Rising Action: The reported-on complain about the reporters

So NHL clubs are complaining about Hockey Night in Canada, eh?

There are two things to consider here. First of all, of course NHL teams are going to want to make comments about the coverage they are getting. They are in a contract with their broadcasters, they are going to feel a certain level of ‘partnership’ is their due.

But it should be remembered who is paying whom. The CBC pays the NHL for the right to broadcast the games. As a media outlet, it’s their job to report the story, no matter what that story might be. Sometimes that story might be somewhat embarassing to the NHL or one of its teams. Run your team badly? Players unhappy? Fans unhappy? If there’s a story, Hockey Night in Canada would not be doing their job if they let the story go idle.

The complications lie in the fact that HNIC presumes they should get a heightened level of access because of all the money they are spending. This places them in a terrible ethical dilemma – the heightened access means they may develop a more intimate relationship with the people being reported-on than might develop otherwise. It’s a difficult balance between trust and suspicion on the part of the NHL players and management who deal with reporters.

It’s not an unreasonable concern for guys like Brian Burke. He knows the media is hungry for any story, and anything he says gets vetted till the cows come home. Given how much time gets spent breaking down his words, it’s not surprising Burke thinks it’s his right to want to contribute to that discussion and to be able to air his grievances when he feels the commentary is unreasonable.

But, that doesn’t mean he should be able to dictate what is being reported on. Burke is free to express his disappointment, and to make complaints about what is being said about him, but he shouldn’t expect to get much in terms of results.

On the flip side, there is the danger of becoming too chummy with the sports guys. One need watch only a few minutes of a Sportsnet broadcast to see how far some will go. Is Dan Murphy really a journalist anymore?

It’s a fine edge. The public wants to believe the sports news they get is authentic, not just the ‘official’ line.