From Patspulpit - Excellent handling of new Deflategate Article

[NYCPatsFan]

This caught my eye and i don't think this was posted on our forum; if yes, mods - please merge.

I started reading this ready to sigh/wince but was impressed with the points and writing of Alec Shane who hit two birds in one accurate stone:
- superbly illustrated the 'media' world today in which reporters (and readers) live in, and
- skewer the Atlanta reporter who wrote something now on deflategate.

I didn't bother to click the Atlanta reporter's article, but the Patspulpit one is great IMO.

Give it a click and a read pls.

New Deflategate Article Might Just Take the Cake

 

[Jackson 2]

Nicely done and right on the money.

 

[archstanton543]

More Deflategate Lies in Atlanta

 

[Former Fan]

Meh. Since it's always wise to assume that anyone's ultimate motivation is money, I think it's just playing into their hands when you advertise their article and ask people to click and comment. It's as dumb as buying a Brady jersey to protest the league's railroading.

Even if the guy reads the comments (which, of course, there's no reason he has to), he's probably just laughing all the way to the bank as he sees all the page views he's getting.

 

[chasa]

i disagree.

the best way to handle it is to get the guy fired.
the best way to do that is to not read his dumpster fire of an article.

 

[Kontradiction]

The team is in the Super Bowl. Why are we still talking about this?

 

[Sicilian]

Yeah, there's no way in hell this isn't Ledbetter's friend.

"Yeah! Let's stick it to this guy by legitimizing his strategy and getting him tons of views and money! That'll show 'em, right guys?!"

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

If a tree falls in the forest...

Nobody outside NE will see this

 

[GodBrady]

i disagree.

the best way to handle it is to get the guy fired.
the best way to do that is to not read his dumpster fire of an article.

Agreed.... unfortunately there's a lot of people that think "getting a guy fired" entails going to his article and leaving scathing comments (hint: when they write these mindless articles, their goal is people flooding to the site to leave comments). People have a stunning lack of control of their emotions when it comes to sportswriters trolling their teams/players.

I'm with you though. Don't get them the time of day.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

I quit reading at," New England coach Bill Belichick denied any knowledge of the deflated footballs. He explained that normal use and air conditions during the game may have caused the air leakage (despite it only affecting Patriots footballs)."
WRONG!! But never let facts get in the way of a good narrative, the Goodell/Kensil/Pash way... added by the 4th Estate or is it 5th Estate in the media.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

How is writing about a clickbaiting troller and thus resulting in him getting more links any sort of "excellent handling" of it?

 

[MitchKumstein]

The team is in the Super Bowl. Why are we still talking about this?

I freaking hate that there's a 2 week wait for the Super Bowl. I'm afraid that we're going to see a lot more of this crap next week

 

[Tony2046]

How is writing about a clickbaiting troller and thus resulting in him getting more links any sort of "excellent handling" of it?

I liked the article but didn't click the links.

I don't give a crap what they think.

Why explain it? It's just wishful thinking that a population of Honey Boo Boo watchers are going to pick up on a physics concept anyways.

 

[TB_Helmet]

This is from a Falcons fan in the comments section of the article in the OP:

DLed, as he is so affectionately named, is not a good sports writer. I follow him on Twitter just for the sole sake of trolling him on occasion. The writers at the Falcoholic will not trash another journalist (which is admirable), but the consensus from most fans I know is that he is just not very good. Click-bait is exactly what he offers, and his analysis and predictions always are found a tad wanting

So basically Ledbetter is Atlanta's answer to Dan Shaughnessy.

 

[NYCPatsFan]

How is writing about a clickbaiting troller and thus resulting in him getting more links any sort of "excellent handling" of it?

Instead of viewing it as an article on a click-baiting reporter, I viewed it as an impressive one that soberly summarizes the current status of 'reporting', and I personally admired the way he mocks the anti Pats writers and explains the embarrassing omissions in that Atlanta reporter's deflategate article.

It was enough to make me admire his writing and not bother to click/read what that original article was about, and hence my opinion that it was handled excellent.

Which is why I gave the link only to the Patspulpit article and not bother with the other one.

Excerpt:


..............

...
There's a veritable laundry list of folks who have used the Patriots to launch themselves into the national spotlight, as the formula is tried and true. Bart Hubbuch. Bob Kravitz. Bart Scott. Colin Cowherd. I could go on and on.


And as great as all these guys are and as much as I enjoy watching them do their thing, they are all old hat at this point. We need some new blood around here to keep things interesting. And so it is with genuine pleasure that I would like to welcome the newest member of C.O.M.A P.A.T. - Click On My Article, Please And Thanks - to our ranks: D. Orlando Ledbetter.

I know nothing about Mr. Ledbetter other than the fact that he's a Falcons beat writer and he looks absolutely phenomenal in a bow tie. I'm sure he has done some good stuff in the past, but I have never heard of him up until today. But I now know who he is, courtesy of what may be my favorite article ever written, "What to Tell Your Kids About Deflategate." It's a guide for parents who are worried that they won't be able to properly explain to their children how a bunch of cheaters managed to win yet again when we so staunchly try to instill in America's youth that cheating never ends well for anybody. It's there to help you navigate how, in these tumultuous times, we can ease the fears of any little boy or girl who can't figure out how Tom Brady, who is referred in the article only as "the man wearing No. 12" as if he was a dime paperback villain, can still be viewed as a sports icon and positive role model for anybody. It deftly avoids the the hard hitting questions, like what both sides of the debacle had to say, what the science dictates, and how the "first before right" nature of modern information dissemination helped craft a certain narrative before any actual facts came out one way or another, and instead offers an excellent rubric not for showing children the importance of looking at each individual situation objectively and coming to your own opinion rather than blindly following one stance or another simply because of convenience or personal enjoyment, but getting upset over a non-issue. Here I was thinking that parents might have other, more important matters to discuss with their children here in 2017, but I'm glad that Mr. Ledbetter was here to set me straight.

When it comes to "lets go out and get me some clicks" articles, this is an absolute master class.


------------------

 

[bobbutts]

i disagree.

the best way to handle it is to get the guy fired.
the best way to do that is to not read his dumpster fire of an article.

I'm right there with you not clicking, not reading, not commenting.
I don't know how to stem the tide though, it's clear that posting egregious bs is a very effective way to attract attention. It's even the point of the article in the OP. A few stubborn guys who get that and act on it aren't going to make a dent.