Tim Layden says objectivity is dying in sports reporting

[jr/shotglass]

There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that a scary number of fans believe sportswriters are paid by the teams they cover.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

I just think there's already a severe misunderstanding among readers about the responsibility and role of journalists. I've worked places where I was asked why I was picking on the hometown team when, as a beat writer, I should be helping to scrub and promote its image. But that wasn't my job.

I'd imagine if you're being transparent about being a fan of the team you cover, everything you write and report will be viewed through a lense that you're not there to dig up the hard-hitting stories that are meaningful yet may be unpleasant or even harmful for the institution you're covering.

That relationship with your audience and integrity as an impartial observer is important now more than ever, with Trump and his fake news truthers running amok.

I was a sportswriter in Boston, MA. The times I covered the Phillies could be counted on one hand. I was a columnist. My opinions were SUPPOSED to be part of what I wrote.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Two things. If you want stardust knocked from your eyes, cover a team you're a fan of. They're just guys, running the gamut of human beings from good to bad. Same thing happens when you cover a team you hated as kid. You see how silly that is, too.

 

[Tweener]

I was a sportswriter in Boston, MA. The times I covered the Phillies could be counted on one hand. I was a columnist. My opinions were SUPPOSED to be part of what I wrote.

That is quite a bit different than being a fan of the team you're covering. Thanks for clarifying.