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GREEDY SUN-TIMES IN ETHICAL LAPSE?
How far will the greedy overlords at Hollinger International go to exploit the Sun-Times for profit while sacrificing their journalistic credibility? Could it be that the Sun-Timesters have thrown their principles away, like so much trash being tossed from a barge into the waterway beneath? Have the Hollinger masters decided to trump the Tribune and defraud their readers in ways more heinous than Greg Couch can possibly imagine?
Maybe.
How's that for a lead? Might be too strong. Might be unnecessary. Yet the Sun-Times is doing something that makes me sick:
Chicago Bears medallions.
Actually, the medallions seem like a cool idea, except that you have to get a coupon out of the paper then pay $2.00 in order to get one medallion which probably cost 5 cents to manufacture. Ironically, you get your medallion at a convenience store. Doesn't sound convenient to me.
I remember when I was a kid and the Sun-Times used to print "collectors cards" in the paper. Of course, they weren't very valuable since they were on newsprint, but I thought it was cool. A couple years ago, the Sun-Times printed color American Flag centerfolds that were very popular-so popular that they did it again and sold ad space on the flag. Nice.
I don't have a problem with the Sun-Times doing the medallion thing. It's an interesting way to create a new revenue stream, albeit temporary. No, I have a problem with the way the Sun-Times is promoting the medallions. I don't think it's appropriate to promote the medallion sale in the newshole--the editorial space--without clearly labeling it "ADVERTISEMENT".
Friday September 26th - Page 172 of the sports section announced the medallions: " Bears medallions could be hot item" was a story that held the byline of " Mike Thomas, staff reporter". The article took up half the page, just under a half page photo that was captioned "Former Bears Kicker Kevin Butler shows off many of the limited-edition Bears medallions being offered by the Chicago Sun-Times. There are 25 medallions in the set." Uh-huh. The article is an unrepentant ad for the medallion sale. No news here at all. Just a huge ad. In the middle of the sports section. Made to look no different than a regular sports story. I felt defrauded out of a page of real sports news. Tricked into reading an ad. But that was only the beginning.
Saturday September 27th - A small blurb with no byline: " Kickoff coming for Bears Medallion Collection" The article starts, "Get ready, Bears fans. The collecting season is about to begin."
Sunday September 28th - Similar blurb with no byline: " Special medallions commemorate team, stadium" The article starts, "Get ready, Bears fans. The season is about to begin -- the collecting season."
Monday September 29th - Another blurb with no byline: " Special medallions commemorate team, stadium" The article starts, "It all begins today--the Bears' winning ways, games at the new Soldier Field...and the Chicago Bears 2003 Medallion Collection."
Friday October 3rd - Staff Reporter Lisa Lenoir reported on how things were going: " Medallion fever catching on among Bears fans" The article starts, "Even though Charlie Thomas has two jobs and goes to school, he's found that he must take time out each day to get his Chicago Bears Medallion." Wow. I wonder if Charlie is related to Mike Thomas. Meanwhile, with Chicago experiencing medallion fever, I check the Trib to see if they can corroborate this report, maybe with statistics from area hospitals or doctors or something. Nope. Flu season's coming but nothing about medallion fever. I guess the Sun-Times is fortunate that people are buying lots of medallions because it would have looked bad if Lisa would have had to write "Few medallions sold due to Bears sucking big-time". Well, at least Lisa got an important quote from Jaclene Tetzlaff, Sun-Times vice president of marketing: " The program is highly successful, Several outlets have been selling out each day of the coins. It's a fun, family-oriented activity." Riiiiight.
Over 8 days, the Sun-Times published five--count 'em--FIVE articles about their medallion sale and not once did they attempt to differentiate the articles from real sports news. Not once. Not good. I'm sure there would have been an immediate outcry from critics had the Sun-Times done this on page 10--is the sports section so lightly-regarded that integrity doesn't matter? I don't agree with that. World news, sports news, business news, entertainment news--it's all news. This medallion thing--it's not news, and it's deceitful to present it as news.
On an unrelated note: some time ago the Sun-Times strapped a giant banner ad on their building. Soon after, the city made them take it down citing an ordinance against putting ads on the sides of buildings. Now the Sun-Times has a sign on the building for " Trump International" with a phone number to call, presumably if you want in on the new skyscraper that will replace the Sun-Times building. So, what's the difference between this sign and the banner ads from before? I see no difference.
Well...I guess clout.
