MONTREAL, QC — Who says that you can’t quote Shakespeare in a hockey story? The reaction to The MSM Doth Protest Too Much, Methinks has been overwhelming.
Some people are disappointed that this has become such a combustible topic. Me too. Most fans have already moved on and enjoy their hockey coverage from many sources, both mainstream media (MSM) and non-traditional. They find the debate tedious.
But it’s going to take time for the NHL and its teams to catch up and hammer out some policies on new media that all stakeholders can live with.
Therefore I believe that the debate ignited by the piece is constructive, and will contribute to a better understanding by all parties.
To be clear, the story was not about the members of the mainstream media who were named nor was it about Hockey54’s Launy Schwartz.
I applauded Schwartz’s questions, winced at his style, and defended his right to be there. But the piece was not written to paint Schwartz as a poster boy for all bloggers to rally around. Far from it.
Instead it was done to starkly point out that we have plenty of work to do on both sides and to put a spotlight on attitudes that must change if we are going to move forward.
So where are we now?
Where I come from, one diagnoses a problem, debates the issues from all perspectives, and then gets to work on finding solutions. I think that the problem has been identified, and we began the debate, but are we ready to fix things yet? I’m not so sure.
Let’s set that aside for the time-being.
But what have we learned from our exercise? Frankly, I think that some are still stuck on definitions.
When people try to frame this issue, they generally use two labels: MSM and bloggers. In their mind, they think of the Bob McKenzie’s of the world as the benchmark for the first bin and a hobby blogger for the second. Then the sorting begins. Pierre McGuire belongs here, guy-in-his-underwear-living-in-his-parent’s-basement belongs there.
But it’s not that black and white.
Yes, at opposite extremes we have someone writing an online diary of personal hockey observations and a classic journalist who doesn’t venture into the realm of social media. But the reality is that there is a mess of people in the middle. The distinctions between them are far more subtle or in some cases don’t exist.
In the Montreal market, while Mike Boone and Dave Stubbs wear their MSM hats proudly while writing for the Gazette, they also dabble as bloggers on Habs Inside/Out. They blog game notes, communicate via Twitter, and participate in podcasts, all considered to be part of the blogger domain.
Arpon Basu and Eric Engels can be considered to be hybrids having smudged the line between MSM and bloggers depending on whether they are writing for the Canadian Press, appearing on a sports radio station or publishing to blogs.
Two of the best who make a conscious effort to straddle the divide are Gary Whittaker and Nick Murdocco who host The Franchise radio show on the Team 990.
Even Mitch Melnick moonlights as Hunter Z. Thompson.
What about Kevin vanSteendelaar, Conor McKenna, Julie Veilleux and your very own All Habs?
We have here a very small list but its clear that its one coloured with shades of grey. So for those who tell you that labelling can be easily applied by flipping a switch, suggest that they need a rheostat instead.
You may have heard those who say that the folks in new media are lazy and are just jumping the queue. They aren’t prepared to put in the hard work to get a degree and establish their career. To that I say hogwash.
Yes, anyone can start a hockey blog. But, it means that there is plenty of competition. To rise above the fray and become a trusted source of information for hockey fans takes an enormous amount of work.
All Habs has become a digital hockey magazine providing original content to loyal readers and has more than 14,500 followers on Twitter. The effort required to do that means that my time off in the past year has consisted of one extended weekend. This route has not been the EasyPass lane that some would have you believe.
In addition members of the new media are responsible for writing content, being an editorial board, doing marketing, managing human resources, performing technical support, administering accounting, engineering audio, etc. You get the idea.
In the MSM, not all come armed with a degree in journalism. Some step off the ice into the broadcast booth with little or no training, and mixed results. Others have made a name for themselves in other ways such as being a frequent caller to land a radio gig.
I suppose that the point is that we aren’t that different. There is an opportunity to work together and learn from each other.
Before that can happen there must be mutual respect. I was clear in my last piece that while I was disappointed by some of the things said by the Habs Inside/Out guys, that I still admired their work. Reasonable people can disagree from time-to-time.
To their credit, a link to my story was posted on the Habs Inside/Out website.
