Curious Media Quotes – It is all about perspective

Media NCS Basketball98

If NC State wins, I am happy and I think that it is a “good thing.”

If NC State loses, I am sad and think that it is a “bad thing.”

I admit it. I am also just a fan. I am not a journalist. You are reading StateFansNation that admits our bias. You are not reading something from a site that presents itself or strives to achieve impartiality as a part of journalistic integrity.

With this said, I am shocked at how many news organizations have allowed their reporters to deterioriate the quality of their stations due to gross informality and bias.

Let me give you a specific example as a differentiating distinction.

When a good media outlet like WRAL-TV starts reporting a story, they usually set the perspective of the story up front. For example, after Saturday night’s NC State win over Miami they may have said something like, “It was the type of game that NC State fans seemed to experience in Reynolds Coliseum with regularity but that has been void in the RBC Center. But, on Saturday night Wolfpack fans were treated to an ACC Classic in a win that Sidney Lowe and his program desperately needed and the results were almost unbelievable. Jeff Gravely has more”.

You see, they set the perspective of the story as NC State-centric. They didn’t PRESUME/ASSUME that their audience were NC State fans nor did they take a personally vested position in the Wolfpack.

Before I get into this, let me explain that I understand that folks at the WWL like Stuart Scott have made delivering sports news with obscene homerism more accepted. That doesn’t mean that I have to like it. But, Scott’s localization of his love for Carolina using his presence on a national network is almost ‘accepted’ because it is his ‘schtick’. He tries to be a Carolina fan. Additionally, he ADMITS it; he doesn’t try to hide it or deny it to the public or to himself. This is different than the kind of inexcusable hidden bias that many reporters and media outlets deny because they are too biased or too dumb to recognize it. (The mainstream example here is the grossly liberal leaning mainstream media that haughtily proclaim that they cover the news in an unbiased manner. LOL!)

So, after State’s big win on Saturday night I had the ‘pleasure’ of watching a couple of sports highlight shows and was disgusted and perplexed at the manner in which the news was delivered. I thought that I would share two very disturbing situations with you.

(1) On “Sports Saturday Night” CBS WBTV-3 in Charlotte I could not believe how downtrodden and sad the woman (whose name I never got) was who delivered the Carolina-Maryland highlights Her tone of voice, little comments and general perspective were all massively pro-Carolina without just coming out and admitting it. This is where I get pissed off and actually can accept Stuart Scott; because Scott ADMITS his bias and does not hide it or ususally imbed it into something that otherwise is presented as hard news or impartial.

I know that you can’t get the sypmathetic tone and variance of emphasis on certain words from reading the following quote so I tried to give you a little commentary in parantheticals. Note the difference that WBTV just assumes that everyone is a Carolina fan and it was just a bad day for everyone! Just read this as if you were a Carolina fan delivering the news to TarheelNation and you will hit it dead on:

It is certainly the day fans knew would come eventually but wish it never did (so sad tone). North Carolina (with increasing excitement in the voice) the number one team in the country falling to Maryland at home today and breaking that undefeated streak at 18-0.

Gary Williams and Maryland – unbelievable to watch there (said with a little surprised laced prominently with disappointment) – upsetting the #1 team in the country 82-80.

Then they switched over to the Duke-Clemson highlights and started with a picture of the crowd before the game cheering the UNC score making the commment “guess who was happy about it?” in a sarcastic tone. Then she threw in a snide “Go figure?” while starting delivering the Duke highlights with significantly less conviction and emotional investment as Carolina’s highlights were delivered. OF COURSE Duke’s reaction to Carolina’s loss is worth reporting when you have a core focus on UNC and don’t realize that it is irrelevant if you aren’t so focused on the Tarheels.

Ultimately, Duke “edged out of Clemson” when the Blue Devils won by thirteen points! I guess it is all in your perspective.

By the way, after this chic admitted that she went to UNC-Charlotte during their highlights, they showed some of State’s highlights and didn’t even show Gavin Grant’s steal and winning basket! There was more significantly amazement that Carolina lost to Maryland than the manner in which NC State won.

(2) The second experience totally threw me. During ESPN’s “opening tip” to their late “Midnight Madness” show that started at 12:40am ET host Scott Reese made the following quote:

“Unbelievable finish with NC State and Miami. And I mean unbelievable in not such a good way. You’ll understand when you see how this one wound up.”

What the *#^&# does that mean?

