Worst AFL journalist and how they ruin the sport for you?

[Ted38]

All good journos are pissheads, that's what.

Wrong, maybe all good football writers are although I doubt it.

 

[Borussia Teeth]

Considering this is about journalists and not AFL media personalities (as there are many atrocious ones in the media), the answer is clearly Mark "Slobbo" Robinson:

1) While you can have good journalists working at poor publications and vice versa, Slobbo is just a terrible print journalist working for a terrible newspaper. I don't think I've read anything from him in the Herald Sun that's added to my football knowledge or provoked me to reconsider my opinions on the game. His articles are so simplistic and aimed at the lower common denominator that they are pretty much worthless as a resource.

2) Chief Football Writer. This is such a meaningless title and means nothing outside of his place of employment (the same applies for Caroline Wilson), but if such a title is going to be used to promote your work, contribute something worthy of the title. Slobbo continually fails to do this and has done nothing to demonstrate why or how he fell into this position.

3) Appearance. A disheveled, slovenly, slobbish mess. It's too easy (and probably harsh to be fair) to call him fat and ugly, but at least make an effort to appear professional, especially on television.

4) Personality. Some people like his "man of the people" / "drunkard at the bar" act, but I have no interest in Slobbo as a media personality or his alleged entertainment value. He's meant to be a jounalist with considered and researched opinions on the game, but seems to delight in playing the fool and being laughed at. There's too many idiots like that already on television, we really don't need any more.

5) Communication. Whether on radio or TV, Slobbo has a serious inability to communicate. If he has a genuine mental impairment that I'm not aware of, I apologise in advance, but he possesses an infuriating habit of not being able to speak. This is most noticeable when he's trying to ask his subject (interview or panel guest) a question, or when trying to express an opinion, but the constant stutters, grunts, random tangents, and inability to communicate CLEARLY (no need for anything fancy, small words are fine) are appalling for someone in his position. Furthermore, asking a question is not meant to be Slobbo's time to express another blubbering, irrational opinion - ask a direct question, allow the person to respond and better yet, listen to the answer so you can follow up with a relevant comment or question as necessary. It's really not that hard.

There's more, but that's enough to explain why this alleged journalist ruins AFL football for me and I try to avoid him like the plague.

 

[Davo23]

These are my top 3 in order:

1. Mark "Slobbo" Robinson
2. Mark "Slobbo" Robinson
3. Mark "Slobbo" Robinson

Why does he talk as though he's drunk 2 bottles of Vodka before the show?

And how does he find himself on television AND radio?

Just sheer rubbish ..

.

 

[brisbane13]

These are my top 3 in order:

1. Mark "Slobbo" Robinson
2. Mark "Slobbo" Robinson
3. Mark "Slobbo" Robinson

Why does he talk as though he's drunk 2 bottles of Vodka before the show?

And how does he find himself on television AND radio?

Just sheer rubbish ..

.

try reading....
Coraline Wilson?
they you will wonder, how on earth she is head writer at The Age

 

[Nostradumbass]

These are my top 3 in order:

1. Mark "Slobbo" Robinson
2. Mark "Slobbo" Robinson
3. Mark "Slobbo" Robinson

Why does he talk as though he's drunk 2 bottles of Vodka before the show?



.

Because he has.

 

[Micksy]

Robbo shits me because on 360 everything is "Now there's an article in tomorrow's Hun, so I can't give away too much, but let's just say that...X". If you can't tell us what the big story is don't even appear on the show.

Hutchy, Barrett, and Jon Ralph annoy me to the point of turning it over due to their need to sensationalise everything. It's always the "biggest story in football", or an "exclusive".

Saw Barrett claim that a reporter following someone down the street, who only said "no comment" was a "Footy Show Exclusive". What a joke.

And Jon Ralph always wants to get players suspended for the slightest incident.

FFS, I wouldn't be surprised if their greatest dream was for a plane crash to kill an entire team, just so they could get another story.

 

[PP34]

The big problem is that the media barely focus on the game itself anymore and would rather spend hours talking the same crap about Swan, Essendon, Hird etc.

How about covering each game in detail each Sunday and then writing some analysis type stuff during the week with some off field stuff? Hang on a sec, idiots won't buy the papers because they like the gossip and crappy stuff.

Mark Robinson would without a doubt be the worse. Pisshead Essendon supporter with gambling problems.

