New regular column - is it worthwhile? Mediawatch - the signing of Darcheville

[bmck 117]

Lads, the following is a new column I'm thinking of starting - the idea is basically just to keep an eye on the media and summarise the different approaches to their reporting of the news to try and get a more balanced picture. I'm undecided how worthwhile it is, so I'd welcome your thoughts for improvement or indeed if its just a waste of time:

 

Mediawatch ââ?¬â?? the signing of Darcheville

 

Introduction to the column for first time readers

 

In this regular column Iââ?¬â?¢m going to cast a skeptical eye over our friends in the media. Itââ?¬â?¢s a poor manââ?¬â?¢s attempt to de-sensationalise newspaper jargon to get at the news underneath. Iââ?¬â?¢m certainly not free from bias ââ?¬â?? to paraphrase Wordsworth Iââ?¬â?¢m a ââ?¬Å?[Rangers] man writing for [Rangers] menââ?¬Â ââ?¬â?? but Iââ?¬â?¢m going to do my best to be free from the tendency towards sensationalism and spin we so often encounter when we have the misfortune of reading the papers, and try my best to be a suitable antidote for those tired of reading the same old nonsense in them. Where theyââ?¬â?¢re good, I shall even praise them!

 

Daily Record

 

There�s nothing quite like the signing of a new player to whip the tabloids into a frenzy. None moreso than the Daily Record. Every single hint of a fact that points to the player�s tendency towards Ronaldo-esque greatness is not only highlighted, but made the central point of the article. I�ll save you the hyperbole, the main points of the article are as follows:

 

� Rangers handled the affair well, according to the Bordeaux president

� Darcheville is a 2-3 million rated player, according to the Bordeaux president

� The Bordeaux president only offered him a one year deal

ââ?¬Â¢ Weââ?¬â?¢ve signed him on a two year contract ââ?¬â?? this fact, and the lure of playing in a foreign league in front of large audiences, he says persuaded him

 

These facts are joined together with the usual references to who he turned down, both in the past (Liverpool) and in the present (Monaco/Bordeaux) to increase our sense of having captured someone important. The fact that he has only netted 37 goals in 5 seasons is played down by explaining Walter Smith is after his for his rocket-like pace and subtle touch ala Prso, which Walter rather more understatedly explained by saying:

 

ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢ve been to France a few times to see him and there is no doubt in my mind we are getting a quality player capable of doing a great job for us.ââ?¬Â

 

But these are small points. Despite there being evidence of the usual signs of hyperbole the largest part of the article is made up of quotes, and the Daily Record is generally at its best when sticking to things people having actually said.

 

You can read the article here: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/tm_headline=gers-have-got-a--pound-3m-hitman-for-free%26method=full%26objectid=19076077%26siteid=66633-name_page.html

 

The Herald

 

Darryl Broadfoot paints a slightly different picture of the signing, as you would expect from a broadsheet. He sets the focus on the fact that this is the third time we�ve attempted to sign Darcheville. Perhaps in an attempt to palliate the sense of sensation in the tabloids, his main points are largely concentrate on his, according to Darryl, negative history. The main points being:

 

� Previous attempts to sign him broke down at the negotiation stage (note Darryl is unwilling, like the Record, to claim that it was because we didn�t have enough money, even if it is the case)

ââ?¬Â¢ He used to be fat ââ?¬â?? earning unfavourable comparisons to Ronaldo in France

� He didn�t do too well at Rennes

ââ?¬Â¢ Or at Forrest ââ?¬â?? the manager branding him a waster

� His next manager, at Lorient, also considered him selfish and wasteful

� The manager after that liked him. He scored 25 goals in two seasons.

� He then moved to Bordeaux from whom we signed him: the support apparently never liked him because he stated his intention to make tons of money

 

So, we see a perhaps intentionally bleaker side of Darcheville in the Herald ââ?¬â?? and though I tend not to like the trend in broadsheets to see pessimism as essentially the same thing as ââ?¬Ë?high browââ?¬â?¢ journalism, it provides good foil for the happy clappy image presented in the Record.

 

You can read the article here: http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/headlines/display.var.1387462.0.0.php

 

Conclusion

 

All in all there�s not too much to complain about today, and I hope this summary, and the contrast between the two approaches, has been in some way beneficial towards an understanding of our new signing.

The following video is some of Darcheville�s finer moments:

[bmck 117]

[Frankie 8,552]

Good stuff mate... I like the idea of this.

 

Over the long term, it will be a good source of info and show up any trends that may occur from certain journos...

 

Well worthwhile but I would keep it to one column per week (unless there is some sort of special story worthy of extra attention).

[bmck 117]

yeah, i dont think i'd have time to do it more than that now that i think about it.

 

it will, if nothing else, be, like you say, a decent record of trends in papers and writers.

[bmck 117]

the column, edited and updated, is now on the site.

[buster 0]

If you are prepared to write it my friend I�´ll take great pleasure in reading it.

 

Objectivite, accurate and well written pieces on Scottish football, especially when Rangers are involved are in short supply so you have a niche in the market.

 

Thank you for your time bmck :cheers:

[pete 2,499]

Enjoyed it Barry you could make it the Media this week and cover the main stories of the week in short.

My gripe with the media this week was with Scotsport.

As someone else also stated they totally ignored the Naylor attack on Novo and made a meal out of Hutton and his ball-winning tackle on Naylor.

 

The Scotsman's article by Tom English posted by Cammy was the best report on the old firm game i read this week.

[bmck 117]

thanks lads. perhaps if there are things like the scotsport incident you could mention them in this thread and i'll try and include it in the report?

[Frankie 8,552]

Good thinking mate.

 

I suggest having a weekly thread where people can contribute their thoughts on that week's coverage. You can then choose to pick a couple of them (as well as your own thoughts) and put together the article.

 

That way you might be able to pick up something you may have otherwise missed.

[Super_Ally 0]

My gripe with the media this week was with Scotsport.

As someone else also stated they totally ignored the Naylor attack on Novo and made a meal out of Hutton and his ball-winning tackle on Naylor.

 

Dunno if that was me, but it certainly infuriated me. An outright assault or a nothing tackle where Celtic players boiled over? Ok they at least showed the Naylor attack, but imagine that was Ricksen, would they downplay the incicdent then cut to Mcnee who would completely ignore the major incident and turn onto a minor one involving Celtic players. Farcical.

 

They missed out Gravesen's slash at Novo early on as well. The unwritten rule of you can't get booked no matter the infraction if it occur's in the first 5-1 minutes.