News Reporting - Unfair & Unbalanced

With the world in such a mess, I just wish we could get someone to report the news objectively.  In the words of an old TV police show, “Just the facts, ma’am”.   Sadly, I don’t think it’s going to happen.  Bias in news stories exists. And before you get all smug and self righteous, let me remind you that it happens on both sides of the political fence. From Fox to MSNBC,  it’s there.  The networks slant the news  to help it fit their perspective on world events. Here’s a personal example that I believe proves my point. 

On September 12, 2016 I watched, along with the rest of the country, as San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt alongside teammate Eric Reid during the Star Spangled Banner.  This was Kaepernick’s way to protest  police brutality towards blacks.   

It had become a big national news story.  

This event had more than a passing interest to me.  I was paying  close attention to the 49ers that season - not because of Kaepernick, but because of another player on the roster, defensive lineman Quinton Dial.  I knew the young man personally.   He played football at Clay Chalkville High, a school located in a suburb of Birmingham.  I was very involved with the football program at the time. And like most everyone there, I knew Quinton’s  backstory.  Without going into details, lets  just say Quinton Dial’s  life has some parallels to Michael Oher’s (The Blind Side).  Once he got to Clay Chalkville, his engaging personality and broad smile made him very popular.  He was even elected Homecoming King. A fine young man that overcame a bad situation.  

After high school, he played football at Alabama, graduated, and was drafted by San Francisco.  So it was only natural for me to follow his progress in the NFL.  

On this particular day what Quinton did during the pregame ceremony  attracted more attention than his  play on the field. 

While Kaepernick and Reid knelt  during the national anthem, a couple of other players joined the protest by raising a fist.  Not Dial. Instead, he  took a place with the military representatives and helped hold up the giant American flag that covered the field.  Considering the enormity of the Kaepernick story, I thought Quinton’s actions deserved at least a sentence in the press coverage. So I was not surprised when ESPN and Fox Sports, among others,  mentioned him in their coverage of the event.  

What was did surprise me, however,  was Dial was completely ignored by the San Francisco Examiner, the primary newspaper in the Bay Area. I checked on the internet, and although the Examiner had  a thorough article about the Kaepernick situation, there was not so much as a word about  Quenton.  How can this be?  His actions were  certainly part of the story. 

I noted the article had the e mail address of the author, so I respectfully sent him a message. It was worded carefully - no mention was made of my hometown, my state, my alma mater, or my relation with Quinton. I merely pointed out that there appeared to be two sides to the story,  evidenced by another  49er who stood with the flag bearers. I thought this fact should have been included  in the article. 

Although I wasn’t surprised he responded to me, I was shocked by the nastiness of his e mail. Apparently he had no interest in a balanced view of this story. Furthermore, he certainly did not like me bringing it to his attention. 

According to this “reporter”, he didn’t even see Dial help hold up the flag. Furthermore, he can’t be expected to see everything. If I want that kind of coverage I’ll need to find a paper that has a lot more people working the story than his paper does.  Wow. He was sarcastic and unprofessional.  Can you imagine how much worse the response would have been if I told him I was from Alabama?

Of course when I realized I had hit a nerve with this guy,  I knew I had a fish on the line.  So, my subsequent e mails contained an increasing amount of sarcasm about his inability to report both sides of the story.   Several other newspapers seemed to have no problem at least mentioning Quinton Dial.  How could the mighty San Francisco Examiner have nothing?   This is a fair question.  But all this guy did is ramp up the nastiness in his replies. Which, of course, I found very entertaining. 

After a couple more exchanges, it was time to end this.  Obviously,  this guy had a side and he took it. But this was not an editorial. It was reporting.   And he didn’t do it.  So, I borrowed a quote from Bill Belichick and Nick Saban.  I sent a final, one line e mail that said, “Do your job.” 

His reply, “Take a hike.”

And with that my pen pal was no more. 

The next day, I thought about sending his editor the entire email thread, but figured it was futile. After all, they both lived in the People’s Republic of San Francisco.  

Then I considered reaching out to Fox News.  I’m not saying it would, but it could have easily become a story.  I could just see Tucker Carlton  flashing these  e mails on the screen. Even interviewing me.  But being in sales and having customers all over the country, this was a bad idea. So I let it lie. 

Since I’m retired and this has become a major story again, I felt it was time to write it.  The way news coverage is now,  I think we have to do more to get the facts. Don’t blindly follow one side and claim it as Gospel.  It likely isn’t.  And try to understand that there are almost always two sides to the story.  

Even if they don’t report it.  

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