a sellout) or are they trying to get good press (in a bad week for off field RL activities) from the newspaper soon to be part of the Nine RL rights holder stable but who already has a connection with Nine. Of course the other newspaper chain also a rights holder will be slighted that the NRL is spending money with the other group in a a declining advertising market.
Ghost Crayfish
Roar Pro
Agree with all your points completely, and try to adhere to it... occasionally I'll call a journo out on their nonsense - see a ridiculous article about DCE from Tim Gore before Origin 3 for an example - but more often I just ignore it and click somewhere else. The only place where I come unstuck is NRL 360. It's on at a good time for me, and very appealing to just turn the TV on and see footy talk. Unfortunately Paul Kent appears, selling his personal outrage merchant brand, and I either get ennoyed with him (but stay watching), or turn off (and get annoyed there's a footy show on that I could be watching, if only it were watchable!)
Justin Kearney
Roar Rookie
Ex NRL club executive’s ex wife. Massive story apparently. Designed to taint the brand yet again. This isn’t to understate the tragedy of the event itself.
Nat
Roar Guru
You make fair points Steve but it's not the diehards who care couldn't care less about the personal lives of players the DT types are targeting. Tabloid reports attract tabloid readers and if the Bulldogs garbage was displayed 4 pages in from the back (where it should have been) it would not have gained the traction it did. When it's on the front page, it is consumed into the public conscience and we get Sunrise social commentators adding their two bob and gaining a reaction by those who either don't follow or have just a passing interest in League. They form opinions based on opinions and 'won't somebody please think of the children'. That's the problem, it is never highlighted all the good work and charity they have done for the past 11 months but perpetuates the 'rugby league player' stereotype.
rossco
Guest
I always enjoy reading Steve Mascord's writings because they challenge and are of interest. My issue with the writings of those woh talk about players private lives etc is that they are gossip columnists writing about footballers and not sport journalists writing about the game(s).
Elwood
Guest
The only RL media I regularly consume is the Rugby League Digest podcast. Trust those who love the game to report on the game.
BA Sports
Roar Guru
I get what you are saying Steve, I stopped watching the NRL Footy Show 8 or 9 years ago, and Ilost nithing from my life. But the main stream media still have access that the podcasters and blog writers don't have so we rely on them to report news to us. So I need to check main stream media from time to time to try and get that news and click on their work. My example yesterday: Asipeli Fine, an unrecognisable player to the mass populus, smeared all over the front page for drinking too much. 6 days later he dislocated his hip playing for the Bulldogs -i.e doing his job. An injury that ruins careers. No coverage what so ever. As it pertains to the game of rugby league, which is of more importance ot the public interest? If the media stop reporting on the game and the players playing the game, how do we get any real rugby league news? The media stop doing their job t
peeeko
Roar Guru
some outstanding points here that i should try and adhere to. "instead of whinging about negative coverage, become oblivious to it" "Did you pay for the right to be infuriated?" its like the social pages, no one actually cares if a z grade wannabe celeb went to the opening of an envelope but we like to sneer at them fact is certain people lap sensationalist rubbish up and agree its best ignored (easier said than done) btw, i didnt read the story but the headline of the DT todays is an nrl executives ex wife was behind the wheel in a fatal car accident.