Home
i'm an actor, not a reactor

Primary links

  • About
    • $upport (lol)
    • Ethics
    • FAQ
    • Glossary
    • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • MGoStore
    • Hail to Old Blue
  • MGoBoard
    • MGoBoard FAQ
    • Michigan bar locator
    • Moderator Action Sticky
  • Useful Stuff
    • Depth Chart By Class
    • Hoops Depth Chart by Class
    • 2017 Recruiting Board
    • Unofficial Two Deep
    • MGoFlickr
    • Diaries, Windows Live Writer, And You
    • User-Curated HOF
    • Where To Eat In Ann Arbor
  • Schedule/Tix
    • Future Schedules (wiki)
    • Ticket spreadsheet
Home

Navigation

  • Forums
  • Recent posts

User login

  • Create new account
  • Request new password

MGoElsewhere

  • @MGoBlog (Brian)
  • @aceanbender
  • @Misopogon (Seth)
  • @Aeschnepp (Adam)
  • @BISB
  • @EUpchurchPhoto
  • @FullOfTwitt (Fuller)
  • Hail to the Victors 2016
  • MGoFacebook
  • MGoPodcast
  • WTKA
  • Instagram

Michigan Blogs

  • Big House Blog
  • Burgeoning Wolverine Star
  • Genuinely Sarcastic
  • Go Blue Michigan Wolverine
  • Holdin' The Rope
  • MVictors
  • Maize 'n' Blue Nation
  • Maize 'n' Brew
  • Maize And Go Blue
  • Michigan Hockey Net
  • MMMGoBlueBBQ
  • The Blog That Yost Built
  • The Hoover Street Rag
  • The M Zone
  • Touch The Banner
  • UMGoBlog
  • UMHoops
  • UMTailgate
  • Wolverine Liberation Army

M On The Net

  • mgovideo
  • MGoBlue.com
  • Mike DeSimone
  • Recruiting Planet
  • The Wolverine
  • Go Blue Wolverine
  • Winged Helmet
  • UMGoBlue.com
  • MaizeRage.org
  • Puckhead
  • The M Den
  • True Blue Fan Forum

Big Ten Blogs

  • Illinois
    • Illinois Loyalty
    • Illinois Baseball Report
  • Indiana
    • Inside The Hall
    • The Crimson Quarry
  • Iowa
    • Black Heart, Gold Pants
    • Fight For Iowa
  • Michigan State
    • The Only Colors
  • Minnesota
    • GopherHole.com
    • The Daily Gopher
  • Nebraska
    • Corn Nation
    • Husker Max
    • Husker Mike's Blasphemy
    • Husker Gameday
  • Northwestern
    • Sippin' On Purple
    • Lake The Posts
  • Notre Dame
    • The House Rock Built
    • One Foot Down
  • Ohio State
    • Eleven Warriors
    • Buckeye Commentary
    • Men of the Scarlet and Gray
    • Our Honor Defend
    • The Buckeye Nine
  • Penn State
    • Slow States
    • Black Shoe Diaries
    • Happy Valley Hardball
    • Penn State Clips
    • Linebacker U
    • Nittany White Out
  • Purdue
    • Boiled Sports
    • Hammer and Rails
  • Wisconsin
    • Bruce Ciskie

Links of Note

  • Baseball
    • College Baseball Today
    • The College Baseball Blog
  • Basketball
    • Ken Pomeroy
    • Hoop Math
    • John Gasaway
    • Luke Winn/Sports Illustrated
  • College Hockey
    • Chris Heisenberg (Class of 2016)
    • College Hockey Stats
    • Michigan College Hockey
    • Hockey's Future
    • Sioux Sports
    • USCHO
  • Football
    • Smart Football
    • Every Day Should Be Saturday
    • Matt Hinton/Grantland
    • Football Study Hall
    • Football Outsiders
    • Harold Stassen
    • NCAA D-I Stats Page
    • The Wizard Of Odds
    • CFB Stats
  • General
    • Sports Central
  • Local Interest
    • The Ann Arbor Chronicle
    • Arborwiki
    • Arbor Update
    • Ann Arbor Observer
    • Teeter Talk
    • Vacuum
  • Teams Of The D
    • Lions
      • Pride of Detroit
    • Pistons
      • Detroit Bad Boys
      • Need4Sheed
    • Tigers
      • Roar Of The Tigers
      • Bless You Boys
      • The Daily Fungo
      • The Detroit Tigers Weblog
    • Red Wings
      • Winging It In Motown
      • On The Wings
    • Michigan Sports Forum

