This just in: Lumps in Barry Bonds’ oatmeal are causing his mean disposition. Wait, it’s also being reported that extra doses of Flintstones multivitamins are causing his massive growth, not steroids.
Whoa, now doesn’t everyone feel better?
I know I don’t. The trend of reporters sticking close to superstar athletes raises the question of bias.
ESPN’s Pedro Gomez reported on San Francisco Giants’ slugger Bonds throughout all of last season as BALCO news and a knee injury dominated headlines.
NBC field reporter Jim Gray tagged behind Kobe Bryant two years ago and continues to on Los Angeles Lakers’ national broadcasts. Gray played a large role in the squabbles between Bryant and All-Star center Shaquille O’Neal.
The goal of journalism is to be unbiased and produce fair and balanced content.
This ideal collides with Gray and Gomez’s approach. From this viewer’s standpoint, the pair plays nice or goes overboard.
Balanced reporting requires asking hard questions in difficult situations as well as being understanding.
Bonds and Bryant are difficult subjects for the media to cover as it is. Maybe this is a new approach to reporting: Be friendly and you can get the scoop.
Then again, how newsworthy is the information if it’s coming from the athlete’s point of view?
Gray has already found himself on questionable ground with his interview of Pete Rose at the World Series in 1999. Rose, in Atlanta as part of baseball’s All-Century team, made his first sanctioned appearance since being banned in 1989 for betting on America’s pastime.
Known for his tough questions, Gray hammered Rose about the ban. After answering the first question, it was apparent Rose didn’t want to address the subject.
“I’m surprised you’re bombarding me like this,” Rose said at one point. “I’m doing an interview with you on a great night, a great occasion, a great ovation. Everybody seems to be in a good mood, and you’re bringing up something that happened 10 years ago. … This is a prosecutor’s brief. It’s not an interview.”
Gray has covered both ends of the spectrum from too nice to not nice enough. Gomez provided every inane Bonds detail until everyone was gasping, ‘Enough already!’
Prospective journalists need quality, hard-working examples in today’s society of tabloid journalism and public skepticism. I’ve had the opportunity through a newspaper internship to see countless examples of fair, unbiased reporting.
Impressionable students who constantly see reporters focus too much on high-profile athletes feed this cycle of headline-focused reporting.
It’s time for reporters to provide the full story and leave out the useless details. Give me a balanced story and relevant information and then move on.

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