When it comes to unreliability of the media these days, sports are not immune. With so many personalities, pundits, and various others constantly trying to get your attention to click on their stories, it becomes easy to see why increasingly more supposed “news” stories are anything but. For example, just yesterday the Cleveland Plain Dealer did a story exposing how many national experts got it completely wrong when it came to where Cavs star Donovan Mitchell would sign (they all said elsewhere, when in fact Mitchell returned to the Cavs). While it might not be of any importance to you where Donovan Mitchell plays basketball, the real observation has to do with today’s media, and how reckless and fast stories need to come out to garner clicks — regardless of their validity. When you read the Plain Dealer story you quickly see how confident these experts were, literally unwavering that Mitchell would sign elsewhere (note: none of these writers ever spoke to him directly), but who really cares these days? It’s just literally throw anything out there, and say it with great confidence, even if it’s completely false and/or made up.
“News,” clicks, ads, and the media
The news we consume these days is more biased than ever before, but maybe not in the ways you think. Sure, there are networks who politically lean a certain direction, but the bias today is not limited to networks who are overtly politically in one direction. All news outlets rely on advertising, and ad rates are largely dependent on how often a story is clicked. What this means is that boring, mundane stories rarely get clicked, but dramatic, controversial stories always get clicked (regardless of whether the story is actually true). Revisiting the Donovan Mitchell rumors before he re-signed with Cleveland, and ask yourself what story you would have clicked below?
Donovan Mitchell exploring future options after his contract expires
or…..
Donovan Mitchell is leaving Cleveland and already has deal in place with another team!
Obviously the second headline is far more enticing, and it doesn’t even have to be true! With no real consequences for saying just about anything you want (for clicks), you can easily observe how loose and wild stories have become in recent years, especially as headlines relate to things that have actually happened and/or will happen. Click, click, click, that’s really all that matters anymore, as credibility and validity have taken a far backseat to flashy headlines designed to get you to click. And the more certain the opinion (i.e. “there’s absolutely no doubt he’s leaving”) the better, as who has time to be cautious and wishy-washy when dramatic headlines get the clicks!
While it may seem comical dissecting opinion pieces regarding where Donovan Mitchell would sign, the larger point is the confidence and conviction increasingly more media personalities display, even when they literally have zero legitimate information. Long gone are the days of mild headlines, honesty about situations, and open questions that show we really have no idea what’s going on, replaced by 100% certain writers who, when proven wrong, simply move onto the next sensational headline designed for clicks. And this is “news” today.
Final thoughts
With a business model that directly ties clicks to revenues, all you have to do is employ a basic model of reinforcement to see why news stories have become so dramatic, and increasingly more unreliable. These days, there really isn’t a reward for writers who responsibly piece together a story, especially when a writer for a rival publication is literally throwing anything he can against the wall for clicks. In fact, the writer who uses integrity these days has to actually worry about his or her job, as low-click stories devalue the writer’s credibility in this moment. Keep all of this in mind the next time you watch a talking head on television tell you with 100% confidence that he or she has the inside scoop.
drstankovich.com