Beveled Guilt

Site Search

Diaries

  • New
  • Popular
  • Hot
  • Thirteen unlucky minutes (TL;DNR-This is a bit of rant about the refs)
    docwhoblocked - 2 weeks ago
  • Fan Satisfaction Index End of Season Bball Survey
    OneFootIn - 2 weeks ago
  • How likely are we to revert to the mean?
    Bo Glue - 2 weeks ago
  • It's time to avenge Villanova's 1985 NCAA tourney upset over Michigan
    Communist Football - 2 weeks ago
  • 14 Months Ago: The Fire Beilein Threads.
    stephenrjking - 3 weeks ago
  •  
  • 1 of 2
  • ››
more
  • This Month in MGoBlog History - March 2008: Pryor isn't coming, Boren has left, and some academic fraud allegations sprinkled in
    Maize.Blue Wagner - 215 comments
  • The Ballad of Jordan Poole
    k.o.k.Law - 176 comments
  • 14 Months Ago: The Fire Beilein Threads.
    stephenrjking - 91 comments
  • PreSpring Football updates from Sam Webb
    AZBlue - 90 comments
  • Thirteen unlucky minutes (TL;DNR-This is a bit of rant about the refs)
    docwhoblocked - 61 comments

MGoBoard

  • New
  • Recent
  • Hot
  • Final 2018 Basketball COMPOSITE Rankings
    9 replies
  • OT: Map of college stadiums that sell alcohol
    41 replies
  • Auston Robertson arrested again
    54 replies
  • Michigan announces single-game ticket prices for 2018 football season
    35 replies
  • 2018-19 Michigan Basketball B1G slate announced
    42 replies
  • Final 247 Basketball rankings published
    43 replies
  • Any news on Grant Newsome?
    77 replies
  • Karsen Barnhart - did we cool on him?
    89 replies
  • HELP WANTED! I'm moving to Chicago for school and I need good haunts to watch football/basketball games. Recommendations?
    57 replies
  • Angelique on Patterson Transfer
    57 replies
  • CBS Sports: Shea Patterson details scope of Ole Miss deception in lengthy letter to Michigan
    40 replies
  • OT: NFL Schedule Release
    12 replies
  • OT: Gregg Popovich's wife Erin dead at 67
    23 replies
  • Belleville coach Jermain Crowell mad at UM again
    236 replies
  • Q&A with FB Ben VanSumeren--Video
    10 replies
  •  
  • 1 of 6
  • ››
  • OT: Map of college stadiums that sell alcohol
    41 replies
  • Michigan announces single-game ticket prices for 2018 football season
    35 replies
  • CBS Sports: Shea Patterson details scope of Ole Miss deception in lengthy letter to Michigan
    40 replies
  • Any news on Grant Newsome?
    77 replies
  • HELP WANTED! I'm moving to Chicago for school and I need good haunts to watch football/basketball games. Recommendations?
    57 replies
  • Angelique on Patterson Transfer
    57 replies
  • Final 2018 Basketball COMPOSITE Rankings
    9 replies
  • Auston Robertson arrested again
    54 replies
  • Karsen Barnhart - did we cool on him?
    89 replies
  • Q&A with FB Ben VanSumeren--Video
    10 replies
  • Final 247 Basketball rankings published
    43 replies
  • 2018-19 Michigan Basketball B1G slate announced
    42 replies
  • OT: Gregg Popovich's wife Erin dead at 67
    23 replies
  • Belleville coach Jermain Crowell mad at UM again
    236 replies
  • "Being Not-Rich at UM" Guide
    167 replies
  •  
  • 1 of 6
  • ››
  • Why should we be optimistic about 2018 M football?
    273 replies
  • Belleville coach Jermain Crowell mad at UM again
    236 replies
  • Police investigating Elysee Mbem-Bosse for death threat against Harbaugh
    224 replies
  • How Many Football Games Will Michigan Win This Year? (Poll)
    167 replies
  • "Being Not-Rich at UM" Guide
    167 replies
  • Buckle Up
    159 replies
  • Semi-OT: What sports would you fix?
    158 replies
  • Scouting the Enemy: Ohio State QBs are Good
    158 replies
  • Elysee Mbem-Bosse disturbing tweets
    157 replies
  • Whats the Best Way to Make Flight Arrangements?
    149 replies
  • Urban Meyer throws more shade at Michigan
    141 replies
  • Wagner to NBA
    141 replies
  • FB new Nutrition plan under Herbert is well received by players
    132 replies
  • Today’s MSU outrage Apparently Engler has attempted to bypass the victims attorneys
    130 replies
  • What past season would you have liked to see an Amazon-style documentary on?
    121 replies
  •  
  • 1 of 6
  • ››

