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Indy Star Slants Story? No Way!
Despite overwhelming odds that almost assured the Pacers would pick eleventh, the Star editors chose to accuse the Pacers of somehow failing miserably when they had no control of the NBA's dog-and-pony-show and they ended up with what they deserved and expected. The headline could just as well have read "Pacers remain in 11th draft slot," which would have been an accurate report of the facts.
I'm no big fan of the Pacers recently, but this headline seems to indicate that the Star has it in for the Pacers despite everything the organization has done for this community, as well as for the Star's bottom line via advertising revenue. After today's headline, if I were the Pacers marketing decision-maker, I would suspend all advertising with the Star until they publish an apology. The Simons deserve to enjoy Indianapolis' selection for the big game as much as, if not more, than any local citizens or community leaders, and it's a shame the Star felt the need to rub the Pacers nose in the dirt over a non-event. It seems to me that each day this newspaper becomes less of a source of real news and unbiased journalism. Your thoughts?
6 Comments
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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.
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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.
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Comment by Phil Barcio on May 22, 2008 at 10:56am - I agree, Ken. The Star is the one who failed. But that is about as shocking as Ballard trying to take funding away from the arts. The gradual failure of the Star to be perceived as a legitimate, unbiased source of news and information by college educated Hoosiers is evident in the paper's steadily declining subscription base and continual layoffs since the paper was acquired by Gannett in 2000. I suggest the Pacers management and Gannett's management duke it out once and for all in an Executive Death Match, covered by NUVO.
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Comment by Rhett N. Cochran on May 22, 2008 at 12:34pm
- Yeah, because NUVO's not biased at all
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Comment by Scott Abel on May 22, 2008 at 12:56pm
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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.
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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.
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