Ethics of Sports Reporting (esp skydiving/ BASE)

[kirrz 0]

I have to write a researched reflection for an ethics in journalism class.. this reflection can be on pretty much anything in relation to the consideration of ethical issues whilst reporting..

I was thinking about doing my piece on sports reporting. Although I haven't been in this sport very long, I've picked up that the media is often quick to sensationalize when reporting on skydiving/ BASE jumping incidents. Often this brings harsh repercussions to the community.

I'm curious to hear anything and everything that you guys as jumpers have to say about this.

Is this actually a media ethics issue? Are they not being ethical in presenting the factual information or can this not be helped?

How often do mis-representations happen? How can they be prevented? Can you think of any good examples where the sport has suffered because of bad reporting?

Does this happen in any other sport? Can you think of some examples?

I was a bit apprehensive to post this in Speakers Corner but I thought that maybe it will spark a discussion. I'm just really interested in teasing out the issue to see what I can learn from you guys.

So come on, speak to me!

[Gravitymaster 0]

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Is this actually a media ethics issue? Are they not being ethical in presenting the factual information or can this not be helped?

More like the press being lazy and in a hurry to write a sensational story before deadline.

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How often do mis-representations happen? How can they be prevented? Can you think of any good examples where the sport has suffered because of bad reporting?

More often than not a story includes the old adage "Parachute failed to open" when in fact it may have been a malfunction that wasn't dealt with properly. They could be prevented by reporters actually listening to the DZ representative and asking questions if they are unsure.

I think there are cases where the sport has suffered from public misconceptions due to poor reporting.

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Does this happen in any other sport? Can you think of some examples?

I don't know, perhaps others who participate in other extreme sports can answer.

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I was a bit apprehensive to post this in Speakers Corner but I thought that maybe it will spark a discussion. I'm just really interested in teasing out the issue to see what I can learn from you guys.

So come on, speak to me!

Now see, there you go believing everything bad about SC. We argue a lot and sometimes it gets a little heated, but with only a few exceptions there's very few in here I wouldn't buy a beer for.

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[Tink1717 2]

The problem with the media in jumping sports is the same as the media in other (and I suspect all) areas of reporting: A little knowledge. For example, yesterday the local news covered a fire that I was involved in (I've been in the fire dept for 25 years), when we saw the story we all kind of looked at each other and collectively went " Jeeze, I wonder what fire they were at." The assignment editors, who are more often that not interns in journalism school, don't want to actually send anyone out to cover the story, instead they try to get someone to phone it in. As a result, they publish something full of errors that any person with more than one functioning brain cell could see. When it comes to jumping sports, it's even worse. They project their own personal opinions into the story and publish it as fact. Do a search of some of the things reporters have said about jumping incidents and you'll find that they would be comical if they weren't so dead serious. Whenever I talk to them I wonder if they are even hearing me.

Skydivers don't knock on Death's door. They ring the bell and runaway... It really pisses him off.
-The World Famous Tink. (I never heard of you either!!)
AA #2069 ASA#33 POPS#8808 Swooo 1717

[jakee 1,596]

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How often do mis-representations happen? How can they be prevented? Can you think of any good examples where the sport has suffered because of bad reporting?

To be honest, I don't think the standard of the reporting matters that much. Lets face it, the general public knows nothing about how skydiving works, why should they? We are an incredibly tiny fringe sport - if the newspapers published factual accounts of incidents most people probably just wouldn't understand.

Also remember that despite the sensationalism first jump bookings actually go up after fatalities are reported in the news. I tend not to think its due to any morbid desire, just that if enough people hear the word skydiving on the news a few will think 'Oh yeah, I always wanted to try that'.

I honestly think the only way bad reporting could really hurt us would be if some newspaper or TV station started a crusade against a specific DZ (or national body) because of some percieved negligence, safety breach or whatever that they in their wisdom decided caused an incident.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[kelpdiver 2]

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I was thinking about doing my piece on sports reporting. Although I haven't been in this sport very long, I've picked up that the media is often quick to sensationalize when reporting on skydiving/ BASE jumping incidents. Often this brings harsh repercussions to the community.
I/reply]

It's not just about jumping. News in general has been about selling a story. If there isn't one, make one up.