Support MGoBlog: buy stuff at Amazon

media

Investigating media bias

By michelin — February 5th, 2010 at 7:02 PM — 39 comments
Filed under:
  • bias
  • media
  • new AD
  • newspapers
  • UM

 

Many of the posts here have suggested that a certain unnamed newspaper in a big city near Ann Arbor has a media bias.  If you want to learn more about the topic of media bias—how to investigate it and what to do about it---you might want to start by checking out the interesting summary and references on the topic of media bias in the link below.   In fact, it raises some interesting questions if anyone wants to investigate the investigators—ie the unnamed newspaper which makes money trying to expose the frail underbelly of defenseless adolescents and their schools.


First, to determine whether or not there is a hidden agenda of writers or editors, look at their personal and business contacts, sociodemographics, attitudes, past professional connections, payments to speak or write (eg Do they ever get gigs through the influence of people with an axe to grind or those who would directly benefit from harm to a particular school’s program?).  Also, look at quotes that reveal their beliefs, the frequencies of positive or negative word use or topic or headline choice for one school vs. another.  Look at the paper's selective use or exclusion of experts, spokespersons, sources (eg interviewing a police officer for a player in a unfavored school but the father of a student in a more favored competitor).

Second, to determine if the larger organization fosters a bias, ask: What are the business interests of the paper (eg advertisers)?  Could they be motivating a bias?  Are any of the advertisers actually boosters at competing schools?  Also, how about the paper’s ownership? (Hypothetically, for instance, if you were to look at two randomly chosen papers, like the Freep and the now defunct AnnArbor News, you would find they're owned by a mega-corporation called Newhouse News). 

Why is that relevant?   Maybe I'm naive but I can't really disprove the academic quote from the link below.  It says “reporters and especially editors share and/or acquire values with corporate elites in order to further their careers. Those that don’t are usually weeded out or marginalized.”  If so, one might conclude that one of the largest media groups in the country, with outlets all over the nation, like Newhouse, could have enough clout to--not necessarily even get you on TV, get you cited in national sources, or get you a news job in the future—but in fact, decide whether or not your paper folds (and I don’t mean putting a crease in your newspaper). 


What to do about media bias


First, publicly disclose affiliations “
when a news organization is reporting a story with some relevancy to the news organization itself or to its ownership individuals or conglomerate.”  Do a paper’s sponsors have interests that conflict with sponsors of the school they attack?  “Often this disclosure is mandated by the laws or regulations pertaining to stocks and securities”

Also, publicly disclose which owners of media outlets have vested interests in other commercial enterprises or organizations…Note whether any of them are boosters  of athletic departments at competing schools....Do they have commercial ties to university officials or members of the Board of Directors at these schools?

