Networks Must Deflate Their Coverage of “Deflategate”

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Tom Brady. What is the first thought that comes to mind when you read or hear his name? I think of a four time Super Bowl champion and three time Super Bowl MVP. In fact, I think of the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. From what I see on my social media such as Facebook and Twitter, is nothing but absolute hate for this man. So I asked myself why so many people dislike such a likeable person?

The answer is quite simple. They hate his success. Brady was drafted 199th overall in the 2000 NFL draft. No one thought he would be the player that he is today. I will tell you one thing, he did.

This brings me to the overly discussed topic that is “deflategate.” It pains me to see Brady put in the light that the media such as ESPN and the NFL Network have been putting him under. Now, the constant coverage of this story is absolutely pathetic. Is there no other content to provide your viewers?

This goes back to something I wrote about in another piece about the news presenting only what was trending and not what was important. Since so many people like to hate on Brady and the Patriots for their success, it would only make sense for the networks to milk this story for everything it has to offer.

I understand that his is a big story. I mean, we are talking about one of the greatest, if not the greatest to ever play the game being charged of cheating. For many biased and uniformed Facebook and Twitter users, it is so easy to call him a cheater and all the other profane words used to describe him that I, for many reasons, will not repeat.

The Wells report, in my opinion, was the biggest waste of approximately 5 million dollars. That money would have been better spent elsewhere, somewhere like, donating it to schools or basically any charity on earth. 5 million dollars for a “more probable than not.” If I am paying you millions of dollars, I want hard evidence and answers, not a maybe. Are you kidding me? This maybe is what the NFL is going after to punish Brady and the Patriots. Commissioner Goodell does not hesitate to punish people even without the proper evidence. This is not the first time either. He is notorious for laying down the hammer on players.

Going back to how the media has been covering this situation. On NFL Network, I turn to it and on the menu guide it says it is showing the “TOP 10 Brett Favre Games.” I am instantly tuning in, thinking I am going to watch the gunslinger bomb a 50 yard touchdown, only to be greatly disappointed. Can you guess what was on? You got it, “deflategate” coverage. It only makes the situation worse when it is all people talk about.

Later on in the day, I find myself flipping through the channels once more. I see that this time, the NFL Network is showing what I believed was “Path to the Draft,” or something of substance.  I was yet again disappointed to see Ian Rappaport’s face once again discussing “deflategate.” The NFL Network decided to forgo all scheduled programming to shove “deflategate” down our throats and to me, that’s disrespectful to the viewer.

I am convinced that all of the information discussed over the past 24 hours about Tom Brady and “deflategate” could have all been discussed and shared in 15 minutes. But that is what the media is all about. Making mountains out of mole hills and stretching any news into full blown 24 hour coverage.

Not only is it disrespectful and pathetic, it is thoroughly obnoxious. Even Colin Kaepernick agrees that we should move on from this story.

“No football in the world is going to help you win by 38! Let it go and let Tom be great! On to the 2015 season #7tormsComing.”

He makes a legitimate case here. The Patriots made the Colts look like a 2-14 team. I can assure you, it was not the PSI in the balls that made this happen. It was the brilliance of both Brady and New England head coach Bill Belichick.

As for Brady’s legacy, unfortunately, it will now be tarnished by “deflategate.” But not by his doing, it was the selfish media and jealous haters out there that made that happen.

If you want an image that says it all, look up the front page of the Boston Herald. Here is a link, enjoy.

http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2015/5/13/8598231/boston-herald-deflategate-cover-nfl-tom-brady-patriots

 

–Nick Ortiz

California Has Gone Thirsty for Water

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Try and imagine a world with no water. Pretty daunting isn’t it? Water shortages have already begun to spring up in California. This has lawmakers in the west coast losing sleep on how to figure out a solution to this issue. Water is the most important natural resource on earth. Everyone and everything relies on water to keep being a part of this beautiful planet. In California, the past three years have been the driest three years in its history, dating back to the 1849 Gold Rush. This is due to low snowpack, combined with 2014 being the hottest year in history of California, making the situation worse.

Residents of California have to water their lawns only twice a week. This will have the largest impact considering that the watering of lawns in suburban homes makes up 44 percent of water consumption in California.

The main reason this is getting so much national attention is because California is responsible for producing almost half of the nation’s food. It won’t be long before wed start seeing more and more states implementing laws limiting the use of water.

It is not only California who is showing signs of drought. More and more states are declaring that they have had previous shortages of water. Texas faced their driest drought in its history in 2011 when 110 percent of the state was experiencing droughts.

This water shortage is not only a west coast problem. North Carolina faced their largest drought in its history in 2008 which prompted lawmakers to make some changes.

The biggest issue I have with this situation in California is that why are only residents having to cut down their water consumption? Meanwhile, farmers are left to use water as freely as they have been?

I believe that farmers should either find ways to raise cattle and other animals while abiding by the new restrictions on water or move elsewhere. In fact, I believe the latter should be the course of action. That would restore some balance in the erratic water consumption of California.

