UPDATED COMMENT: Settle down, settle down, folks. I in no way meant to bring politics into the discussion -- I meant to question the media, not politics. I only mention McCain because he's discussed it most recently. Hillary Clinton did similar a few months back and I would again have had the same view. My point is simply this: I don't believe there is a grand media conspiracy -- whether it be in politics, sports, whatever.
I think there are SOME networks or journalists who, unfortunately, have an agenda. But as a member of the media, I'm aware of the situation enough to know that there's not some secret agenda among all media members to screw one person, team or company over.
By and large, the media bias is not over who they LIKE most, it's over who gets them the best ratings or most readers. What I can't understand, however, is why they don't think Georgia fits that bill.
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It took three minutes before Brett Favre was mentioned on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown. I'm shocked. I'm also not sure whether I should start Ernest Graham or Reggie Bush today. Expect complaints tomorrow. In any case, here are today's links:
-- Check out the Knowshon love from me in the C L-E, the Athens Banner-Herald, the Augusta Chronicle, the Albany Herald and the AJC.
-- One place you won't find much Knowshon love, however, is ESPN. I'm sure this won't come as a surprise to most UGA fans, but the Worldwide Leader didn't even give Georgia as much highlight time on "SportsCenter" as it game Notre Dame -- which barely snuck by San Diego State.
I'm the last person who buys into media bias. I think McCain and company are full of it when they bash the media, I think USC fans who complain about an East-coast bias simply don't understand how TV works, and I think hockey probably doesn't get covered because no one really cares.
It's hard to explain, however, how the No. 2 team in the country got a five second highlight that didn't include one of the best players in the country hurdling a defender. Or running for a 50+ yard touchdown. Or either of his other two touchdowns.
-- David Ching writes that there is still plenty for Georgia to work on before it opens its SEC slate.
-- The Chattanooga Times Free Press says Georgia can't take South Carolina lightly next week.
-- The Athens Banner-Herald talks about Demarcus Dobbs' big day. I should note, Uga VII was in the locker room postgame and was glued to Dobbs' side for most of the interview session. Guess the new dawg knows big plays when he seems them.
-- The Augusta Chronicle explains how Georgia stopped the Tim Tebow clone.
--The Times Free Press writes about Michael Moore's big game, and the AJC has a story on the deep corps of receivers.
More to come later today. Enjoy Week 1 of the NFL season and have fun watching Reggie Bush rack up 30 points on my bench.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Sunday Links (9/7)
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10 comments:
You're doing a fantastic job here. This is becoming my favorite sports related website, and I visit a bunch of good ones. Keep it up!
Agree that ESPN's treatment of UGA has been mystifying at times, especially last night.
The highlight they did show, Holtz and May only commented on how slow Dobbs was--not mentioning that he's a defensive end.
ESPN also didn't mention the blatant block in the back on tOSU punt return for a TD vs. Ohio to seal their win. Lou Holtz mentioned it but that was it.
David maybe the media types here in the csouth need to start questioning it when it is clear they seem to be taking a "ignore them and it will go away stance" towards us.
Please leave the politics somewhere else. Keith Olberman is clearly pushing the Democrats, also how do you explain NBC, CBS and ABC giveing more coverage to the Dems throughout this process?
On a Fantasy note:
I am in the 1% of people starting Matt Ryan on their fantasy rosters today. Feeling pretty good about that decision. Just wish I had picked up Michael Turner as well.
Hey David-
I noticed that John Knox was wearing #44 much like Ellerbe did last week. Has Knox taken Washington's # or is this just something the D guys are doing to honor a teammate?
Your political comments stink. Stick to what you know something about.
I, for one, think your political comments were legit and completely warranted. Its your blog - say whatever you like.
Thanks, anon, but I do agree this is not the place for political banter. Still, i honestly did not view it as a political statement. I was hoping we could talk about why ESPN spent 10 seconds talking about Georgia, and much longer talking Notre Dame or Florida.
I think to a large extent, the reason the media spends more time talking about one politician over another, or one athlete (ahem, Brett Favre, ahem) is because those stories simply draw more viewers/readers. Most of the time, that's all it's about -- the bottom line.
But what I really don't get is why there seems to be an underlying belief that Georgia won't draw those ratings or that readership. Knowshon and Stafford are among the most electric players in the country -- why would ESPN not want to hype that?
I think you're doing a great job with this website! Thanks for the great coverage. But when it comes to the media, you DO have a huge blind spot.
The MEDIA IS BIASED. Period. They are biased like every other group in society, and that bias is based on their goals. It's a fact of life. So what is the media's "hidden agenda?" Well, it isn't to promote a certain team, and it's not hidden. It's obvious. News organizations in America are profit based, so their primary agenda is to make money and garner ratings.
So yes, when sports organizations analyze demographics, their findings are going to influence which viewers (and teams) get the most coverage. And right now, USC and OSU have higher demographics than Georgia. It's as simple as that.
In the sixties and seventies, media made a good faith effort to remain unbiased. That's the news many of us grew up on and respect. But the pressure of the bottom line is going to exact its inevitable influence. Now, media is BIG BUSINESS and unbiased reporting is very low on the priority scale. It's simple social evolution. The only way to change that would be to go to a government sponsored system like the BBC, and I doubt that will ever happen here.
Well said, Cyberdawg. I don't disagree with you at all. Opinion drives ratings, not objectivity. I do, however, believe that MOST journalists would prefer to remain objective. The sad truth is that fewer and fewer decisions about coverage are made by journalists and more and more are made by businessmen.
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