Well, my understanding of this blog is that we are supposed to post on any journalistic/editing concerns we encounter, so hopefully I am on the right track. Anyway, I was just reading AZ Central and I saw an article about the Chandler National baseball team that is playing in the Little League World Series. Now, this is certainly a great accomplishment for those children and their coaches, but should this really be covered in the news? I would say that putting these kids on national TV (the games are on ESPN and I think the final is on ABC) and making them front-page news in the papers only leads to the development of an arrogant attitude that many people criticize in today's pro athletes.
Of course, young athletes having a sense of entitlement is more than just a journalistic issue. Society often builds up these talented youngsters to the point where people like LeBron James or Michelle Wie become household names before they even reach adulthood. However, I do think the media plays a big role in that. If young kids didn't see their names in the paper or faces on TV for playing a sport, they may have an easier time staying humble. Don't misunderstand me, I love sports and I certainly think they are newsworthy, but I'm just not sure that Little League baseball, Pop Warner football, etc. with 10- or 11-year old kids should be in the newspapers or on television. That's just my opinion on the issue, but I'd be interested to hear if anyone agrees or disagrees.
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3 comments:
I think that's a real interesting thing to think about. Oddly, I was just reading your post while listening to the news on TV, which I rarely do. The story? That the Chandler LL team had just lost and were now eliminated. So that adds another aspect to your point: their disappointment becomes very public. And that's a huge issue in journalism -- the bounds of privacy. And should there be more protection for children? Are we objectifying them too much? Is it "more okay" in print than it is in broadcast? Etc.
Argh! Everyone needs an editor. "Was" now eliminated, not "were."
And I guess I needed a tech editor, too. I'm not sure why it used my full name, complete with embarrassing title, on those comments. I'm hoping I've fixed that now.
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