Indy Star Slants Story? No Way!

Add a Comment

Comment by Ken Zweigel on May 22, 2008 at 2:11pm

I admitted my paranoia in the first sentence, so I am willing to admit it was just a bad choice of words in this instance. However, I've sensed a pattern like this for a while, so despite the fact I make things up in my head, it is possible the sports headline writer or the sports department in general have a negative impression about the Pacers and those feelings subliminally express themselves in the words/thoughts chosen to publish, as well as their size and placement on the page.

The conclusion I am guilty of jumping to is my belief that people in that position understand the power and nuances of the headlines and words they published, and the influence they have on the opinions formed by their readers. A writer's job is to communicate their thoughts, so as a reader am I not supposed to try and interpret the meaning or their words?

As objective as they may try to be in their reporting, all writers have opinions, so surely all of their writing is influenced by those opinions. Newspapers, including the Star and Nuvo, are famous for supporting or opposing issues and entities, and in this case I believe I see a pattern of negative bias toward the Pacers by the Star that is its attempt to pander to the current general opinion of the team in the community. This is not unusual or too serious, given the subject matter, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

This conspiracy theorist will keep an eye out for more examples. Thanks everyone for your comments.

Comment by Scott Abel on May 22, 2008 at 12:56pm

You folks are making things up in your head. Choosing the wrong words (which people do every day all day long) DOES NOT equate to the paper being biased against the Pacers. That is something your brain conjures up and that is easy for you to see as reality. Of course, the psychics on Smaller Indiana could probably tell us what the editors were really thinking, but I doubt any of you can.

Of course, I work in an industry where choosing the wrong words can kill the people using the products my clients make. So, I am keenly aware of the common "conclusion jumping" that occurs when folks allow their minds to determine what the writers were actually thinking.

Comment by Rhett N. Cochran on May 22, 2008 at 12:34pm

Yeah, because NUVO's not biased at all

Comment by Rhett N. Cochran on May 22, 2008 at 9:26am

You know, Ken, I didn't see it before but now I do. If I were the Pacers, I'd feel a little bit by that headline as it does imply that there was something they could have done. I don't know if I'd go quite as far as you, but I could definitely see how it could be interpreted as a dig against the Pacers.

Comment by Scott Abel on May 22, 2008 at 6:39am

Actually, all this indicates is that a headline editor incorrectly used words in the English language. This is hardly anything new nor indicative of the paper "having it in" for the Pacers. Instead, this is what happens when humans work on deadline without the scrutiny some other types of information products receive.