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THE SCHIZOPHRENIC SPORTSWRITER
Whatever you do, don't look directly into the eyes of Jay Mariotti. Based on his columns about the Cubs over the past month, it's plain to see he's mentally unbalanced. His opinion, while basically negative, changes more often than sanity and reason can allow. No matter how hard I try lampooning him in the weekly Jay Merryman column in the Chicago Red Face, Jay Mariotti consistently makes Jay Merryman look less a caricature than an homage. Sometimes you just can't make fun of crazy people. Oh, well. I choose not to attempt delving into the twisted psyche of Chicago's top bi-polar sportswriter. No, I choose instead to point out the odd behavior in the hope that the proper governmental authorities will one day trap the subject and administer the treatment he so desperately needs before he becomes a danger to all of us in the real world. Here are some of his column excerpts regarding the NL Central Champion Cubs over the past month. The headlines are mine, summarizing his attitude:
I'M ABOVE IT ALL--UNBIASED--THAT MEANS I'M ROOTING AGAINST THEM! (Friday, 9/5/2003 Sun-Times)
"Please don't count me among the local media cheerleaders ready to place one team or the other in the Fall Classic. Despite Mark Prior and the excellent starting pitching, the Cubs aren't as good as the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves and maybe two or three other teams."
DON'T BELIEVE IT, THEY'LL GAG! (Fri, 9/12/2003)
"I'd love to believe they'll survive these final 16 games and reach the postseason…But like Anna Nicole Smith's assets, I refuse to accept the authenticity of any of this until I see I see the red, white and blue bunting and the Atlanta Braves with my own eyes"
CUBS HAVE AN EASY ROAD TO THE PLAYOFFS! (Tues, 9/16/2003)
"Let me make something clear: The Cubs' path to the postseason is so easy, it looks plotted by a pro wrestling promoter."
CUBS SUCK! (Sun, 9/21/2003)
"Always and forever, they are the Cubs. Never forget that, especially as this ketchup crawl of a playoff race takes an excruciating, embarrassing turn. Only they would do something as moronic as accuse the St. Louis Cardinals of tanking games to the Houston Astros."
CUBS MIGHT BLOW IT! (Mon, 9/22/2003)
"Yet pleasant as the outlook seems right now, after those tanking St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros again, please understand this: If Sosa doesn't start hitting very soon, the Cubs might perpetuate a century-old redundancy and blow it. And if the Cubs blow it, who knows where Sosa will be playing next year?"
WAIT! THE CUBS MIGHT WIN IT! (Wed, 9/24/2003)
"If you'll allow me the caveat that Cub-related trust must be earned incrementally, then, yes, even I have to start believing in the fairy tale after a stirring night like this, which included a sight for sore Cubbie eyes on the out-of-town scoreboard: SF 10, HOU 0."
HEY! THE CUBS ARE TEASING US! (Fri, 9/26/2003)
"They will torture you to the last nubs of your fingernails, apparently. That is the Cubbie way, to make life a bear when it could be so much tamer. Odd thing was, Dusty Baker had authored a rather audacious rally cry before the game, openly targeting bigger goals than the National League Central title."
THEY CANCELLED THE GAME AND I HAVE NOTHING TO WRITE ABOUT SO I'LL COPY OFF GREG COUCH! (Sat, 9/27/2003)
"For a moment there, I wondered if I should feel sorry for MacPhail as he fended off questions about the latest snafu of a manic season…but hard as I tried, I couldn't muster up sympathy for the president of a ballclub that scalps tickets."
CUBS ARE FOR REAL! (Sun, 9/28/2003)
"They stood like frozen zombies, not sure whether to believe the moment was real, wondering if another saboteur was lurking as always. But as daylight slid into dusk in the haunted village of Wrigleyville, the most tormented fans in sports finally started to quiver and roar. For once in their lives, they weren't being teased or bamboozled."
CUBS HAVE A CHANCE! (Mon, 9/29/2003)
"The best thing I can say about the Cubs is that they have a chance, more optimism than I usually muster about them."
CUBS WIN DESPITE BEING THE CUBS! (Wed, 10/1/2003)
"Not to get ahead of ourselves and forget these are the Cubs. But by winning the opener, the only way they won't have at least a 2-1 series lead late Friday is if Prior is kidnapped. A victory by Wood was that critical."
CUBS GO BACK TO BEING THE CUBS! THEY SUCK! (Thurs, 10/2/2003)
"Now everyone understands the enormity of the chore, the premature silliness in assuming a World Series is coming simply because the Cubs won a playoff game."
CUBS ARE LUCKY, DON'T DESERVE PRIOR! (Fri, 10/3/2003)
"(Cubdom)...will thank the gods for granting a reprieve via Mark Prior, who represents the second-chance phenom the Cubs didn't deserve after letting Maddux escape to the Atlanta Braves on Dec. 9, 1992, a decision that altered history and fed their infamy."
IF CUBS DON'T CHOKE, THEY ARE GOOD! (Sat, 10/4/2003)
"What we have here in this fairy-tale cocoon, providing the Cubs don't pull a classic collapse, is a passing of the National League torch."
I'M GONNA HEDGE ON THIS ONE! (Sun, 10/5/2003)
"So here are the Cubs again, playing a final and decisive postseason game for the third time...Are they still the Cubs? Or are they ready to crash though the futility barriers and establish a new identity?"
CUBS ARE GREAT! (Mon, 10/6/2003)
"These are the new Cubs, the collapse-resistant Cubs, the Cubs who don't blow leads but blow away the other ballclub with uncompromising smoke from Wood and Mark Prior….Can you say the World Series?…Don't you see? The Cubs aren't the Cubs anymore."