The only issue is the stubbornness of these farmers and their inability to see the bigger picture. For them, it is all about profits. I get it, money is important. One thing they fail to see is that our planet and the well-being of the human race is much more important.

We must not let this water shortage keep rising at the rate that it is. More restrictions must be implemented to preserve our water. These farmers must relocate or be included in the water restrictions implemented to all Californians. More must be done other-wise there will be no human race. Bold statement, but someone had to say it. Water is an essential resource for the survival of not only the human race, but to all who inhabit this earth.

–Nick Ortiz

Oh Britt McHenry, Why So Modest?

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ESPN reporter Britt Mchenry was on the other side of the news over the past couple of days. Instead of delivering the news, she WAS the news. After watching the leaked video of her encounter with a towing company employee, I cannot understand why she is still employed by ESPN. She even used the “I am on TV” line as if that were to come with special treatment. Now she did apologize on twitter claiming her emotions got the best of her.

Let’s be honest Britt, you are a stuck up pretty girl who is used to getting what you want. Your emotions did not get the best of you. This is who you are, a rude, self-centered woman who believes to be too good for getting her car towed.

How is she still employed by ESPN? She should be employed by a towing company by now. I know her apology was fraud. She didn’t mean it. She only issued that apology because she wanted to keep her job or to show she actually has a sole. I would like to keep it real here, she reminds me of those teenage drama queens we all see in movies who end up getting dumped for the less attractive but better hearted female actress by being exposed of her heartless and ugly inside.

McHenry reminds me of Cinderella’s step-sisters too. Just her demeanor and how treats someone as if she were above them is almost identical to that of Cinderella’s step-sisters.

So is a weak long suspension long enough? Absolutely not! How ESPN feels it to be enough is beyond me. In fact, considering how physically attractive she is, she may be getting higher ratings and therefore ESPN can only afford to suspend her for that long.

I will now quote Dan Patrick, ESPN’s favorite Sports TV personality by referring to ESPN as “The Mothership.”

The bottom line, she is gorgeous, on the outside. She looks good on TV. But she has proven to be a horrible person. And The Mothership condones to this. Otherwise she would not be employed by them anymore.

I will take it one step further. What have I been connecting all my past blogs to? Sexism in this case, is the trending topic. If ESPN fires her, they will be deemed sexist by the female community? I know that if this had been a male reporter, he would no longer be employed by ESPN.

It bothers me how she is already back at work. She received nothing but a slap on the wrist. A minimal punishment. Absolutely ridiculous. Absurd. Atrocious. These are just some of the words that descried how I feel ESPN handled the situation.

Where is the consistency? Women have been working so hard for decades to receive the same treatment as men in the workplace, and yet, employees don’t seem to understand that they still treat women differently. Whether it is in pay or in punishment. It is the same shenanigans over and over again. Yes I said shenanigans. Because if it equality is what women strive for, the equality on all fronts are to be implemented.

So dear ESPN, aka The Mothership, get your act together and fire that ungrateful woman you call a reporter and give someone who not only deserves the job, but will act appropriately outside of work. Someone who will represent their employer well and not shame them on national television. So my last question for you ESPN is where do I apply?

 

— Nick Ortiz

Stormy Weather

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Twitter over the recent years has become a means for people to express themselves to a wide audience and has allowed for news to reach people in a much quicker way. This efficient mechanism is not without flaws. In other words, there are negatives that come with positives with having a twitter.  In Storm Paglia’s case, twitter, was a means of expressing his distaste for Virginia legislation on illegal immigrants receiving in-state tuition. On February 13, 2015, he claimed; “The fact that the VASenate and VAHouse allow these ILLEGALS in state tuition with an easier process than if I were to apply is DISGUSTING.” These comments cost Paglia his job as the undersecretary for university dining services at George Mason University.

We must focus on the bigger picture here. This is not just about a tweet. This is about “political correctness.” I have never been a fan of the term. In fact, I call it “political incorrectness.” Being politically correct, I find it to be an excuse for blatant disregard to freedom of speech, which is what Paglia was exercising as an American. The people of this great country have become weak. Anything and everything is now deemed offensive. What Paglia said is true and apart from referring to them as these illegals, I agree with every word he said. It is truly incomprehensible how illegals receive benefits regardless of their lack of citizenship.

