Journalists you rate and hate

[5 GB USB]

A USB stick?

No, I'm a universal serial bus.

 

[Gasometer]

No, I'm a universal serial bus.

Yes and you are small G at that.

 

[Mr Reliable]

Pretty sure you mean Carry....Carrie Bickmore

That is hilarious. I think she was thrown by all the talk of Virgins and Routes.

 

[Mr Reliable]

My favourite football journalist is Benny Carbonaro.

Most of the others are OK, except when they're writing BS about North.

Sir Les Patterson is pretty entertaining on Fox Footy, with all his spitting, dribbling and yelling.

 

[jacko57]

I generally like Mark Maclure on radio, think he calls it as it is. Rohan Connolly is very good, and not just because he stood up for North over the Gold Coast issue. Ditto Mark Fine.

Emma Quayle is the real first lady of football.

I hate the Vile Serpent, obviously.

I regard Taylor, Darcy, Healy & Russell as massive tools and oxygen thieves. Rita what's her name on SEN is a major pain in the arse, her grating voice is even more annoying than her uninformed opinions and constant sneering tone.

Commetti & McAvaney have gone a long way down in my estimation lately.

I reckon Eddie & JB do ok as callers, Dunstall I think is pretty fair in his comments, I like Shane Crawford as a special comments man. The Ox is ok on SEN.

Mark Hawthorne rarely writes on footy for The Age, but did cover himself in manure with his hatchet job on North at the time of the AGM in 2010 (or was it '11?).

 

[Ghostwriter]

Can't stand Whateley, tries too hard to be pc and not offend anyone, never says anything controversial, plus he's got real skinny arms and a hook nose, and that habit of rolling his eyes upward when asking a question, like he trying to make it look like he's thinking off the top of his head, one night when he did it, it looked like his eyes were going to roll back into his head.

 

[Hard_to_Beat]

Finey, Connolly, Quayle

 

[CURVE]

I may not always agree with them, but the journalists I respect because their reporting is generally unbiased and thorough (researched and based on fact, not just opinion), thoughtful and entertaining include:
Damien Barrett
Rohan Connelly
Gerard Whately
Emma Quayle
Samantha Lane
Andy Maher

Journalists I don't respect because they don't appear able to meet those two simple critera include:
Caroline Wilson
Mike Sheehan
Dermott Brereton and many of the other ex-players and coaches.


As for commentators, I'm not really a fan of any of them, all of them have a tendancy to waffle on about bugger-all ignoring the game and missing moments that are actually worth discussing. I find them all truly frustrating.

 

[Devil Fish]

Mark Feine - By far the best footy commentator on the planet.

 

[Gasometer]

Mark Feine - By far the best footy commentator on the planet.

What's Finey's history DF?

 

[shinboner spiggs]

finey reckons harper smokes a pack before playing, i can actually see that

 

[Artichoke69]

I don't really mind anyone in the media.

 

[Mr Reliable]

What's Finey's history DF?

Every second caller calls him ''Viney''.

This from Wikipedia:

The show was recently dealt a huge blow when the "All Sport Super Quiz' was taken off the air, thanks to a handful of callers that made derogatory comments towards Fine's family. Before its removal, the quiz saw members of the public showcase their sporting knowledge and, at times, their knowledge was such that an induction to the quiz's hall of fame was in order. Two of the most famous inductees were Luke from Coburg and Benny from Bosnia. Listeners were outraged by the cancellation, so management had no choice but to introduce a new form of the quiz, namely 'Finey's Final Five'. As Mark Fine said himself, the "All Sport Super Quiz" had 'run its race' and it was time for a fresh new start. It has recently returned to the program as the show now runs for and extra hour. The show has recently introduced an extra addition, the 'gong' question, where if you are answering a question and the 'gong' sounds you will win an extra prize. Shaun from Sunbury was the first contestant in the game's history to win both the gong prize and main prize. He is now regarded as one of the quiz's great players, along with Steve from Eltham.

 

[danj]

I rate Boomer on radio and Whately and the rest of the ABC team, on telly Eddie can be quite good otherwise the rest is bolded from another thread:

"Today we have 6 commentators covering the game from all angles and as you know people the pace of football commentary has increased so much over the past few years that we have been forced to introduce a commentator sub, our sub this week in the green smoking jacket is BT who as you are all aware is continuing his solid recovery after having heammoroids removed from his throat. Most likely he will join us for fast and speedy updates in the last quarter and he will replace whoever needs the oxygen tank first Dennis or Bruce...."