Last Fall, I contributed to a Stubbs story about Allan Walsh. In the Spring, Boone would have been on my sofa blogging a Canadiens game and sharing the company of the All Habs team were it not for a plumbing problem (mine). Hopefully, we will reschedule this season.
Collaborations are possible between new media and traditional media as are teaching opportunities.
I enjoyed most of the comments on The MSM Doth Protest Too Much, Methinks but one of my favorites was from someone named BigT.
He wrote, “I don’t like [Boone] chewing out “a fellow” journalist for maybe not posing the questions with the right attitude or mood. I wonder if Boone would’ve done the same had Schwartz been a junior (1st year) Gazette reporter. Something inside me tells me that Boone would’ve gone over to Schwartz gave him a tap and a friendly talk on how to improve his performance in future conference calls.”
I would like to see that happen. A teaching moment.
Blogs and digitals magazines publish content that you don’t see in MSM publications. You may recall statistical analysis of Canadiens goaltenders by Chris Boyle, “Crisis in the Q: A Study of Quebec-born Players” by HabsWatch, and reports from the Canadiens July development camp reports by yours truly.
What would any of us do without Capgeek.com?
Bloggers have skills too that can be passed on. We have witnessed the entrance to Twitter and other social media, not too graceful by some in the MSM. Many still aren’t using the technology to its potential, preferring to keep it as another tool to push content.
By retweeting their messages to many followers, @All_Habs has helped to give them an introduction to our online community. Kyle Roussel, almost single-handedly, dragged the Team 990 kicking and screaming into the world of Twitter.
Some in the traditional media have embraced technology. As I pointed out in Hockey, Habs and Twitter, Daren Millard of Rogers SportsNet, James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail, and TSN’s Bob McKenzie are some of the best utilizing social media tools. Others like Darren Dreger and Elliotte Friedman excel too.
Clearly, there is some shared ground.
Earlier I wondered whether we were ready to find solutions to the current tension. To be honest, I’m not sure that everyone concerned is, but let’s be optimistic.
The NHL and teams will be the ones implementing a policy. Yes, there are some who think that this is the perfect time to implement tighter restrictions. But we all know that is not realistic, as change is underway.
But in the meantime, what can traditional media and new media do to contribute to a solution? I believe that energy is much better spent on building bridges than walls.
So I would like to propose a Hockey Media Summit. It would be an opportunity for new media, traditional media, bloggers, podcasters and media representatives of NHL teams to get together and exchange ideas. Meetings could be held in cities where this is a divisive issue.
Is this ambitious? Yes.
Am I being naive that this can get off the ground? Possibly.
Can the summit lead to better understanding and mutual respect between the parties? At minimum.
If you are interested in being involved to make this happen, please click on the Contact Us tab (under the All Habs banner) to send me a message. And, as always, I am interested in your comments on anything I’ve written in this piece.
(Feature Graphic: Smedio.com)
Hey Rick,
First off, you’re doing a great job trying to frame this debate, and I commend you for venturing forth on something that for some reason has become a very touchy subject. But I think the one issue that is most important here is establishing a bar for the blogosphere, and it’s a very difficult and subjective thing to do. Take for instance your excellent idea of a hockey summit, who do you invite from the new media? What would be the standard? That you’ve religiously maintained a blog or site for, what, a year? Two? Also, how many readers do you reach? How professional is your content (i.e. do you tend to swear in your stories)? These are all things that need to be mutually agreed upon by the NHL, the MSM and the new media before anything can be done, and that may be a little tricky. The fact is that you probably have way more readers than a lot of prominent MSM members and in that sense including you and several other quality sites would be a no-brainer, but where do you draw the line? I really wish the Washington Capitals would be a little more vocal about their stance on this topic, because embracing new media (and drafting Ovechkin) played a big role in them becoming relevant again in their market. Now that they sell out every game they still accredit bloggers, but only the ones deemed by their communications department to be quality sites. That determination is left to their discretion because, well, it’s their party and they can invite you they want. But in the case of the Canadiens, I can tell you that the media horde at a game is already considerable, as you can see when RDS goes live into the Habs room. There’s a logistical problem in that there’s simply not enough space, and that’s in the cavernous Habs room. The visiting team’s room is like a glorified closet, and when there’s 50 media in there all trying to talk to the same guy, it can be difficult. I don’t want to go all Dan Ellis here and complain about what is a fantastic job, but it’s a consideration in this debate. My other question to counter that is do bloggers really want that access? Because with access comes a certain accountability that I’m not sure all bloggers necessarily want. The ability to just spew one’s own thoughts on a subject with the protection of not having to face the human being you’re writing about is what I think makes blogs so valuable. Because often times what they write is the truth, but the MSM can’t spell it out the same way because of the personal factor. So it’s a question I would genuinely want the answer to, because I don’t know. Do bloggers want that access and the inherent limits that come with it, or are they happy maintaining the status quo?
