BBC - Liverpool make bid for Lallana - Part II

and the fans

 

I do get fed up with the one-word, four-letter description of any journalist, player or pundit that expresses an opinion which is different to the poster's. It's the ultimate lazy journalism. Imagine that Adam Blackmore adopted that approach?
"Well that was a poor effort from their No7 but then he's a total cock"
His commentary is better than the critique of it, anyway.

 

crap


.

 

Is that a judgement or instruction?

 

If what Blackmore tweeted is true how can he possibly be disrespecting the club and the fans? In that situation he's reporting a fact.

Or perhaps people think he should submit all his tweets and articles to the club for approval before he publishes them?

 

I would say that briefing a tame journalist to paint a one sided version of an alleged fallout is pretty disrespectful.

It's Lallana who's being accused of disrespect btw. The complaint against Blackmore is that he allowed himself to be used in that way.

 

Adam, not Adam

 

Oh. Yeah I thought "he was disrespecting..." referred to Blackmore, who has every right to report whatever he likes. Forget I said anything.

 

Blimey, lots of people not quite 'getting' journalism here. Remember, rule number one is to help sell papers etc.

 

Adam is a BBC journalist and not a newspaper journalist. I would expect him to explore the truth behind what he is told, and not be played like a fiddle.

 

BBC have an agenda, like all media do.

 

But not a self-justifying agenda, as in the case of "must sell papers".

 

Forgets ze weazly bearded littele gnome ****ehouse. I am ready to be capitan

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Sorry, let me rephrase. I used "to sell papers" as a generic phrase, which in the modern era also translates to "get website hits". Much like when The Guardian interviewed Lana Del Rey recently they, of course, used the soundbite "I wish I was dead already" which she had a complete flip-out about because she thought that it was out of context. Fact is, it was the headline (either online or in print) that would mean the most people possible would go and read the page - be it on a website (like the BBC) or the newspaper.

Now the BBC isn't averse to using clips like that to drive traffic - granted, not as sensationalist as something like The Sun, or The Daily M*il, but really, come on, of course if he has exclusive access to Lallana, he's going to pick out certain key points and use them to drive a story. That's what journalists do - it's manipulation, but shy of actually manipulating the truth so much it becomes an untruth.

I personally think Blackmore is a good journalist, clearly has good contacts (as evidenced by this, and that's half the job), which is why he's far more interesting than someone like Crook, who lacks the contacts, so is a reactive journalist. Blackmore is proactive, and I fail to see why people are getting cross with him for doing his work well. The more attention he gets to his work as well, the more effectively he furthers his own career too.

Where has he been untruthful?

 

Guess who's July on the Saints calendar..... yep, Lallana.

 

July, of course derived from the Hebrew for Judas.







(I may be lying slightly)

 

I already said he had never been untruthful. My point was that he, in my personal opinion, enjoyed being the mouthpiece of Lallana - for the hits, the hits, the hits! - but at the expense of rounded commentary. He has only ever given the insight that Lallana allowed, or passed on stuff from Ben Smith.

 

Yes, and it was effective and raised his profile. If you're looking for unbiased commentary and absolute truth, I suspect you may be looking at the wrong profession.

 

Remember, Blackmore is a long way off being a 'big-time' journalist, but I'm sure will have ambitions himself - therefore he'll always be scrabbling about for the exclusive and the story that will break him. It's very dog-eat-dog as a profession. He's done well to date breaking the Saints news, and providing insight that others don't have. It will likely serve him well.

 

I thought this was a debate about whether people could say @bigadamsport is a bell end? I say we can - because he has never done anything to ask the questions of Lallana that we, his Solent audience, want answered. He allowed Lallana to feed him the bits that served Lallana, and never endangered the golden goose by any real journalism. That might be good for career, but I don't have to respect it.