If justified, demand the resignation or reassignment of biased reporters and or editors….possibly petitions or letters from prominent journalists, organizations etc…even referrals to the attorney general in the unlikely event that there are possible violations related to stocks or securities.

Finally (and probably the most effective measure), put pressure on the paper’s financial ties.  I know, it may seem overwhelming if you are up against a large publication or even a mega-corporation.  However the link notes: There is “a long history of advertisers pulling out support when media content becomes too controversial.”

Of course, I am not suggesting any of these actions…or even asserting that a media bias does exist at all, let alone in the state of Michigan…Horrors, no....But, I can’t help thinking about its hypothetical relevance to UM.

Doesn’t UM have the largest alumni base in the country?  If they were (hypothetically) the victim of biased coverage, how long would they keep being fed what any clearly hostile media sources are serving? 

In fact, doesn’t UM now even have a politically savvy, well-connected AD with commercial ties all over the world due to his past role as a CEO of a major corporation?

What would happen then if the new AD were to learn about the presence and sources of bias, if the advertiser’s associations with biased media started gaining publicity, even starting on widely read blogs like this?

 If I were an advertiser for such as source, making a lot of dough by indirectly paying hacks to trash a school,.....well,

I’d thank my lucky stars if the alums, AD, and other prominent people couldn’t get mad enough to stand up and fight back.... 

 

Privately, though, I’d be shaking in my hypothetical boots.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_bias

  • michelin's blog
  • 39 comments

Freep's deceptive headline on Brandon hiring

By BlueinDC — January 5th, 2010 at 3:40 PM — 35 comments
Filed under:
  • MGoBoard
  • Athletic Director
  • David Brandon
  • Detroit Free Press
  • journalism
  • media
  • U-M

What impression would the headline about David Brandon's hiring on the front page of the Detroit Free Press's website have you believe?

New U-M AD Brandon doesn’t fear NCAA probe

ZOMG!

Except, well, no.

That headline links through to the Freep's normal story, which is a straight story about Brandon's hiring.

Take it from a journalist (I am one): The story should absolutely make reference to the NCAA probe Brandon is inheriting. It'd be irresponsible to exclude it. As the story itself is written, it gets three grafs in the middle of the story, which is appropriate.

But what's deceptive is the headline the Freep is slapping on its front-page story (which is far different from its hed within the story, the far less charged: "University of Michigan officially selects David Brandon as athletic director).

Look, this practice happens all the time. Editors want to sex up and sell stories on their front page. There isn't anything wrong with it, per se.

HOWEVA, the choice for this, frankly, biased headline on the front page shows a conscious decisions by the Free Press's editors to a) frame the story as squarely part of their own, b.s. story on the practice "violations"; and b) keep the NCAA storyline alive by virtue of their own choice for the external headline.

The fact is that the NCAA component of Brandon's hiring is, by far and away, not the most salient takeaway from Brandon's hiring. Whatever that takeaway should be must be their main site's headline. Anything short of that ranges between irresponsibility and shoddy work by the Freep's editors.

  • 35 comments

2008 Capital One Citrus Bowl on ESPN Classic

By mbrummer — December 15th, 2009 at 6:09 PM — 20 comments
Filed under:
  • MGoBoard
  • classic games
  • media

The Citrus Bowl is on ESPN Classic right now, I was pumped when I saw it flipping.

  • 20 comments

OT TBS Fail: DMB is Spreading !!

By mbrummer — October 8th, 2009 at 8:15 PM — 9 comments
Filed under:
  • MGoBoard
  • media

TBS just came back from commercial showing their highlights of the game with the music from Dave Matthews Band.

It's bad enough that ESPN/ABC has done it. But now this horrid idea is being copied?

Why do producers feel to put their highlights to music that neither is inspiring or interesting.*

*No offense to DMB fans out there, but they had their time and that time was 1996.

  • 9 comments

Dispatch blog recaps osu game. yes sugarcoat. sugarcoat out of control.