Arpon: C’mon man, separate the paragraphs…JK
Good reply though, and I like your final question.
Some bloggers prefer that personal opinion aspect, but only have that advantage due to their geographical location.
Thanks Arpon. You’ve raised some excellent questions. It’s just my opinion, but I think that openly discussing these issues in a calm manner without the tension of a presser helps build trust and mutual understanding. I’m all for avoiding the type of incident that we witnessed last week.
I have opinions on the questions you asked but it would be presumptuous to respond here. I do think that a media summit would be an ideal place to tackle some of the issues like quality, integrity, consistency, …
I liked what you said on the Team 990 about your first year covering the Canadiens in which you absorbed all you could. Perhaps things like respect, trust-building and confidence entered into that decision. Whatever it was, I see it as a very wise approach.
It’s an example of wisdom that could be conveyed during such a meeting. MSM members talk of unwritten rules and code. If it’s expected that newcomers follow them, then they should be shared.
Your last question is most interesting. It’s assumed that access is the end game for bloggers but I’m not sure that’s always the case. Perhaps Dave Stubbs influenced the issue by saying that to be taken seriously as a Canadiens journalist, it was necessary to be in the room. However, logistics aside, as you correctly point out access carries certain responsibilities and sometimes restricts the writing freedom that bloggers currently enjoy.
So who is included? That’s always a tough decision no matter the group or issue. In Montreal, choosing attendees for a media summit could be the task of a small committee made up of representatives from each of the stakeholder groups: MSM, bloggers, Canadiens.
It could be an important start to an ongoing, constructive dialogue concerning this “very touchy subject.”
Another thoughtful piece!As for a Media Summit, it could be good, I think that it would start small, as MSM doesn’t need one right now because they may not feel threatened enough to attend, I know Boone and Stubbs would probably be curious, and even encourage it LOL. If it started as a reserved table over a few Guinness’s, with reports done simultaneously on several blogs, it would spread out. There are a lot of open minded journalists out there, and I think curiosity would get the thing going, I am curious myself , keep making us think!
For someone who’s still very new to the blogger world, I have to admit I’m enjoying the debate because its been and continues to be a great learning experience for me. Although the topic is a lot more complicated then it might seem to some on the surface, i agree that establishing a process, parameters and so on might be a tremendous challenge.
If I were working in the MSM, i would be thinking “More bloggers having access to rooms/players/management could equal less MSM, loss of jobs in the MSM?” I’m sure it’s not their only argument, and maybe they would tell me this is not an argument at all, but i simply don’t see why else it would create an issue.
I simply hope that the majority will look for common ground rather then choose to pick sides and wage war.
First off, great follow up.
Second, I would attend a summit if it ever came to fruition.
The rest…
Some more interesting questions have been posed. Since I gained my first set of full credentials for the NHL Awards this past year, I was under a lot of scrutiny. From past events, people knew my style was unconventional, but a lot of players have gotten to know me, and I they welcome my interviews now because it’s going to fun and no stock questions will be asked.
Back to the scrutiny. One full set of creds doesn’t mean widespread acceptance. I still have a lot to prove, and look forward to that challenge. I don’t do it as a voice for bloggers, rather as a journalist carving out his own niche. I realize that I am not only accountable to the NHL and its teams, but to the fans too.