Think to the YEAR OF THE SHARK. Every little bite that happened was on the evening news. It was a regular year for rate of shark attacks. (that is, low).

When you get a pit bull mauling, for the next month every little nip is covered. After that mining disaster every mining incident got some press time. Going back to the 80s and the summer of LA freeway shootings. That was a done year, in fact. But the media rushes to publicize the stories they think we're interested in and distort reality a bit.

Lucky for them, with BASE you don't even have to try to sensationalize it. The accidents and mishaps tend to be bad, and you couldn't write a better story than Jeb's fat suit routine.

On the ethics question - I don't know if the old days of objective reporting actually existed. I do know that these days the boundardies between articles and editorial columns is extremely blurred.

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[Gene03 0]

"ethics in journalism?"
Good luck.

“The only fool bigger than the person who knows it all is the person who argues with him.

Stanislaw Jerzy Lec quotes (Polish writer, poet and satirist 1906-1966)

[godfrog 2]

How often does a journalist do favorable reporting on skydiving? I mean the only time they show up is when there has been a serius incident. the bad things make the news, other than that we dont get much PR

Experience is a difficult teacher, she gives you the test first and the lesson afterward

[kirrz 0]

After doing a bit of preliminary research, I'm finding it really hard to find case studies and academic texts to support my theory. There isn't anything written about how to report extreme sports.

So now I'm thinking that I have to change my approach totally. I am thinking about discussing the Shayna Richardson story - taking what the press wrote (skydiver survived despite both chutes malfunctioning) and contrasting that to what actually happened (wrong WL, inappropriate responses to small malfunctions etc) and maybe trying to explore why the media would choose to report the story the way they did even with these facts readily available.

I guess in doing so I will have to somehow bring in philosophers and somehow tie in their philosophy to the reporting of this story...

Any thoughts?

[jakee 1,596]

I would still tend towards thinking they were just keeping the reports very simple forthe general public, not putting out anything too complicated that would make people go 'Huh, don't understand that, swithching off'. But then an element of laziness and accepting at face value what their main source told them is probably there too. Maybe it is surprising that with such an overblown story there wasn't some more in depth research/ analysis, but it still isn't an important story. The details don't really matter and don't affect the gist of the story.

Of course, I don't know anything about journalism

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[Kennedy 0]

disclaimer: (I do NOT want to turn this into a gun thread)

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I was thinking about doing my piece on sports reporting. Although I haven't been in this sport very long, I've picked up that the media is often quick to sensationalize when reporting on skydiving/ BASE jumping incidents. Often this brings harsh repercussions to the community.

I'm curious to hear anything and everything that you guys as jumpers have to say about this.

Is this actually a media ethics issue? Are they not being ethical in presenting the factual information or can this not be helped?

Well, if ethical reporting requires that you at least understand and present basics and factual information, then yes, by and large the press is not ethical when reporting almost any sport that is not "mainstream."

They may get football and baseball right, but heaven help the article written on skydiving, recreational shooting, rock climbing, or anything else 85% of reporters have never done. (note I said reporters, not population)

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How often do mis-representations happen? How can they be prevented? Can you think of any good examples where the sport has suffered because of bad reporting?

Does this happen in any other sport? Can you think of some examples?

The first thing that came to mind was firearms and their recreational uses - hunting, target shooting, 'practical' competitions, etc.

If a reporter showed up to write an article on the legal system and didn't understand stare decisis, or vior dire, they'd be laughed out of the press room.

Same thing with the sports writer who doesn't understand what the line of scrimmage is, or what icing is, or where the green monster is.

But when if comes to writing on "strange" things like skydiving, or shooting for fun, they seem to think, "oh, that's bad, so I don't need facts, just a good story."

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