The Tiger Woods story again put out the issues with mainstream media. This time it was the NY Post quoting TMZ in their article about Woods car crash. My question is why did TMZ get the scoop about the real reason behind the accident and the mainstream NY Post didn’t? This “tweet” by Neil Best might sum it up best:

Some MSM carefully avoiding juicy Tiger stuff in TMZ/Enquirer and sticking w/police report. Others diving right in. Not sure which is right.

I respect Neil Best a ton and think he is one of the members of the mainstream that goes above and beyond. With that said (cue Larry David) I am not sure what necessarily is wrong about reporting the domestic squabble in the Woods home. You get the sense the mainstream fears TMZ/Enquirer journalism when that is exactly what sells. I see nothing wrong as long as you aren’t libeling anyone in the process with false info. It’s about the end result, getting readers, which allows mainstream news organizations to survive and thrive. Why am I bringing this up? It follows this article I came across by Paul Oberjuerge outlining what readers really want from their news. Ironically it’s not the kind of stuff that historically wins a Pulitzer.

I don’t subscribe to a dummying down of the culture. I just want transparency and strong opinion. I sometimes feel that some in the mainstream (there are bloggers and members of the independent media who fall into this category too) would prefer a world of early twentieth century reporting. I was watching “Eight Men Out” the other night and how Charles Comiskey treated the reporters versus the players was despicable. It was indeed the reporters that were part of the “elite” and you and I know darn well why Comiskey wanted them on his side. It was about controlling the public perception-  a far easier undertaking in those days.

This is not an anti reporter piece. There are a great deal that do “get it” on the mainstream side. Take Jon Heyman of SI and his thoughts on the Woods situation:

2 rules of news following: 1. never believe a publicist. 2. (almost) always believe TMZ.

The publicist and some in mainstream sometimes appear to be following the same principles. Very sad.

I just think it’s funny when some people trash TMZ when they are not only getting the story right, but building a huge brand as well. Just last week someone called NYBD “TMZ style journalism” which was meant to demean the sites work. On the contrary if I had 5% of TMZ’s success I would not only have quite a bit more traffic, but some real capitol flowing through the site.

As I mentioned during my “Can the Fans Handle the Rumor Mill” piece it’s about throwing out all the information and giving the reader an opportunity to make their own educated opinion. That is what a free society is all about. Once we start relying on so called “experts” we run into problems. Remember, regardless of whether it’s the NY Post, TMZ, Baseball Prospectus, or NYBD no one has the absolute answer. No publication is ever 100% accurate with their sources, information, and the proverbial high road. The beauty remains the volume of information for the reader. I wish I had 10% of the information 20 years ago that I do today. It would have made me more informed and enhanced my enjoyment of sports.

Forget about creating a “higher road” just give us the information. Don’t worry we can handle it!

Tags: Neil Best, Tiger Woods, TMZ, TMZ Style Journalism