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Arthur Solomon |
For those who closely follow sports and political journalism, the dilemma facing political and sports reporters — especially beat football scribes — are evident: Negative stories turn into positives for Trump and the NFL as if the, “there’s no such thing as bad publicity, just spell my name right” theory of public relations is now the norm.
As someone whose first PR job was with a political PR firm, working on local, state and national campaigns, and whose first job as a journalist was in the “toy department” — as the sports department was called in those days — I feel that the reasons for the journalist’s quandaries are largely self inflicted.
The the actions of politicians affect everyone, and what happens on the sports scene only adversely distresses fanatics willing to pay big bucks to wear a jersey with the name of a player on the back, politics first.
The problem facing political reporters is that fanatics aren’t only limited to sports fans. Trump backers are fanatics. (So are “Never Trump” advocates, who see evil in his every breath.) No matter what outrageous, deplorable and lying remarks Trump makes, his backers disregard facts and remain extremely loyal to him.
Early on Trump was given an aura of a folk hero by the 24/7 cable TV networks. They covered his rallies unlike those of other candidates present and past. They permitted him to call in uninvited to TV programs and his comments were broadcast unchallenged. So were his tweets, which were welcomed as “breaking news.” He played broadcasters as if they were puppets and he the puppet master.
The results were to be expected. By caving in to Trump for almost two years, broadcasters created a trap for themselves from which they are still unable to extricate themselves. They are unsure how to cover him. Trump’s years-long rants of false reporting went unanswered by the media too long.
Just as “liberal” became a dirty word because Democrats never defended it, every negative comment a political reporter now makes about Trump is accepted by his supporters as false reporting. And that will take years to overcome because the media still fails to coalesce and present a united front against the false accusations, led by Trump and his mouthpiece Kellyanne Conway, the defender of using “alternative facts.”
Any student of history knows “alternative facts” was not invented by the Trump administration. It’s a tool that has been used by tyrants forever. Hitler called it “the big lie.” Trump spokespeople call it “alternative facts.”
Today the situation is worse than ever. When news media highlighted that Trump’s cabinet appointees differed with him on issues, Trump backers said he is a person willing to listen, learn and accept other’s opinions. Advantage Trump. When auto companies disputed Trump’s claim that he alone was responsible for their changes in plans, the coverage was minimal compared to the “Trump Brings Back Jobs” reporting. Again, Advantage Trump.
Instead of in-depth reporting on Trump’s policies, cable TV reporters waste time by reporting on his ridiculous tweets and comments instead of ignoring them or limiting them to one sentence. Most reporters said it was a waste of time and unimportant to report on the inauguration crowd controversy, but they kept on reporting on it for days regardless.
Trump supporters see only a lying media when negative Trump stories are reported. Every anti-Trump story gains him more support with his followers who believe anti-Trump stories are fake news.
It’s evident that the TV political media still can’t find the right formula for covering Trump. As long as statements about Trump made by CBS CEO Les Moonves — “It may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS” — prevails among media executives, the media will never be able find the formula for covering Trump without making him look better.
The press created the problem by covering Trump like a Hollywood celebrity instead of a potential President of the U.S., and only they can solve it. The question is when, how and can they?
Both baseball and football beat reporters are in the same quandary as their political colleagues. The football media can be likened to a PR arm of the league. And despite their coverage of the steroid problem, baseball reporters condemn on the one hand and salute with the other. Their spring training stories could be written by MLB PR staffers.
Both baseball and football reporters participate in sports PR promotions like voting for inductees to the halls of fames, and other sports awards. The ethical question of having a reporter who covers a beat vote in a promotion that financially benefits the leagues and players winning the honors is so obvious that papers including the New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times prohibits staffers from taking part in the process. Since 2007, some political reporters have the same ethical concerns about attending the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner. The Times prohibits its reporters from attending because, it told the Washington Post, it made “the press and politicians [look] too cozy …”
Sports was always a business. But today it’s a big business. Franchises are worth countless millions and the athletes have the potential of becoming multi-millionaires. Just as business reporters are careful not to promote companies they cover, sports writers should do the same: report without glorifying players, coaches or franchise owners or participate in activities promoting the sports.
But the situation in which the media criticizes and helps those they criticize at the same time is never more evident than in 24/7 cable TV political coverage, a mutually beneficial relationship if ever there was one. The programs cannot exist without politicians as guests. And politicians rely on the programs to promote themselves and their agendas. The result is a symbiotic relationship where TV pundits make judgments about politicians but welcome the same politicians as guests even when they know they’re lying.
Many years ago, Stanley Woodward of the New York Herald Tribune, considered one of the best sports editors ever, believed that his columnist, Red Smith, should, “StopGodding up thoseball players.” Regretfully his advice is still largely ignored today.
Woodward’s counsel should apply to beat political and sports journalists. The results would be more facts, less glowing quotes and comments about athletes’ and politicians’ accomplishments and fewer admiring adjectives. It would go a long way to solving the dilemma of reporting that criticizes and promotes at the same time.
On a personal basis, as a reporter and PR practitioner, I’ve been fortunate to attend many events where sports and political journalists mingle with individuals they cover. The positive side of the coin is that it can lead to greater reporting access. The flip side is that it’s difficult to report negatively about people you break bread with.
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Arthur Solomon was a senior VP at Burson-Marsteller. He now is a contributor to public relations and sports business publications, consults on PR projects and is on the Seoul Peace Prize nominating committee. He can be reached at [email protected].
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