Unfortunately for Paglia, he is a public figure in the George Mason community and everything he does and says in a public space is monitored by the media. The media will portray anyone the way they, media, choose. In fact, the media, to me, are the real racist in today’s society. It has become more about ratings than getting REAL news out there for the people for whom they “serve.” It is about what is trending. That is what news has become over the years, trends, not news. And if you havent noticed by now, race, is a trendy topic. People love to talk about race and racism on one hand. Meanwhile, on the other hand, they claim how wrong racism is and how we should rid our society of it. How do you plan on doing so if you refuse to stop talking about it? The fact of the matter is that the media feed off of these types of stories. The media today has grown overweight with racial topics and its time for the media to start exercising because what they are doing only adds fuel to the fire

It is good for business they might say. But this cannot be about business any longer. We must focus on the big picture and change the course we are on before we lose our freedoms entirely. The more we keep talking about race, the more power we give it. We give power to racism by finding and deeming words to be offensive. We all know the saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me,” right? As cheesy as it may be, this is how we must approach racism. This is how I have approached racism ever since coming to The United States from Colombia. Kids mocked me in school, claiming my father was a Colombian drug lord. They even went as far as saying that I was a cocaine dealer and that my entire family was as well. My feelings were never hurt, as ignorant as those statements were, because I did not care for their ignorance. Nor did I dwell on their remarks. The truth is that these words only hurt if we give them the power to do so.

For Storm Paglia, he is the latest victim to fall prey to politically correctness. I give credit to Paglia for standing by his comments. He showed true courage. The opposite goes for those who coward behind the infectious disease that is being politically correct only to make stories out of a tweet that is protected by our constitutional rights as Americans, and as human beings most of all.

 

–Nick Ortiz

Someone Cried Wolf and Paid the Price

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Someone Cried Wolf and Paid the Price

Where do I begin? The original Rolling Stone article that was published and retracted this past year is a perfect example of what NOT to do in the world of journalism. Rolling Stone is not known as a political magazine, but when the opportunity arose for Sabrina Rubin Ederly, she grasped it so hard she was blinded by the substantial plot holes in the story. It is not entirely her fault however. Editors are paid employees that check the work of writers. This includes checking plot structure and clarity. But it seems as if the editor responsible for this article lacked such qualities. The article was based on a lie. This” Jackie” character reported a rape at the university of Virginia fraternity party. Rolling stone never fact checked the story that Jackie reported.

The main issue I have with the article is that it was published. It went through the journalist and editor. Two people who dedicate their lives to journalism and informing people of the truth.

There are standards in journalism. There are certain ways of informing the people with solid information. There had to be doubts in the minds of Sean Woods, the primary editor and Ederly, the writer of the controversial article, before publishing this article. “The editors invested Rolling Stones reputation in a single source,” the University of Columbia report concluded on the matter. You cannot simply break the rules of journalism in order to get more hits on their website.

CNN Money reported that Charlottesville police had recently announced they could not find any evidence that a rape occurred. But they stressed that their findings did not mean that she hadn’t been raped and that they were keeping the investigation open.

Jackie refused to cooperate with Charlottesville police and Columbia University. Her lawyer claimed that it was in her best interest to remain silent.

The worst part is that Ederly issued a public apology, but nowhere within the apology is there a mention of the under fire fraternity. The fraternity has had to endure a plethora of criticism throughout the year. Their house had been vandalized on campus. Members of the fraternity were subject to defamation.

You must admit when you have wronged. The retraction was a good move, but it was enough. The apology which failed to address those whom were truly affected was abysmal to say the least. The fraternity was not the only deserving of an apology, the public and those who read Rolling Stone deserved an apology as well.

In recent memory, there have been other journalists caught not following the rules. Brian Williams was one of the foremost trusted news Anchor in the world. After he “misremembered” some very detailed events, he was suspended without pay for six months. The news world made an example out of Williams, showing that even the greatest can fall. Rolling Stone has decided not fire Ederly. This may be due to the fact that this was not entirely her fault. Granted, she wrote an unprintable piece, but there are eyes which are paid to turn away such unprofessional work in order to keep up their reputable status in the news industry.

Unfortunately for the consumer of news in today’s day in age, news is no longer what is important. It is what is relevant and what gets the most attention that gets the most news coverage. So for the sake of what is trending, Rolling Stone gambled their entire credibility on what I can only name, a hunch of a story. This new version of news is destroying the very fibers of what the news is supposed to be about. Sexy, trendy, and website hits are the new requirements for what makes news today. The rolling stone article is a clear cut example of the latter. Rape is a trending topic and it gets the attention of readers. This is why they published the article without any hesitation. They knew that publishing an article about a college rape would get national attention and their name would be all over the reports. Talk about free advertising.

I understand that it is an important topic that people must stay informed about. But that is not what I am disputing. I am disputing the fact that because newspapers and magazines crave to be the first to release news, they are losing their integrity. Who knows how many times misprints due to the inability to fact check will occur.

What is so damn hard about telling the truth and doing some basic research?

You are a journalist Ederly. You are published magazines with thousands, if not millions of readers Rolling Stone, show some class! Even though Rolling Stone is an edgy magazine and don’t focus their attention to harder news, fact checking is still a responsibility that journalists have to their readers and print the truth.

I hardly ever read Rolling Stone before and after this eventful saga of dimwitted journalism, I doubt I will pick it up again. If you ask me, whatever credibility Rolling Stone had before this article came out, has gone completely out the window.

 

-Nick Ortiz