BBaum21
11-14-2004, 11:18 AM
Hey guys,
I've begun to write my research paper about the conflict of interest the Tribune operates with when covering the Cubs. Just want to get some feedback on the intro. Any constructive comments are welcome.
Blake
The city of Chicago is known as the “Second City.” Nothing affiliated with the city takes that to heart as much as the Chicago White Sox do. The city is in a unique position because it has two Major League Baseball teams, a distinction only a few cities can boast about. This is yet another thing that makes the city unique. The fact that there are two teams to cover should be a newspaper’s dream. But the city’s biggest newspaper, the Chicago Tribune,has been operating with a conflict of interest ever since its parent company, the Tribune Company, bought the Chicago Cubs from the Wrigley family in 1981. The journalistic integrity of the Tribune has been questioned by baseball fans alike because of their relationship with the Cubs and this situation just proves the fact any conflict of interest complicates things. It opens up the way a newspaper’s reporting is judged to questions.
Operating with a conflict of interest is not a good thing, no matter what line of work you may be in. It is not a healthy situation. You open yourself up to criticism and second-guessing. Journalists need to try to remain as objective as possible. Reporting with a conflict of interest could hinder that goal of objectivity, something every journalist strives for. Journalists also want to write stories that are fair and balanced. The presence of a conflict of interest also may make that goal tougher for reporters and their staff.
The problem that lies with Tribune Company’s ownership of the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Cubs can be summarized in one quote, which appeared in The New Biographical History Of Baseball, written by Nicholas Acocella and Donald Dewey: "For one thing, there was the mid-decade purchase of the Cubs by the Chicago Tribune, which meant that the city's main newspaper and its associated broadcasting network devoted about 20 words to the National League club for every one spent on the White Sox."[1] (http://#_ftn1)
[1] (http://#_ftnref1) Information courtesy of http://www.whitesoxinteractive.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=41261&page=3&pp=15&highlight=media+bias (http://showthread.php?t=41261&page=3&pp=15&highlight=media+bias)
I've begun to write my research paper about the conflict of interest the Tribune operates with when covering the Cubs. Just want to get some feedback on the intro. Any constructive comments are welcome.
Blake
The city of Chicago is known as the “Second City.” Nothing affiliated with the city takes that to heart as much as the Chicago White Sox do. The city is in a unique position because it has two Major League Baseball teams, a distinction only a few cities can boast about. This is yet another thing that makes the city unique. The fact that there are two teams to cover should be a newspaper’s dream. But the city’s biggest newspaper, the Chicago Tribune,has been operating with a conflict of interest ever since its parent company, the Tribune Company, bought the Chicago Cubs from the Wrigley family in 1981. The journalistic integrity of the Tribune has been questioned by baseball fans alike because of their relationship with the Cubs and this situation just proves the fact any conflict of interest complicates things. It opens up the way a newspaper’s reporting is judged to questions.
Operating with a conflict of interest is not a good thing, no matter what line of work you may be in. It is not a healthy situation. You open yourself up to criticism and second-guessing. Journalists need to try to remain as objective as possible. Reporting with a conflict of interest could hinder that goal of objectivity, something every journalist strives for. Journalists also want to write stories that are fair and balanced. The presence of a conflict of interest also may make that goal tougher for reporters and their staff.
The problem that lies with Tribune Company’s ownership of the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Cubs can be summarized in one quote, which appeared in The New Biographical History Of Baseball, written by Nicholas Acocella and Donald Dewey: "For one thing, there was the mid-decade purchase of the Cubs by the Chicago Tribune, which meant that the city's main newspaper and its associated broadcasting network devoted about 20 words to the National League club for every one spent on the White Sox."[1] (http://#_ftn1)
[1] (http://#_ftnref1) Information courtesy of http://www.whitesoxinteractive.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=41261&page=3&pp=15&highlight=media+bias (http://showthread.php?t=41261&page=3&pp=15&highlight=media+bias)