 

[Star]

Pretty sure you mean Carry....Carrie Bickmore

That is bloody hilarious. She's a beauty Carrie and very difficult to confuse with the vile serpent

 

[chubbspeterson]

Can't stand Whateley, tries too hard to be pc and not offend anyone, never says anything controversial, plus he's got real skinny arms and a hook nose, and that habit of rolling his eyes upward when asking a question, like he trying to make it look like he's thinking off the top of his head, one night when he did it, it looked like his eyes were going to roll back into his head.

I'm a Whateley fan, one of the very few rational people in football. He's just logical. You don't make up any statements without knowing the facts to back it up, which is unlike a lot of other journos who just speculate when they clearly don't know the facts.

Robbo can make some good points, but I don't always agree with him, but I do like his passion.
Quite like Lyon, Warrior, Richo (good bloke), Lingy, Huddo and Eddie hasn't been so bad lately.
Never liked Healy, Roos, Dwayne, Caro, Hutchy, Cometti, Grant Thomas, and Matthews

 

[muttley45]

rita panihi,caro,fatprick smith,greg denham,samantha lane,

 

[Mr Reliable]

I'm a Whateley fan, one of the very few rational people in football. He's just logical. You don't make up any statements without knowing the facts to back it up, which is unlike a lot of other journos who just speculate when they clearly don't know the facts.

Robbo can make some good points, but I don't always agree with him, but I do like his passion.
Quite like Lyon, Warrior, Richo (good bloke), Lingy, Huddo and Eddie hasn't been so bad lately.
Never liked Healy, Roos, Dwayne, Caro, Hutchy, Cometti, Grant Thomas, and Matthews

I don't mind him (GW) either.

Have you heard him do a race call? Hysterical. I don't mean ''funny''. I mean his style is over-excited to the point of hysteria.

 

[Mr Reliable]

That is bloody hilarious. She's a beauty Carrie and very difficult to confuse with the vile serpent

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Bickmore

 

[boat13]

the only journo i truly ever enjoyed reading was peter roebuck, was worth the cost of the big paper alone just to read his stuff, putting his personal life aside. sadly i have yet to see any afl journo of the quality or even half of it, afl just seems to attract the wrong type of person

 

[jacko57]

Martin Flanagan is also pretty good as a rule.

 

[lica23]

Just thought I'd leave this opinion piece here, feedback encouraged! Hope you enjoy it.

A Boo for Barrett

This isn’t a boo for Goodes. This isn’t a boo for Boomer. This is a boo for Barrett.

It seems those commenting on AFL issues can say whatever they want without being held responsible for their opinions. Journalists like Mark Robinson, upfront and hard-hitting, who tackle the toughest topics in footy and admit their mistakes keeping their credibility in tact, are hard to come by. If the integrity of AFL is to be maintained, journalists need to report with a sense of plausibility and accountability that reflects the game’s integrity and pride.

The Australian public admire accountability in journalists. Above all else, beyond entertaining their audience, journalists are responsible for informing and educating the public with plausible ideas, in fields they’re experts in. Presumably, for Damian Barrett, this is AFL. We encourage and admire contentious discussion that generates debate – not nonsense. We don’t encourage journalists to opportunistically take advantage of massive occurrences in our great game, to put their ridiculous ideas in the spotlight to generate attention. We don’t encourage journalists shooting non-sensical sh** at the wall to see what sticks. It seems journalists can be blatantly wrong and move on without being responsible for their opinions – without apologising, without taking it back as they should. This reflects poorly on the individual journalist, the AFL media as a whole, and our beloved game.

During the week, Damian Barrett wrote an article in the lead up to Boomer’s 400th game. While it made some decent points and touched on the loyalty owed to Brent Harvey by North Melbourne, Barrett joined the group of journalists opportunistically speculating about Brent Harvey’s playing future, tarnishing the lead up to a brilliant and historical milestone. Damian Barrett can pose that…”Alastair Clarkson and the Hawks seriously asked him the question three seasons ago, and would almost certainly do so again…” but not without considering why, as any respectable journalist should.

Let’s look beyond the fact that the next day Brent Harvey came out stating he wouldn’t play at another club. Let’s look beyond the potential salary cap ramifications for the Hawks. Let’s assess the degree of football understanding behind this comment. Let’s assess, why on earth Damien Barrett thinks Hawthorn would seriously ask the same question three years later.

At the end of 2009, Hawthorn tabled an offer to Josh Kennedy who opted to leave to the Sydney Swans. While his grandfather John Kennedy Sr. was a legend for the Hawks, the strong family ties were not enough to keep Josh Kennedy at the club – one of the reasons being that around the likes of Hodge, Sewell, Lewis and even Sam Mitchell (as big of a surprise as that may be to Wayne Carey), Josh Kennedy’s opportunities to break into the best 22 were somewhat limited. Now one of the most prominent midfielders in the league, Josh Kennedy serves as a reminder to Hawthorn, of just how important giving opportunities to young footballers is.