By I Miss Bursley — September 7th, 2009 at 6:13 PM — 6 comments
Filed under:
  • MGoBoard
  • columbus dispatch
  • media
  • OSU

Blogger for the Columbus Dispatch puts a hell of a twist on the bucks' squeaker against Navy. Wonder if the Ann Arbor news or freep would act similarly if a Rod-coached team were to switch places with osu.

http://blog.dispatch.com/godfrey/2009/09/quick_hit_navy_thoughts.shtml

  • 6 comments

Are the Media Reporting or Causing Discontent at Michigan?

By willywill9 — August 31st, 2009 at 1:51 PM — 5 comments
Filed under:
  • fan base
  • football
  • media
  • Rodriguez
Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
I think it is important to take a step back from all that is going on in the media, and really take a look at the big picture.

First, I visit mgoblog 965.44 times a day, and consider myself to be fairly looped in to what’s going on at Michigan athletics (props to the mgoblog community.)  While I don’t have any inside information, I think it is fair to say that this year’s team is very different from last year’s team.  Watching daily videos and reading interviews from mgoblue.com, it’s obvious the players are working hard, having fun, and are having an impact on the community.

When I saw the reports on a potential NCAA violation, I was pretty baffled and confused.  Again, I don’t go to practice, I’m not on the team, so I can’t speak on whether or not these allegations are true.  What I do want to highlight is how the media have greeted the new Rodriguez era at Michigan.

The media notoriously sensationalize news.  Politics (Howard Dean’s Rick Flair moment), health (“Africanized” Bees, swine flu), are excellent examples of times where the media focused all too much attention on minor stories, and exchanged journalistic integrity and responsibility for higher ratings. 

The topic of athletics is no different.  The media (often prematurely) release stories that will rile up a fan base.  Once the fan base is riled up, they then report on the discontent of the fan base.  In cases where the stories prove false, or not as severe as initially thought, the media follow up with “maybe everyone’s looking at this topic in the wrong light after all.  The person or team in question isn’t an evil wrong-doer, despite ‘public perception’.”

For example, the media took Rich Rodriguez’ comments on the QB situation and ran with it, concluding we will certainly have three QBs, and a few analysts even added that we are doomed.

They also questioned Michigan’s culture and character:

  • Feagin situation gets viewed as a Rich Rodriguez error in judgment. 
  • Players are transferring because RR is pushing them out.
  • Most recent allegations of violating NCAA’s practice policies.

The media then report on how upset the fan base is, how things aren’t going so well at Michigan.  Personally, Rich Rodriguez hasn’t given me a reason to question the direction of Michigan football.  In fact, it’s quite the contrary.  I’m very happy with the direction.  GPAs are higher than they were before he got here, the kids looks happy, and they’re doing great work in the community. 

Winning?  Last year was difficult, but I saw glimpses of what will be.  I look forward to improvement this season.  And I especially look forward to the years of dominance to come.  One thing that has never changed, is the integrity of the Michigan football program.  I trust and believe in Rich Rodriguez, and he has done nothing yet to lose my trust. 

Again, while I don’t have insider exposure to the program, I have learned a lot more about the program from places like mgoblog.  Unfortunately, the average Michigan fan doesn’t spend as much time reading about Michigan athletics outside of the confines of ESPN, SI, CBS Sports, etc.  They don’t see the more complete portrait of Michigan football.

One thing I’m almost certain of, is when Michigan is cleared from all this, and Michigan is playing respectable football, with a solid record (somewhere in the mid-season) ESPN will have a segment on RR and how he managed to keep his team focused despite all the “negative attention” Michigan’s received.  ESPN will then prove to be the hero that helps clear Michigan’s perception and Rich Rodriguez’ image.  Whew, thanks College Game Day!

  • willywill9's blog
  • 5 comments
  • « first
  • ‹ previous
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • next ›
  • last »
Powered by Drupal, an open source content management system
Theme provided by Roopletheme; sidebars adapted from Chris Murphy.