Reader reax from our Tiger take
From today's media column (linked here), some responses:
== From Dan Durbin, the USC Annenberg School of Communication & Journalism professor whose brain we picked earlier this week for a media take on the Tiger situation (linked here):
You accurately explain the problem when news (and "news") sources simply draw on each other for evidence without independent fact checking. This is not the first time this has happened and, of course, won't be the last. This is likely to escalate as new media outlets create a wider and wider flow of information (true or untrue).
For these and other reasons, NBC, ABC, and CBS news divisions no longer define what is "real" news. They have become chasers like every other news group. Legitimation comes from other sources. In many respects, the most "legitimate" news service is the one read or seen by the largest audience. There is so much news and there are so many media outlets, that a story gains legitimacy by the size of its audience (the more people who believe it, the more "true" it is) and, consequently, a news outlet gains legitimacy by the size of its audience (the more people who believe it, the more "true" it is). The old networks barely raise notice in the current flood of news and opinion.
It's interesting. A couple months ago, within days of each other, I was interviewed on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric on the health care reform debates and in the sports section of the L.A. Times on Shaquille O'Neal's reality show. You could have heard the crickets chirping after the CBS appearance. Not a person noticed. Within hours of the Times article, I had emails and phone calls from as far away as Vancouver and Santiago, Chile (and all across the U.S.).
The single difference was that the Times article was published online and my statements immediately went viral, appearing in any number of online sources including the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Vancouver Sun, etc. Where network news and shows like "60 Minutes" once were the "gate keepers" of news in the United States, that role has now been taken over by the media outlet that can gain the largest audience.
And Katie Couric, Charlie Gibson, and Brian Williams are now chasers, following the lead of sources with bigger audiences and faster production (even if the speed of production seriously impinges on the reliability of the story). Where have you gone, David Brinkley?
== Spencer Shiffman, reader from Calabasas:
Thank you. No, THANK YOU! Your words today are exactly how this guy feels about all of this media hype surrounding the car accident gone bad for Tiger. I would also like to add, Harvey Levin and his TMZ show is exactly why most of our media has gone straight down the tubes! Certainly the National Enquirer and other rags have been a nasty example of smut, but for a network to allow a TV show to go out and exploit stories like this, is a pure tragedy!
Harvey Levin is a former law professor! Imagine what he has reduced himself to by what he has promoted and profited from? A disgrace!
Thank you for bringing a balancing story to counter all of this terrible non-important information. If Tiger was a "public figure" i.e. politician who held his honor toward constituents, then I can understand. But Tiger Woods is a professional athlete, private citizen. He doesn't owe explanations of his personal life to John Q. Public! This story, like Kobe and his affairs along with many others, will soon die down. But it's just too bad that our society now looks to bring anyone and everyone down, all for the mighty publicity shock dollar!
I hope more people acknowledge your writing today! Again, thank you!
(By the way: This is a photo posted on Exposarazzi blogspot is supposed to be of Harvey Levin with his boyfriend ... under the headline "Here's the Happy Couple.")
== From a reader who saw it in the Long Beach Press Telegram:
Why should this suprise you? This type of media reporting is rampant during political campaigns. It was especially bad during the past two presidential campaigns. Look what the media tried to do, and continues to do, to Sarah Palin and her family. All the false statements made. Also what is troubling, is the media's purposeful ommissions of truth to protect their candidate and to ensure no negative light is shed on them.
== From a public relations company rep:
Check out all the Free Online Games at Candystand.com!
Due to all the coverage in the Daily News this week on Tiger Woods I thought your readers might enjoy "Golfer's Getaway", a quirky free online game that debuted this morning on Candystand.com. Fans who hoped to see Tiger in the Thousand Oaks Classic this weekend might enjoy this fun game that lets users take control!
Users can try their luck at driving an SUV with a blonde woman chasing after them--golf club in hand. The goal of the game is to see how far you can drive without hitting a tree or fire hydrant while avoiding blows from the swinging golf club.
Check out the game here: http://www.candystand.com/play/golfers-getaway
Seize the moment, apparently ...
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