Falling Journalistic Standards

[+DoofersDad]

It was the first weekend of a new SPL season and ICT were up against the Champions and title favourites. I opened up my copy of the Sunday Times hoping to read some considered opinion of how the league might shake up this year and, in particular, how ICT's performance against the champions suggests we will fare in the top flight - are we potential top 6 material or is it the relegation dog fight again?

The match reporter was Douglas Alexander. He also had the only text on the front page of the sport section and an entire 2 page spread inside covering 6 different articles he had written. Within all that text, you would be hard put to find any mention of the start of a new season. Douglas argues that the success of Scottish football will be judged by how well the international side does and how well the top club sides fare in the European competitions. Fair enough, but that does not mean that the average fan is more interested in those competitions that on how their team do in the league. Ask a Dundee United fan whether they would rather go a round further in the Europa League than Celtic and Rangers or whether they would rather finish above them in the league and we all know what the answer would be.

Alexander's articles were all about the international scene and, in particular, how Celtic are preparing. Pretty boring stuff on the whole. Of course, there is a place for this but surely not on the opening weekend of the bread and butter business of the game.

As for the match report itself, again, it was all about Celtic. In 26 column inches Alexander could not spare a single comment on how the SPL new boys performed or what their prospects were. It could have been Celtic against anybody. In a report headed "McCourt Reigns Supreme" Alexander then chooses Kenny Gillet as MOM. This might seem a bit odd, particularly when the report suggests Celtic were carving the ICT defence open at will in the 2nd half. So just what was Kenny doing to justify MOM status? Well, we need to look on the ICT forum for that because during his lengthy report, Alexander fails to give Kenny a single mention!

Of course, we are used to the Old Firm bias of the media but to me, this shoddy piece of journalism has hit new lows. It is worrying that journalists should write such shallow reports in the first place but even more worrying that editors in a so called "quality" newspaper let them get away with it.

How was the match and the prospects for the coming season reported elsewhere?

[mainstander]

It was the first weekend of a new SPL season and ICT were up against the Champions and title favourites. I opened up my copy of the Sunday Times hoping to read some considered opinion of how the league might shake up this year and, in particular, how ICT's performance against the champions suggests we will fare in the top flight - are we potential top 6 material or is it the relegation dog fight again?

As for the match report itself, again, it was all about Celtic. In 26 column inches Alexander could not spare a single comment on how the SPL new boys performed or what their prospects were. It could have been Celtic against anybody.

Of course, we are used to the Old Firm bias of the media but to me, this shoddy piece of journalism has hit new lows. It is worrying that journalists should write such shallow reports in the first place but even more worrying that editors in a so called "quality" newspaper let them get away with it.

How was the match and the prospects for the coming season reported elsewhere?

I took a look through one or two paper's and it was all the same. These were not reports about a match between two SPL teams. They were reports about Celtic. Interesting one in the Sunday Post where the reporter did go as far as to make comment about Johnny Hayes's early efforts down the "left flank". Jings crivens helpmaboab - that would be CELTICS left flank then!

Says it all but I realy dont see anything worse in what was in the papers yesterday than in days gone by.

PS - Celtic arent the champions.

Edited August 16, 2010 by mainstander