Media relations: Make-up or break-up?
The relationship between the media and celebrity newsmakers has been on a downhill slide for many years.
This Mashable article about The Players' Tribune - Derek Jeter's new media company - credits the internet with causing a breakdown in trust between pro athletes and the sports media. It also illustrates how digital media has seriously blurred the lines between news-making and news-reporting.
This issue is by no means confined to professional sports.
But if this breakdown in trust leads to the demise of "true journalism" (as the Mashable article infers), then it has quite serious implications for all of us. That's if you believe that an independent fourth estate has an important role to play in society.
This all raises some questions for me -
- Is this a relationship that should be saved, or has it passed its use-by-date?
- How much of an issue is this in your sport, your industry, your country?
- What do you think has caused the relationship breakdown?
- What can (or should) we do about it?
I'm keen to hear your thoughts - it would be great to hear from folks on both sides of the relationship, or anyone who feels stuck in the middle!
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About the author: Ross McConnell is a "late blooming startup athlete”, fortunate husband, father-under-training of three young boys, and Co-Founder of Blinder.