I am not kidding here. I am not leaving out any words. The only people in America that would think that the amazing game and finish on Saturday night was “not such a good” finish would be the dozen Miami basketball fans that exist, most gang members in America, and people that hate NC State. Not only would NC State fans think that they finish was great, but any impartial college basketball fan without a dog in the fight must have been scratching their hids in bewilderment when they finally saw the highlights and wondered what was NOT GOOD about that finish?

I don’t know Scott Resse. Don’t have a clue. But, he did a great job of providing us with a crystal clear example of just piss poor reporting on Saturday night.

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Media NCS Basketball

98 Responses to Curious Media Quotes – It is all about perspective

  1. RAWFS 01/22/2008 at 11:08 AM #

    “We’re NOT biased,” the media will say. “And you’re crazy.”

    Except you are not. It happens all the time, but when it is pointed out, the press plays their sanctimonious card and tells you that you’re nuts and you don’t know good journalism when you see/read/hear it. And God help you if they find out you are a blogger. You’ll be labelled scum of the lowest order, not even as good as dirst that used to be pig poop.

    I write a blog, and I am biased, and will tell you so, just as much as you did with this article. I make mistakes, and don’t hide them on the back page or with silent edits (except when I misspell something or transpose a name, but the material is the same.) That’s something that most print journos won’t do or their editors won’t allow. Senstational half-baked allegations are page 1, retractions and corrections, page six stuffed into a column with something distracting next to it. Lingerie ads or something like them work well.

    That’s why I enjoyed Jason Capel, the former UNC player, when he was the color analyst for the game the other night. He was honest and to my ears, seemed unbiased. Certainly no Kenny Smith.

  2. Rick 01/22/2008 at 11:08 AM #

    “By the way, after this chic admitted that she went to UNC-Charlotte during their highlights, they showed some of State’s highlights and didn’t even show Gavin Grant’s steal and winning basket!”

    In all likelyhood this was because there was not a decent video image. The best one had a fist in the middle of it.

    But I agree with your ascertions.

  3. RAWFS 01/22/2008 at 11:12 AM #

    The best one had a fist in the middle of it.

    Rick, the LFN playback after all was said and done was very clear and you could see the steal and the putback. They played it several times after the game, and I played it over and over again on the DVR. Must have seen it 15 times, and watched the great interviews three times while I had a celebratory Orval (a Belgian import at $5 a bottle, and those suckers don’t get drank for just anything) afterwards.

    Good beer, good highlights, a sore throat from cheering and a damned food feeling after that game. Good times they were.

  4. Bartonpackfan09 01/22/2008 at 11:16 AM #

    I don’t think the first instance, either instance in fact, is evidence of bias. Were you not shocked that UNC lost to Maryland? Did it not surprise you that Maryland came out and played the way they did?

    SFN: I was shocked. I wasn’t obvioulsy saddened by it.

    All the woman had to do was say Carolina fans, instead of just fans being dissapointed (sp) and it wouldn’t even read in a biased way.

    SFN: But she DIDN’T say that. That is the point. Criticize her for incompetence more than bias (despite how obvious she was about her pro-Carolina and anti-Duke perspective). sn’t obvioulsy saddened by it.

    Even now, I don’t think it’s biased because I don’t think there was a basketball fan in the country that thought Maryland had a chance.

    The Scott Reese comment probably has something to do with the fact that when a team in D-1 basketball loses a two possession lead in OT, with just 30 or so seconds left, it’s because they played bad. I’m the first to admit that that was the case Saturday, and remember, I go to school that has a basketball team that scored 10 in 45 seconds to win a championship. All because the other team didn’t play smart, or with heart at the end.

    SFN: I am sure that his comment had to do with a reason…I just don’t understand WHY the comment is naturally based from the perspective of the team that LOST instead of the other side fo the coin.

    Lastly, how much “bias” would there be in the sports media if Stuart Scott was a State “fan”, and all the other outlets “praised” us? I suspect we would be quiet on that.

    SFN: Ummmm….it would still be bias. I don’t change my judgements of what is obvious based on my own personal bias.

    Oh yeah, forgot one thing, we just had a post about how unclassy it was for the UNC girl to say “go back to the ghetto” but it’s ok for you to say that gang members in America were dissapointed in Miami’s defeat? Please, can we stop talking about crap and talk about NC State athletics? Thats what the site is here for isn’t it?

