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. Greywolf 01/22/2008 at 1:53 PM #

    SeaWolfZ
    “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”.”

    The Heels were about to avoided a loss to State by kicking a field goal to tie it up with less than 2 minutes to go before Nathan Ritter kicked that 56 yard heartbreaker. 😉 It don’t get any better than to sit in Kenan Stadium when that happens.

    The Carolina Pines never were quite so beautiful and the sky quite so blue. You could smell the cheese and hear the whine as it wafted in the cool autumn air and drifted up to the cheap seats high above the joyous Wolfpack players celebrating on the field, lingering to soak in the atmosphere of Kenan Stadium.

  2. 1990alum 01/22/2008 at 1:53 PM #

    Having moved back to the Raleigh area 15 years after attending State, I would have to say that the bias has definitely been reduced as of late. I don’t even notice the little things referenced above.
    Many who attended State in the late 80’s can remember N&O articles about Shackleford’s speeding tickets, while hearing very little about King Rice assaulting his girlfriend or JR Reid and Bucknall’s run-in at that “$5 all-you-can-drink” non-alcoholic bar, Shooters 2.

  3. LRM 01/22/2008 at 1:56 PM #

    Wufpack,
    I agree, State is largely irrelevant on a national scale. And your reasons are valid — we don’t win enough, primarily. (I had a professor in college, a Purdue grad, who lashed out at the superiority complex of the Duke-Carolina rivalry; while it usually matters at a national level in the scheme of college basketball, it doesn’t matter nationally to people on a personal level; it’s no more important to a Purdue fan than Purdue-Indiana is to a Carolina fan).

    From Manteo to Murphy, State is entirely relevant; for one, it’s the state’s largest university and has a fiercely loyal following. I’ve never seen any hard evidence there are more Carolina fans than State fans across the state; this has always seemed a perception of the supposed media bias of the state’s local print and TV media. One of SFN’s specific examples used in its perspective wasn’t national, but local.

    Some of us want to see unbiased media coverage regardless of how much we win. I think that’s the point.

  4. LRM 01/22/2008 at 2:06 PM #

    It could be worse. At least we’re not ECU.

  5. choppack1 01/22/2008 at 2:17 PM #

    Packnsack writes “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.”

    And your responsibility is to get basic facts right. That Carolina team was 6-4-1. This was the Tar Heel team that eventually tied national co-champion GaTech. So your “facts” couldn’t be much more wrong…
    http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/coaching/alltime_coach_game_by_game.php?coachid=261&year=1990

    I find it amusing that whenever someone trots out facts about media bias, you have those who defend the incompetence, laziness, and/or ethically challenged stances of those in the media. I find it especially frustrating when those opinions are based on faulty facts.

    As for the “win more” argument. I’d point out that Duke wins plenty in basketball, but has been the target of plenty hostile coverage. When we were winning, the N&O did their best to destroy us. Our administration – probably thinking like PacknSack – overreacted and we still haven’t recovered.

    Here in the Winston Salem Journal today, they ran an article about a committment from the 63rd ranked football player in GA. He committed to UNC. Not a word about the committment of Mattes.

    Before the football season began – there was a huge disparity between the # of articles on UNC football vs. NC State football. There has been more articles on Bobby Frazier blowing out his knee than Farnold blowing out his.

    I agree that we can’t use “media bias” as an excuse for not putting together championship teams. I don’t think anyone on this blog is guilty of that. However, when we see it – we should call it – and hope that one day we get the coverage worthy of a school that is the largest in the state.

  6. Jamie 01/22/2008 at 2:19 PM #

    ^^Cradletograve,

    Cricket is no longer on WBTV, she now serves smoothies downtown. (I’m not joking, she may own the shop or something, I don’t know) The look-alike that they replaced her with is far worse than she ever was. It’s the WSOC crew that really bums me out. They finally got rid of Howard Johnson, THE single biggest UNC fan in Charlotte Media, and replaced him with equally one sided Tiffany Wright.

  7. choppack1 01/22/2008 at 2:20 PM #

    “We have been completely irrelevant to the national media for a long, long time.”

    Strange then that they spend time complaining about our win over Villanova or Amato’s sunglasses.

  8. WIFF 01/22/2008 at 2:41 PM #

    Hey guess what? UNC has a journalism school and we don’t. There will always be UNC bias in all forms of media in this state. Can we please talk about NC State basketball and not UNC. I hate UNC and I’m tired of reading about them on a NC State site!

  9. bradleyb123 01/22/2008 at 2:47 PM #

    “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.”

