So there’s a flap in Chicago about reporters and or journalists blurring the lines between being fans and being actually, well, journalists and or, well, reporters of the news. Apparently, Rafer Wiegel made Walter Cronkite turn over in his grave by wearing a Blackhawks themed tie when he was working the weekend sports desk for ABC 7 Chicago. Then, while covering the Hawks game three loss to Boston, NBC 5 reporter Natalie Martinez delivered her live stand up all decked out in a home red Jonathan Toews jersey. I don’t know what exactly irks me on these two occasions of reporting ethics gone astray? Is it the blurring of journalistic ethics, long unspoken and sacred in most circles? Maybe it’s the fact that both of these local news stations catered to the idiot factor that makes me want to disassociate myself from most of the fandom’s in this town. Dan Bernstein is right. Why do we need to continue to craft a sports image of a Neanderthal like sports fandom whooping and hollering in a sports bar after a big win or a crushing loss? Is this how the voices that inform us in our great hometown see us as fans? If that’s the case, I object to that brush I’m being slapped with on the grounds that I’m not a sports meatball. I’m one of the rare breed who actually goes to Wrigley to see the game and not the buxom wenches all decked out in Cub gear. I don’t view a baseball game or a hockey game or whatever sporting event you can name as a place to get drunk and perpetuate the myth of Chicago sports fan dom as a bunch of alcohol swilling, ill informed grabowski’s. Look, Natalie Martinez knows better but I doubt that wearing that Hawks jersey was her call. Remember who owns NBC 5 ladies and gentlemen. That would be Comcast. And Comcast swallowed up NBC Universal and NBC Universal is the parent company of…. Ding ding ding…. NBC 5 Chicago. Comcast is also partners with the Chicago Blackhawks in that venture called Comcast Sports Net Chicago and CSN Chicago just happens to televise…. Come on, this is easy….. DING! Blackhawks Hockey. There’s so much conflict of interest here that it makes your head spin but conflict of interest is all too common in a world where entities like Comcast buy up networks and news divisions. But why didn’t didn’t the producer on NBC 5 step in and tell Natalie Martinez to lose the jersey? Here’s how I THINK it went down. If the producer did step in and object to the obvious display of fandom by Miss Martinez then I’m guessing that someone high above at the mother ship stepped in and reminded everyone that it was good business to have the jersey of one their business partners on display on this particular news cast. Again, Comcast owns NBC Universal and that means that they essentially own NBC. NBC is home to NBC Sports and NBC Sports is… wait for it…. a partner with the Blackhawks on the NHL telecasts that Comcast pays millions of dollars for in terms of overall rights fees. Look on the bright side, at least Natalie Martinez wasn’t standing in front of a sign for NBC Sports Net, another entity of the new Comcast Empire that Comcast desperately wants to attract eyeballs to. What I’m saying is this? These two incidents aren’t simply lapses of journalistic ethics. These two incidents are symbolic of a changing news culture. These two incidents are symbolic of the all sustaining corporate structure being unchecked for so long. Corporations run on a profit, that’s a fact of life. Journalism doesn’t pay the bills when you’ve spent almost a billion dollars to acquire a film studio and a host of other entertainment and or media properties. Get used to it folks, it’s the way of the world. Matter of fact; don’t be surprised if you see Allison Rosati doing a fluff piece on the star of “Royal Pains” in the near future. Royal Pains airs on USA and USA is owned by….. drum roll….. Comcast. This is the future of of news ladies and gentlemen. Comcast/NBC Universal….. Product placement and characters welcome. And um… Go Hawks!!! Who hoo!!!
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