  5. howlie 01/22/2008 at 11:24 AM #

    WIth the multiplication of stations through cable, local affiliates have ‘matched’ the polarizing view of their national affiliate in politics, morality, and sports. Used to be that the FCA ‘pulled’ the license of an broadcaster if there wasn’t ‘balanced’ reporting… it’s as if someone rewards affiliates these days for being UNobjective.

    It seems the BIG10 network and MASN have realized there is no answer except to take your own broadcast national. UNCCh hasn’t HAD to have their own network because so many are willing to do it for them for free at ESPN & local affiliates.
    Perhaps the REST of the ACC needs its own network now… because no one gives a damn about outright blatant bias.

  6. packbackr04 01/22/2008 at 11:27 AM #

    i saw and heard that on the midnight madness and thought? what the hell is he talking about, it was a great finish. any fan of sports would agree with that. Even if we had lost or gone to 2 OT’s it was a great game, and i would admit to anyone it was the best game i HAVE EVER SEEN in the RBC.
    we didnt even get an article in our paper about the State Game.(New Bern Sun Journal). period. weve now had 3 days in a row of carolina articles, and NOT ONE SINGLE ARTICLE of the state game from saturday night. granted it was a late game and this little redneck paper doesnt usally wait for those games before going to press. but you would think that they would have at least mentioned it in Mondays paper, but nope, not even a word.

  7. cradletograve 01/22/2008 at 11:27 AM #

    Having grown up watching WBTV for the last 35 years, their sports department has declined into a great embarrassment. This is the station that once had the great Jim Thacker and a great crew of gifted and craftsmanlike reporters covering ACC basketball/football like true fans and yet like professionals. WBTV replaced Thacker with Paul Cameron, who was a real drop off and now, they have the hyperactive, blathering Delano Little and a woman named “Cricket,” I kid you not, who is equally bad. When I’m home, I watch WBTV sometimes just to see how far the station has slid. Their news broadcasts are almost unwatchable. The standards of professionalism at that whole station have plummeted. It’s especially sad realizing how good their coverage once was. I say the same thing about the Charlotte Observer’s sports staff (not the paper as a whole). Sorenson and Tysiac are such bad writers and reporters. Their staff tends to be made up of people who are not from here but read the marketing reports that encourage them to pander to the UNC demographic. I also wrote to the ombudswoman at ESPN to complain about the shitty, shitty coverage they have had of ACC basketball (including the homerism). They politely thanked me for my input. Never heart a word back. By the way, Clemson fans stay equally exasperated by the baby blue world we live in. Go through the Charlotte Observer sometime and notice how Clemson gets played in the sports section compared to UNC. The whole thing is a joke. Why do they wonder that we consider them media sluts?

  8. Chipack44 01/22/2008 at 11:29 AM #

    I see where you are coming from, although I think Stuart Scott’s comments are more than understandable.

    The ending was unbelievable. But, unless your a State fan or someone who gets their kicks off of watching a 22-yo kid blow a hard fought game for his team, it was unbelievable in a bad way. There’s no other way around it, King screwed up and cost his team the game.

    Now had Gavin made a half court buzzer beater to win the game and Stuart made the same comment, I’d be right there w/ you. But in this case, it’s a bad example.

  9. old13 01/22/2008 at 11:40 AM #

    EXACTLY why I have not subscribed to any newspaper for 20+ years nor watched ANY TV news since Katrina — loved the way CNN “investigative reporters” already had the Feds hung before it was revealed that it was Louisiana officials leading the parade incompetently!) The only thing I’ll ever watch on ESPN is an actual game (if there is anything on besides pro sports!), and then I mute the volume and listen to the Pack network (or other.) Too bad Cronkite and Keith Jackson had to age and retire!

  10. SeaWolfZ 01/22/2008 at 11:43 AM #

    My favorite example of the pro-UNC-CH media is from the Wilmington, NC, newspaper. Not long after we moved to the area, I was listening to the State-UNCCH football game. It must have been around 1990 and was the game in which the State kicker made a school record 50+ yard field goal on the last play of the game to defeat the heels. I eagerly awaited the Sunday paper to read about the game. The headline was “Pack Avoids Loss to Heels”. Well, what the #$!% does that mean? Did it end in a tie? Was the game called due to weather? Was there some outcome other than a State victory? In hindsite it was a great headline. The writer managed to avoid saying State won the game and used the phrase “loss to heels” and “State” in the headline. It was the next best thing to “Heels Defeat State”. Dont say they dont learn how to write at UNCCH!

