Sports Page Filtering

While on the subject of the media, I want to address something that Ben brought up several weeks ago. He was talking about the sports page in newspapers and how there it is the only part of the newspaper which undergoes no filtering whatsoever. For the sake of argumentation, I think this could be extended to the entertainment section as well.

As we all know, media is controlled by "gatekeepers" who decide what type of news to report on, how much coverage it should get, and where it should be positioned in the medium (newspaper/website/TV, etc.). Sports are an interesting phenomena because there is so much time and effort devoted to them. The sports section of a local newspaper will cover the smallest, most insignificant games as well as all the large matches and events. Even those stories for which there are no specific write-ups, there will usually be a wealth of statistics and numbers about the game. In the regular "news" section, countless important stories are omitted on a daily basis because they are outside the scope of the newspaper's coverage, or because they are deemed to be irrelevant to the readership's lives. I would argue, however, that the results of most sports games are just as irrelevant to our lives, if not moreso, than sorely lacking information on the Darfur genocide (as an example). If one still doubts that those who control the means of communication in the world do not push an agenda, then one simply needs to compare it to the sports section. Information should be controlled, prioritized, and distorted. Sports news must be relayed in excruciating detail.

The same goes for entertainment. It is both a reflection on our culture, and one of corporate media distortion, that we know all the painful, uninteresting details about Tom Cruise's marriage, and Britney Spears' kids -- because they are regurgitated to us on a daily basis -- but most do not know about current votes in the House of Commons. Yet, these votes are far more deterministic and influential than Tom Cruise could ever hope to be. Having said that... how 'bout 'em Sens....eh? Eh?