The (Mis)Information Age

By Jared Trexler

Welcome back Yellow Journalism. It's been over a century since the epic Pulitzer-Hearst heavyweight tilt headlining a New York City newspaper battle.

Sensationalism dotted every "I" and crossed every "T" in an effort to draw up circulation numbers, prompting a third Big Apple newspaper to retort, "We called them (New York World and New York Journal) Yellow because they are Yellow."

Hold up your hands Michael Silver. Let us look behind the pressed collar Chris Mortensen. Don't cover up -- we see it all over you Mike Pruista. Join the club PFT.com.

Yosemite Sam was right. You're all yella'.

A dying industry pushing toward a faster medium is to blame. And so are we.

Sex sells, coming in many shapes and sizes. Rumors about Paris Hilton's new drug and man of choice, Bon Jovi's retirement decision and the Phillies managerial status clutter the Internet instantly, minutes apart on web sites ranging from MSNBC.com to Mike's Hockey Page.

For example, a woman is mugged on Broad Street at 7 a.m. Chris' Political Report posts at 7:02 a.m. that former First Lady Hillary Clinton was robbed at gunpoint. CNN chimes in at 7:02:30 a.m. that the First Lady is being held hostage. Pro Football Talk adds at 7:02:45 a.m. that the person mugged wasn't Mrs. Clinton, or even a woman at all.

It was Terry Bradshaw. And he's dead.

At 7:30 a.m., police confirm a 75-year-old former school teacher slipped, fell on her replaced hip and screamed in pain on Washington Avenue. Chris McMullen, the lone reporter for Chris' Political Report, peaks around the corner and sees a woman on the ground screaming as a young man comes to her assistance.

And the rumor mill that is journalism begins. Reporting is no longer executed through cultivated sources and ethical standards.

It's a rendition of the children's game "Whisper Down the Lane."

The game took a national turn this past week, with the fuel to the fire centering on Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

CNNSI.com's Silver reported on Saturday afternoon that the Pittsburgh Steelers had chosen Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin as their new head coach.

Fair enough. Credible site. Veteran writer. Slightly surprising hire.

About an hour later, ESPN.com's Mortensen reported on cable television that he had talked to Tomlin, and that an offer had not been made. Bitter grapes from the Worldwide Leader? Perhaps.

Yet, two hours after Silver's report, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, tapped into their hometown team better than any newspaper in the country, had nothing to print.

Because in their view, nothing had happened.

The Steelers released a vague statement, not really taking sides, except to state there was nothing to say at that time.

Mortensen came back Saturday night with a new bag of "sources" stating Silver's report was on the money. Tomlin was the guy.

At that point, Tomlin must have been wondering what in the name of Mort and Mike was going on.

It got weirder.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the second-string, black sheep newspaper in a two-paper town with a worthless baseball team and a hockey team ready to bolt for Kansas City, decided to make a splash for its Sunday edition.

On A1, in large bold letters, it read, "IT'S GRIMM!"

One problem. It wasn't.

Pruista didn't mince words. He left no loophole, such as, "unless a deal falls through," or "if any unforeseen circumstances arise."

According to the Trib's top columnist, assistant head coach/offensive line coach Russ Grimm was the new coach.

A source told him so. One source -- whose identity is still "Guess Who?" worthy -- left Pruista comfortable enough to refute two reports by national media outlets and no report from the most connected paper in town.

Talk about poor journalism, yet perfect 2007 media business.

The newspapers sold at newsstands everywhere. The archaic pittsburghlive.com was hit harder and faster than a cheap corner entertainer. It even warranted its own thread at the industry-leading forum http://www.sportsjournalists.com/.

It was wrong. But it worked.

Mike Tomlin was introduced as head coach on Monday, one day after Steelers officials insisted they decided on their man.

Silver called the turn of events "...one of the wilder weekends of my career as a journalist -- having reported on Saturday that the Steelers had chosen Mike Tomlin as their next coach, only to spend the next 30 hours on the emotional equivalent of a trip around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the hood of Ricky Bobby's car."

The point is none of us know for sure.

But in the information age, misinformation is better than no information at all.

Last weekend proved that journalists throw pencils at a dartboard and hope they stick. If they are wrong, it's a part of the business.

If they are right, Yellow Journalism leads to a distinguished award named after the practice's founder.

Pulitzer would be proud.

You can reach Jared Trexler at jtt128@comcast.net.


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The Phanatic