    No, State did not “avoid a loss” that day. State avoided a tie.

    I remember the next day walking around the mall with some friends. We met some girls there, one of which was a Carolina fan. She said, “We almost beat State!” One of my friends corrected her, saying, “No, you almost TIED State!” The cat had her tongue after that. 🙂

  10. bradleyb123 01/22/2008 at 2:50 PM #

    I don’t know how many times the News & Disturber has run articles glorifying State’s upcoming opponent in football, usuaully around Thursday. It happens like clockwork. If State is playing Virginia, there will be an article about how great Virginia’s quarterback is. If it’s BC, the article might be about the great BC O-line.

    I used to save them just for kicks, but I ended up canceling my subscription instead. Those clowns at the N&O are so clearly biased toward UNC it’s not even funny.

  11. El_Duderino 01/22/2008 at 2:51 PM #

    First off, it’s been a while, but I think Damon Hartman kicked that 56 yarder against UNC.

    Also, I tried to find the article but I couldn’t. I live in Charlotte. Last year when UNC was playing … whoever and Duke lost to VCU in the NCAA tourney, a guy on the Charlotte Observer had a blog entry that read something like this:

    I have heard people say there is a pro-UNC bias in reporting. I never believed it until last night. I watched my fellow reporters cheer for UNC and they would go crazy when the Duke/VCU scores were announced. It was shameful.

  12. choppack1 01/22/2008 at 2:55 PM #

    You are absolutely correct Dude. Like I said, Duke’s recent treatment in the local and national media should give us all the evidence we need that even if we do “just win more games” there is no guarantee of less biased coverage of the Wolfpack.

  13. packman12 01/22/2008 at 2:59 PM #

    Greywolf..I don’t think it was Nathan Ritter who kicked the 56 yarder against UNC. I’m pretty sure it was Damon Hartman. Speaking of announcers, NC State gets no love from Bill Cowher. In fact, he goes out of his way to put down Philip Rivers. At halftime Sunday he said he would take him out. At least Phil Simms disputed this when the game was back on and said you have to stick with your starter. Where did Simms go to college? Eastern Ky.or something like that..

  14. 82_furn_grad 01/22/2008 at 3:28 PM #

    Growing up as a State fan, and then attending and graduating in 82, I’ve lived with this bias all my life.

    When I moved to Tennessee in 82 to take my first job, everyone there just assumed that since I was from North Carolina I was a Tarheel fan. That’s what 45 plus years of TV and sports biased journalism will do for you. People just ASSUMED that I was a HEEL.

    When I explained I was a LIFELONG STATE FANand graduate, it was like I was a red-headed step child. It gets old. I really enjoyed informing them that big time basketball was introduced to the state of North Carolina by Everett Case in the 40’s.

    Ignorant dolts…

  15. BillyVest 01/22/2008 at 3:33 PM #

    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.

    RAWFS, I was in high school in Raleigh, when the scandal broke out. Got the N&O delivered daily.

    Wasn’t pulling for any local schools, at the time, but I do remember it.

  16. choppack1 01/22/2008 at 3:59 PM #

    82_furn – Well, like it or not, nationally, and for those who relocate to this state, unless you really know your college sports the perception is that if you’re from North Carolina, you are a Heels fan. As frustrating as that is – it’s merited based on the Heels long term success in basketball.

    OTOH, those covering sports locally should understand the difference. As much as it frustrates me, I understand the local coverage of basketball. However, football is another story. In the last 10 years, NC State has been to 6 Bowl games, UNC has been to 4. We’ve had the No. 1 pick in the draft and the only Big 4 QB to be a regular starter since Dave Brown. We’ve sold out our season ticket allotment since 2000. Yet, you still see the bias. And to me, that bias can’t be justified by the “marketplace” argument.

  17. Ismael 01/22/2008 at 4:08 PM #

    82_furn_grad…i hear ya. Here in Rochester, people go “oh you like the Tarheels.” Note the period, a declarative sentence and not a question mark. I go: “no i hate them.” Then they go: oh Duke then? And Im like: “No, NC State baby, the Wolfpack.” any of you who have travelled around the U.S know what kind of convos follow next.

  18. haze 01/22/2008 at 4:18 PM #

    Unfortunately, I think any football bias is of the same vein as Roy Williams’ involvement in UNC football recruiting. UNC basketball has had so much visibility, so consistently and for such a long time that the benefits flow like water into their other programs.

