Of News, Bloggers, and Basketball.

In an earlier post, left-over gave an excellent overview of the failure in media coverage of the West Virginia mining tragedy. Clearly the importance of the story was the human tragedy first, and the media failure second. I’d like to extend the discussion a little further, however, using this example to highlight some of the differences between the so-called “mainstream media,” and the bloggers who have taken on a rapidly increasing role in disseminating news, information and editorial opinion throughout the world.

Kos has expressed a growing distaste for the phrase “mainstream media,” and I agree with his contention that what he calls the “interactive media” has become as “mainstream” as newspapers and 24-hour television news outlets such as CNN and MSNBC. However, I have also read statements implying that bloggers “lack the necessary filters” to provide reliable information to readers like members of the traditional media do.

Well, using the mining accident in West Virginia as an example, I would contend that Kos’ view of the blurring credibility line between news reporting and blogging is almost complete. Both can be extremely useful at times, and at other times can be completely full of crap! However, I have to say that it is much less often that a blogger who is full of crap ends up being treated like a rising star in a shameless drive for ratings. Witness MSNBC’s Rita Cosby, and a long line of others before her.

As a life long sports junkie, I like to look at traditional television and print media as being like professional basketball players, while the new interactive electronic media are more like college or high school basketball players.

Professional players will talk about their superior athletic ability and the speed of the game at their level. They will tell you that college players can’t match up with their skills. In fact, they are mostly correct if you consider the average college player.

However, watching an NBA game is like watching a collection of individuals struggling to maintain their statistics in order to maximize bargaining power at contract negotiation time. Ultimately, they are playing for money, and it is most important for them to look better than the competition, even if it means both they and the competition play a sloppy game. And, it’s all driven by a huge marketing machine in which appearance is everything. The underlying fundamentals and the joy of playing the game are often overlooked in favor of pleasing the corporate sponsors!

College players, in general, are quite different. Although a few college players will eventually turn pro, most of them are playing for pride and not money. They do what they do primarily for love of the game. They are more likely to be enthusiastic and passionate in the way they play. Because most college players are not as athletically gifted, they are more likely to focus on fundamentals like shooting free throws, making solid passes, and using their heads to analyze the game while they are playing.

For the casual fan looking only for entertainment, the pro game may be just fine. As long as you can see an occasional rim-rattling dunk by a guy you recognize from a Nike commercial, you’ll be happy. But if you really want to learn to understand and appreciate the game of basketball, you are probably better off watching a college game or a good high school game! There won’t be as much flash, but you will see players who really care about what they do, and who will sacrifice their individual statistics to make it the team game it was intended to be.

Likewise, when I get my news and analysis from some of the better blogs, I see writing filled with fire and passion, with generous assists to other bloggers, and with fundamental links to sources. I see a love for the news and a depth of analysis that is often lacking in traditional media outlets that give only enough of a summary to get a face on the television or a name in the byline. I might not be reading the words of a household name that I’ve seen in endless commercials. In fact, I might not even know the blogger by name at all! But I will learn what’s going on in the world, and be able to put it in context.

All without having to see some over-hyped glory hog brag about being the first on the scene to tell me that 11 dead people are still alive!