Saturday 20 October 2007

Why we can't (always) trust the media

Meridian Tonight, 1990s?This is not a rant against newspapers, TV and radio. It's just a note that quite often, you spot an error that needs to be highlighted.

Friday night on Meridian Tonight, the local TV news programme for the south-east, and they preview the Walsall versus Southend football game in the Coca-Cola League One. They claim Southend's only injury worry is the goalkeeper, Daryl Flahavan, so his deputy, Steve Collis may have to step in. Now, they got the injury correct, but "deputy" Collis has actually played the last nine games for the Shrimpers. ("Flavs" played the first six games of this football season.)

I know it's only local TV, which is as maligned as any TV show with Jeremy Kyle in it, but if the local TV news can't get a football team selection story correct, it makes you wonder where else the mistakes might be creeping in?

Monday 1 October 2007

Sport attendances

The Observer two weeks ago, mentioned a crowd of 26,000 at a Twenty 20 cricket match between Middlesex and Surrey in 2004.

Why aren't crowd numbers at cricket and rugby matches, or athletic events covered in the press? It's only football matches that regularly get an attendance figure. Why?