    Still, I think that most bias concerns are overblown these days, at least in the eastern part of the state. I grew up in Durham and now live in Wilmington and I’m pretty satisfied with our coverage here. I think Andrew Jones does as good a job as any NC journalist when it comes to covering the ACC and, especially, the big 4. Heck, down here, our problem isn’t UNC, its getting radio priority over NASCAR or UNCW; scary but not biased.

  19. gcpack 01/22/2008 at 4:24 PM #

    Packman12……Simms went to Morehead State.

    Duderino: what kind of reporting do you do? Newspaper, tv, radio, school paper?

    By the way Wulfpack(and others who agree w/ Wulfpack)you wrote :
    “Amen. Want more coverage? Want better coverage? Try winning. We have been completely irrelevant to the national media for a long, long time.”

    For the rest of the NCAA world winning regularly & consistently will get you the good press/coverage but for some unknown reason that model does not apply to N.C.State. I personally think that UNC’s journalism alumni base has a large influence with the national media.

    N.C. State was winning regularly in basketball in the ’80s with annual NCAA tournament particpation. More often than not the runs extended to Sweet 16 and some Elite 8’s.

    Anywhere else in the country the local media would be excited with it and surely would NOT downplay it for the national feeds. Instead State was too successful for the taste of Frank Daniels(I hate all that is Republican & NCState) and his minions at the N & O.

    So a has been hack is recruited and a litany of fiction is put together and promoted EXCLUSIVELY by the N & O. No other news outlet had the liner notes. Nevermind that the major publisher that first looked at the book turned it down because it had no factual basis. The rest is history.

    State was too successful for those in the media whose allegiances with the major journalism school in the state make them cringe whenever N.C.State wins an athletic contest.

    Therefore the success that many of you(Wulfpack,PacknSack,et al) think will bring State good publicity will only make those in the media with this bias angry as proven in the early ’90’s.

    Why would they change their tact now?

  20. BillyVest 01/22/2008 at 4:27 PM #

    Ismael, I live in New Jersey and have a friend, who went to a small school, which might have Div.III football team, I think, and not much in the way of hoops. He was talking about the schools he does pull of in college basketball and Carolina is one of those.

    He beamed at me, when he said he pulled for the Tarheels, thinking I’d be proud of him because he knows I’m from NC, but didn’t quite get the fact I didn’t go to Chapel Hill and loathe them to no end.

  21. DireWolfNY 01/22/2008 at 4:27 PM #

    I’ve moved from NC to NY so I have the same issues as Ismael. But I’m curious as to how the coverage has been of the UNC-CH/Anson Dorance settlement of the sexual harrassment suit? That seems like a huge story to me. He’s been denying it for all these years and now they have to settle to avoid an embarrassing trial. The N&O, and national media, should be all over that. But it seems like it hasn’t even been given any press.

  22. choppack1 01/22/2008 at 4:36 PM #

    DireWolf – At least here in Winston – it’s a non-issue. I can’t speak to the N&Os coverage of it.

    Funny how that works – SI does a large spread this week of Rick Majerus and his “quirky” behavior. One would think that there would be a pretty extensive reporting opportunities on the John Wooden of women’s soccer.

  23. burnbarn 01/22/2008 at 4:41 PM #

    N and O had one article on it… He had to publicy apologise and pay her $354K attorney’s fees. At least the lawyers got paid.

  24. gcpack 01/22/2008 at 4:44 PM #

    DirewolfNY an excellent example of the bias.

    That wasn’t a sexual harassment suit against the field hockey coach at a 1A high school in a county of 5,000 population. Dorance is the mastermind of one of the most successful programs in the country, maybe THE most successful. And that wasn’t one loose cannon student with a paranoid complex.

    Those of us who have lived in NC and read or listened to the media cover the Big Four know that the Dorrance case is one of many where bad news at UNC is covered up or squelched.

    Bottom line is this:

    IF IT’S GOOD NEWS AT N.C.STATE THEN IT MUST BE DOWNPLAYED.

    IF IT’S BAD NEWS AT N.C. STATE THEN IT MUST BE OVERPLAYED.

    THE OPPOSITE MUST APPLY TO UNC.

  25. bTHEredterror 01/22/2008 at 4:44 PM #

    UNC has a journalism school. They are placing people in a position to be biased reporters. That bias is fairly easy to point out. It has served UNC well. The best revenge, as they say is living well, which in this case means have a good year and then the criticism sounds like sour grapes.

    It was a good point that our SID doesn’t endear us to media, and former coaches were the same way. It’s easier to catch flies with honey than vinegar.

    Stuart Scott is a cornball herb, and his schtick is more played out than parachute pants.

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