  11. Wxwolf 01/22/2008 at 12:04 PM #

    Sports on local TV newscasts is definitely on the decline these days, due to competition from national outlets like ESPN and the fact that TV stations are trying to cut costs. I know some local stations have done away with sports completely, including one of the stations in Norfolk recently. I think those of us who live (or lived) in the Triangle were spoiled by the likes of WRAL and the type of coverage they provide.

  12. wufpaxno1 01/22/2008 at 12:08 PM #

    I just keep reminding myself of the presser Bill Parcells had when he referred to the media as “having chosen a profession that was only two levels above prostitution.” My only quam with what Tuna said was that he gave the media two much credit and insulted prostitutes all in the same sentence.

  13. BillyVest 01/22/2008 at 12:26 PM #

    Lastly, how much “bias” would there be in the sports media if Stuart Scott was a State “fan”, and all the other outlets “praised” us? I suspect we would be quiet on that.

    I disagree. Vinny del Negro was a commentator on ESPN for a few years and you never heard him talk about NCSU. He was professional. Stuart Scott is a disturbing exception from the rule of professionalism. No other ESPN anchor runs around talking about their school like that. Some try and be witty, to be like SportsCenter was back in the 1990’s, but so far no one has duplicated what Olbermann and Patrick did as a team.

    I for one hope no NCSU guy acts like Stuart Scott. I’m glad del Negro never did.

    If we win as consistently as UNC-Ch, without running into scandals, we’ll get the same amount of praise. I don’t begrudge UNC-Ch getting attention for being successful, but what is frustrating is uneven coverage.

  14. RAWFS 01/22/2008 at 12:44 PM #

    If we win as consistently as UNC-Ch, without running into scandals, we’ll get the same amount of praise.

    I can almost go there with you on that statement, but have to point out that “scandals” are largely fueled by the media itself.

    You’d have to have been around during the Valvano Scandal to understand. The N&O would almost literally print a scurrilous accusation on Monday on the front page and print a retraction in the back of last week’s half-baked accusation in the same paper. The worst thing about it is that to my knowledge, they have never, ever admitted that they were wrong for doing what they did.

    Then again, the newspaper industry’s highest prize and pinnacle of achievement is named for one of the two publishers who were known for sensationalism, creating scandal from thin air, stretching exaggeration past its breaking point, not to mention unethical and unprofessional practices – news reporting labeled “not quite libel”. That was Joseph Pulitzer and of course the Pulitzer Prize.

    In the case of UNC, they are playing to the crowd. There are a lot of pro-UNC fans that don’t want to ever hear that their favorite team is anything less than clean-cut All-American boys representing good ole Carolina. If those folks stomp down on the Heels too hard, their circulation/ratings suffer, and so does their ad revenues. These are businesses, after all, and the bottom line is the bottom line.

  15. RAWFS 01/22/2008 at 12:48 PM #

    Oh, a couple of other State guys that have good reputations for balance: Dr. Jerry Punch and Terry Gannon.

  16. WendellPackster 01/22/2008 at 12:50 PM #

    The media suxs. Always has, always will. Both sports and news information is so slanted it isn’t worth listening to.

  17. wufpup76 01/22/2008 at 12:55 PM #

    i saw that on the midnight madness and yelled “Well, it was a GREAT finish for my team and me!” … reese may not have meant to, but the statement he made was completely from a miami (THE ‘U’) perspective

    of course, as state fans we are used to it … i’m sure most of the time it’s not meant to come off that way, but when it keeps happenning over and over you do start to wonder …

    for instance, on CBSsports.com gary parrish’s “Monday Look Back” had a picture of Brandon Costner and JJ Hickson smiling and the caption underneath stated “NC State is lucky”

    Andy Katz of ESPN.com said “Miami gave the game away” in his weekly watch column … nc state didn’t earn it or create any of their good fortune, miami simply gave it away

    Finally, and we’ll be stuck with this all season, on Andy Glockner’s Bubble Watch column – (which is really a great snapshot of all relevant teams’ NCAA chances) – you get to read that Villanova’s only non-conf. loss came as a result of a questionable foul call late in the game against NC State … of course, there is no mention of the ten trillion terrible calls earlier in that game – a significant number of which (read: majority) went against NC State

    all of the things above can be labled as “true” – FROM A CERTAIN PERSPECTIVE … like the author of the entry says, i’m biased and can admit it – why can’t mainstream media? i’m not saying the above statements contain explicit bias against NC State, but these things add up and contribute to our paranoia

    it’s always OHH SO MUCH FUN!