CUBS ARE GONNA WIN THE N.L., JIM HENDRY IS A GENIUS! (Tues, 10/7/2003)
"...the Cubs will bump off the overmatched Fish and move the earth beneath Wrigley Field..."
UH-OH, CUBS MIGHT STILL BE CUBS! (Wed, 10/8/2003)
"What started as a coronation, a mass exorcism of the most futile track record in American sports, morphed into the usual Wrigley Field bummer in what could be a long series."
This guy's got some issues.
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MUSINGS
Lately I've been watching more Chicago Tonight than usual, and I'm starting to wonder when the Managing Editor will come up with some original stuff. Perhaps he's plum out of ideas?
Show segments:
- News Analysis with Phil Ponce.
- Interview by Bob Sirott.
- Bob talking about a current event with Elizabeth Bracket.
- Sportswriters on TV segment
- Supper Club (part Check, Please / part infomercial)
- Chicago Stories segment
- WTTW vault clips
- Artbeat Chicago segment
- On Stage with Hedy Weiss
- Word of Mouth movie reviews
- Crain's Chicago Business segment
Aside from "On Stage", "Word of Mouth" and "Crain's", nothing that has been added to Chicago Tonight is an original idea--in fact, many of the segments are ripped off other shows. Commercial TV has the reputation for "borrowing" ideas from everyone else while Public TV is supposed to be different. Guess not.
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LETTERS TO THE CME
"I have been getting the RedEye stuffed into my delivered Trib since Tuesday (9/23). They must be getting desperate. I can't see anyone paying for the Trib also paying for RedEye." (G.J.)
"Interesting points on the David Greising question…I have to admit, until I read your piece [last ish - Ed.], I hadn't really thought about the larger picture. I agree Greising's columns were terrific, read them regularly, but since I, like you, read the Tribune online (and also, like you, have home delivery of the Sun-Times), I really didn't know (or care) where the column was placed. I can see why it mattered to him, and am amazed the Tribune would tamper with what I perceived to be one of its "stars," but maybe a David Greising column anywhere is better than none at all." (J.W.)
"I watched both games [ of the September 27th Cubs-Pirates Doubleheader], very exciting (even Sammy). Couldn't take the TV play by play, finally put on the radio, which was great as usual--Santo was high. I loved the TV post game coverage too. Little Dana Koslov on Channel 2 kept saying the Cubs won the pennant. Evelyn Holmes on Channel 7 was surrounded by drunks, Gail Fischer [ Fox Sports Chicago] was smart, stayed out of the locker room. Dave Otto [ Fox Sports Chicago] was awful (as usual) in the locker room. Mark Giangreco on Channel 7 stayed outside too. Peggy Kucinski on Channel 5 wore a raincoat in the locker room, she did a great job. Juan Carlos on Channel 9 was at the Cubbie Bear, more drunks, and "hey we're number 1".
Gail Fischer is nice to look at, but talks thru her teeth a bit, strains her voice, and acts like a good ole boy, which she is not. If she would loosen up a bit she wouldn't be so bad." (T.K.)
[Took me a while to get used to Gail when she joined FSNC. I'd definitely like to see a loosened up Gail Fischer--Ed.]
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ASK THE CME
e-mail from J.W. on September 26th:
For years I have been a "registered user" of the Tribune online. This week, for the first time I can recall anyway, I received an e-mail advertisement from the Tribune "on behalf of one of our business partners." (I probably shouldn't put that phrase in quotation marks, because I deleted the ad almost immediately, but the sense was clear: this was not a message from XYZ company, but from the Tribune on behalf of XYZ.)
In the e-mail I was informed that I would continue to receive such messages as a registered user. The only way to prevent such mailings, I gathered, was to cancel my registration (thus be unable to read the Tribune online). I might be able to "opt out" of third party messages, but cannot prevent the Tribune from sending me solicitations on behalf of those third parties.
The Tribune online Privacy Policy (as near as I can understand it, anyway) doesn't really address what I'll call a "loophole," and I've gotten a response from Tribune Interactive Consumer Services that seems to confirm my understanding, but I'm still not certain.
Are you aware of what I perceive to be a rather dramatic change? Have you received such e-mail?
The CME sez:
Yes, and Yes. Maybe I'm just cynical, but whenever I have to register personal information with a website that is giving me a service for "free", I automatically assume that I'll be receiving e-mail advertisements. In exchange for me reading the paper online for "free" instead of forking over 4 bits for the hard copy, I accept the fact that I'll run across lots 'o banner ads and popup window ads. I also accept the fact that occasionally the Tribune will send me a direct e-mail ad. I trust that since I told them not to share my info with anyone else that I will not receive ads directly from other companies. It has been documented elsewhere that the Tribune is exploring the possibility of turning the online paper into a fee service. You can't blame them for that--however, if ChicagoTribune.com became a pay site, you could fault them as there are way too many free sites where you can get your news.
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OUT OF THE BOX
Will return next ish.
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