Hawthorn’s ageing list is in a remarkably different position now to what it was 3 years ago. Will Langford, Jonathan Simpkin, Jed Anderson, Billy Hartung, Jonathan O’Rourke, Brendan Whitecross and Alex Woodward are all on the fringe of playing senior footy consistently over the next couple of years. So in assessing why Damien Barrett comments that Hawthorn would again “seriously” consider a 38-year-old for its ageing list; I wonder whether he gave it any proper thought or merely interviewed a 6 year old wearing gold-and-brown at his local Auskick clinic.

Can Damian Barrett not see that playing Brent Harvey ahead of the younger players on the list would open Hawthorn up to losing them, in a similar fashion to Josh Kennedy in 2009? Can Damian Barrett not see that in the last 3 years Hawthorn have won 2 premierships and are in a markedly different position to what they were then? Can Damian Barrett not see, that if Hawthorn wants another player at the club it would be someone who is a better fit than Brent Harvey at 38? Can Damian Barrett not see, that it isn’t 2007 and Hawthorn doesn’t need a Stuart Dew?

Hawthorn has averaged 116 points this year, the most of any club, boasting one of (if not the) the most damaging forward lines in the league. With small forwards Cyril Rioli and Paul Puopolo, is Boomer seriously required? With the outside run provided from Isaac Smith, Bradley Hill, Shaun Burgoyne, Liam Shiels and Billy Hartung, the only thing for Hawthorn to seriously consider is how quickly to dismiss Barrett’s claim.

A professional AFL journalist should be able to. Boomer is a gun, and Barrett is a professional. But for someone who’s Twitter account regularly holds the AFL tribunal accountable for mistakes, he’s a big pot calling the kettle black. He has a responsibility to inform and educate his audience, not deal out this sort of rubbish. His comment was outright ridiculous. I feel for the 60-70 year old men who love their footy, read that, took it to their discussions at the local pub and got laughed at by those who were exposed to high quality insightful commentary over the course of the week; such as Dermott Brereton discussing the tactics of Fremantle’s midfield positioning and how other teams have combatted this over the course of the year.

Damian Barrett, I’ll never be able to listen to anything you say, or read anything you write without cringing. Maybe that’s just because I see you as a shock-jock with access to some industry sources and thousands of misled followers on Twitter. There are people out there who are good at what they do, are professionals and experts in one field or another. If you’re a professional, be one. Put forward your plausible opinions; keep the ridiculous conspiracies to yourself. When you’re wrong, take it back.

If Hawthorn want Brent Harvey, it’s so that he can sit down and have a cup of tea and a nostalgic chat with 86 year old John Kennedy Snr - about how the game’s changed from their time to now, and have a good laugh at the sensationalist fodder published in the media that journalists get away with.

Nighthawk out.

 

[blackshadow]

Sorry mate you lost me at this sentence.

Journalists like Mark Robinson, upfront and hard-hitting, who tackle the toughest topics in footy and admit their mistakes keeping their credibility in tact, are hard to come by.

Nighthawk out.

Mark Robinson has zero credibility, he's proven to be a drunken buffoon which would rather lead the James Hird cheer squad than report with any semblance of balance, he's like a whining kid most of the time - he doesn't deserve to wipe are journalists arse. And the word is intact.

 

[lica23]

Sorry mate you lost me at this sentence.



Mark Robinson has zero credibility, he's proven to be a drunken buffoon which would rather lead the James Hird cheer squad than report with any semblance of balance, he's like a whining kid most of the time - he doesn't deserve to wipe are journalists arse. And the word is intact.

Robbo's credibility may've taken a hit elsewhere, but when it comes to his journalism he admits his mistakes. He will put out an opinion, take credit where it's right and take responsibility where it's wrong. His embarrassing antics may very well reflect negatively, but as a journalist he fulfils his responsibility in a way that many others don't.

Thanks for the correction, I'll take it on board!

 

[archereleven]

Robbo's credibility may've taken a hit elsewhere, but when it comes to his journalism he admits his mistakes. He will put out an opinion, take credit where it's right and take responsibility where it's wrong. His embarrassing antics may very well reflect negatively, but as a journalist he fulfils his responsibility in a way that many others don't.

Thanks for the correction, I'll take it on board!

The trouble with Slobbo though- he is an absolute weapon head of the highest order. I do not think there is a dumber campaigner in the media tbqh.