  18. RAWFS 01/22/2008 at 12:59 PM #

    And one of NC State’s HUGE problems is it’s Sports Information Department having a major league combative relationship with the press. It’s not one or two or a few reporters…it’s almost every single one that I have talked to, TV, newspaper and radio. To a man (and woman) they all say the same thing: that the SID makes them jump through hoops to get access and that everything they ask for is resisted.

    Common sense says not to p/o people who buy their ink by the barrel. Reporters are human and when they are irritated by an institution making their work harder it is going to show through in their work.

    State needs to do better in this.

  19. LRM 01/22/2008 at 1:04 PM #

    Wufpax,
    That was Knight, not Parcells.

  20. LRM 01/22/2008 at 1:08 PM #

    Chris Fowler is probably an ideal example of professionalism, which is a large part of the reason Gameday works. He went to Colorado, and has made mention a few times, but it’s never been anything more than a passing mention.

    Capel actually did a good job the other night, I thought.

  21. PacknSack 01/22/2008 at 1:11 PM #

    This whole “The media hates us” bit is both childish and pointless. The fanbase assumes the media is biased, it’s not that the we have an inherent bias in how we interpret what we read and hear. Of course not. They present it biased, we don’t listen (or read) with a bias.

    Media ‘bias” is in the eyes and ears of the beholder. Period. And since so many on here are incapable of impartial thought when it comes to our beloved Wolfpack, we should look no further than ourselves to find the bias.

    If State wants the sunshine blow the likes of Duke or Carolina gets, perhaps we should regularly go to Final Fours, or win a national championship more recently than, say, 25 years ago. And even that is remembered not as the annointing of a great team, but the little engine that could that somehow shocked the world. That is how our basketball program has been portrayed ever since. Meanwhile Duke and Carolina have won multiple national titles, have fat Nike contracts and get the love because that is the best way to get access.

    In the immortal words of Billy Tubbs after teams complained that Oklahoma was running up the score: “Get good.” Where was all the media bias when we were picked to have a surprisingly good football season — only to fail miserably? Where was all the media bias when we were picked to finish third in the ACC?

    And has for the 1990 game, State did a “avoid a loss” and anybody who was there knows it. Carolina won one game that year. One. To even be in a position to need a last-second FG to win was clearly snatching victory from the jaws a of tie.

    At some point we have to accept some responsibility.

  22. Trip 01/22/2008 at 1:26 PM #

    “NC State is lucky”
    “NC State steals victory”
    “NC State avoids a loss”

    Personally the media can say this as much as they want while we’re busting everyone’s bracket in the NCAA as a 6/7 seed 😉

  23. Wulfpack 01/22/2008 at 1:29 PM #

    “If State wants the sunshine blow the likes of Duke or Carolina gets, perhaps we should regularly go to Final Fours, or win a national championship more recently than, say, 25 years ago.”

    Amen. Want more coverage? Want better coverage? Try winning. We have been completely irrelevant to the national media for a long, long time.

  24. haze 01/22/2008 at 1:50 PM #

    The bias comments are generally correct but nothing really new. Newspapers and TV channels are commercial enterprises that sell a free-market product. They do what sells and this includes judiciously avoiding bias if they believe that the credibility it brings will outweigh the benefits of homerism.

    For a local market, TV especially, you have the worst of this system. First, they are local so they cover local teams and bias content to size of the local fanbases (UNC’s is BY FAR the biggest). Second, most are young 2nd or 3rd bananas that don’t have the perspective of seasoned professionals (e.g. they never knew DT or Sampson or LEN Bias). Lastly, they are TV “talent”, meaning that despite relatively poor pay, they spend a lot of time hob-knobbing at golf tourneys and sports dinners. They want and need to fit in with the big money boys, leading to a lot of focus on image and popularity. I had a TV sports guy bro-in-law, he and other sports guys at his station all dressed perfectly, dropped names constantly and pulled for UNC. Interestingly, not one attended UNC. It’s a bandwagon business.

    IMO, bias is somewhat less at the national level b/c the cost of appearing biased is generally higher when you’re market is EVERYONE. Naturally, there are exceptions like the super commercial forces at ESPN and Fox News 🙂

  25. StateFans 01/22/2008 at 1:52 PM #

    Some of you guys are going off on irrelevant tangents in your desire to just argue and/or disagree about something.

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