If I ask the same questions as everyone else, why should I even be there? It adds nothing. If I act the same way as the rest, than I am not being myself.
One important element that I don’t think has been fully explored is fandom. I am a fan. I think that’s pretty clear. And while my call with Price was highly complimentary, I have written critical pieces too (http://hockey54.com/editorial/item/launy-the-schwartz/these-habs-are-history).
The difference with how I balance my fan boy enthusiasm with journalistic integrity is that I try to find balance. There is fair comment, and there is pure venom. Something I did learn in one of my many journalism courses is that fair comment is something you need to articulate carefully, and that seems to be something that is lost on the MSM.
Maybe that falls under the category of “you haven’t learned what I have long since forgotten kid” section of the unwritten media bible.
Back to the link above. I was critical, yet fair. I don’t think someone like Scott Gomez would turn on me in an on camera interview for what I said. I stated the facts. Those are pretty hard to argue.
So while my enlisting in to the official Habs fan club is way back on the burner, my standards for how I do what I do are always on the hot part of the grill. I have high expectations for how I present myself, and my site. I am accountable to a lot of people, but the most important is the one typing this very message. Which is a touch too long now.
In the end, we are all fans of this game, and allowing that to leak in once in a while is OK. I mean, Don Cherry is the highest paid hockey broadcaster in the nation and well…that’s a whole other story.
**whisper – Go Habs Go.
Thanks Launy! I think that you’re right about accountability. As a very public business, it extends to fans, the league, teams and colleagues but most importantly to oneself.
You raise an interesting point. Being a fan is not necessarily a bad word when doing sports coverage. Don Cherry and the folks at NESN aren’t the best examples but it is possible to be objective while being a fan of the sport and team.
Mitch Melnick at the Team 990 openly admits all the time that he is a fan of the Canadiens, for two reasons. He has both an emotional and a professional stake in the Habs doing well and continuing as long as possible in the playoffs.
Even so, Melnick has earned respect for maintaining an objective and balanced view.
Great follow-up article. Some of the best hockey writing is now found via blog(ger)s. One sits back and reads well-researched, well thought out and extremely well written pieces by bloggers and one wonders when/if/how could some of the MSMers do similarly.
Whilst here, anyone know why James Mirtle is still considered a blogger when he is paid by the G&M to report on the leaf? He may have have some early blog cred with his stats site but my belief, based on his recent insider-y/way-too-chummy ‘articles’ is that he is an MSMer through and through.
So when does a blogger become mainstream and when does an MSMer cross the tracks to get some blog love?
Thanks for the compliment moeman! To answer your questions, I would simply repeat that the lines between the two groups are fading and it is becoming more difficult to put singular labels on individuals.
Great idea on a summit with bloggers and media.
I think Kamal and Kyle have both floated the idea in the past with me as well.
I’m one of the “out of towner” Habs bloggers, butI’ll be in Montreal in November, so maybe we can put a little session together that weekend.
Thanks Kevin. I drafted an outline for a summit several months back. I’m glad to hear that it is being circulated.
I’m not sure what shape it will take just yet, but there seems to be growing support for a meeting.
We’ll keep November in mind as a possible date.
Another great write-up and I’m definitely appreciative of your thoughts on my comments and your decision to include the quote you did.
I think Arpon is on to something here. The first thing is to find out who of these bloggers actually cares to take this to the next level (i.e. participate in practice coverage, go to all the games and do post-game interviews with players and the coach, participate in conf calls dealing with trades/signings/etc). I may be wrong but I strongly believe that the number of those bloggers that really want to take it to that level can be accommodated and can be given a “Guidelines to Bloggers” type manual by the Habs PR group or better yet by the NHL PR group. It can include what’s appropriate, what’s frowned upon, etc. I’m sure most of the top bloggers would already be aware of most if not all of these guidelines but at least there would be something there to help the motivated but uneducated.
We need to sit down and have a little chat about Boston Sports Blogapalooza at some point. There’s a precedent set here; it’s been successful and a great learning experience for everyone. Maybe when I come up in December we can chat about it a little.
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