 

[the PILL]

For mine its fn Mark Stevens... i love it when he sprouts something to a panel of players and legends of his own opinion and they all switch off in a wtf are you trying to get at kind of way... He usually gets saved by bruce or rompo with a new topic... Can not stand that smug little prick and suprised no one else has mentioned him...

High quality tabloid weasel that one...

 

[UmpiringFooty]

Tv: has to be John Ralph - just shits me to tears. Criticises everyone.
Print: has to be Caroline Wilson. She writes well but her opinions and articles are often wrong.
Radio: Mark McClure. Nothing but a grumpy bum

 

[Impunity!]

Guys as a bit of a budding football journalist myself (see the BFSC board for my livestream of last night's North B&F) I can tell you the job is tougher than you'd think! We're all after a bit of the same pie.

Anyway best of luck, yours in footy

Reep

 

[Davo23]

Tv: has to be John Ralph - just shits me to tears. Criticises everyone.
Print: has to be Caroline Wilson. She writes well but her opinions and articles are often wrong.
Radio: Mark McClure. Nothing but a grumpy bum

Liked your post, but I just want to add that writing English, using correct grammar and syntax, is not "writing well".

The fact is that Wilson writes about a topic she understands little about (AFL footy)

This makes her a poor writer.

 

[UmpiringFooty]

Liked your post, but I just want to add that writing English, using correct grammar and syntax, is not "writing well".

The fact is that Wilson writes about a topic she understands little about (AFL footy)

This makes her a poor writer.

It's all in the research mate. She obviously doesn't thoroughly research her answers properly.
However, to be a journo you must have good spelling, grammar and syntax otherwise you are shithouse and not all there mentally. You need to be able to write properly mate.
Don't know what you got when doing your essay writing at school but it's all in the writing and how it looks.
Compare Caro to somebody like Gerard Whateley who is better at footy stories. He's smart, has a footy brain, and thoroughly researches his answers.

 

[Pavlovs Cat]

The real problem is the increased focus on the off-field rather than on-field. Gossip mongering seems to be the stock in trade, and the actual football comes second.

I blame Craig Hutchison. Until he really became a big name in footy journalism, the off-field wasn't nearly as big a focus as the on-field from what I can tell.

Its been that way ever since Kelli climbed on board the King on the Throne.

 

[Pavlovs Cat]

Guys as a bit of a budding football journalist myself (see the BFSC board for my livestream of last night's North B&F) I can tell you the job is tougher than you'd think! We're all after a bit of the same pie.

Anyway best of luck, yours in footy

Reep

You too mate. want a niche market, talk about the GAME. No one else is.

 

[Blueyboy74]

Andy Maher anyone. How he makes a living from being a journo has me completely & utterly confounded.

 

[Nightowl]

Don't like Gerard Whately's nasally voice.. Or his love for Hird.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Worst AFL journalist? It's like having to decide upon the wettest glass of water.

 

[hench]

Barrett is the worst IMO. Especially when he tries to push a non story buy like "We at the Footy Show as of right now, tonight, believe that Ashley McGrath's brother who has been convicted of drug offences was seen in the Lions change rooms."

 

[forwardflanker]

Robbo's a drunken, uneducated buffoon, but ten times the journalist Gerald Twately is.

Totally agree. Robbo's a man who knows his limitations and plays to them.

Gerrard Whately is a self indulgent tool who spends all his time gushing over a horse. He has 0 credibility as football journalist imo. How many kicks do you reckon he would of got in the local competition. I reckon Robbo might of got a few or at least snaffled a few sausages. Whately speaks about footy with an air of authority that is undeserved imo. I cannot stand the man and will not read or watch anything he has to do with (except AFL 360 cause I like Robbo).

Back to the thread.

I also don't like any of the muck rackers which would primarily be Caro, Hutchi and Barret. I also don't like Tim Lane that much as a commentator but at least he seems like he could be a reasonable bloke.

 

[forwardflanker]

As an aspiring journalist, reading this thread gives me some good pointers on what NOT to do when and if I get there.

Just remember that Caro who is easily the most despised journo itt also probably has the most readers. I can't stand her but still read her articles, just chose not to believe a word of them.

Muck racking sells papers, they wouldn't do it otherwise

 

[forwardflanker]

Tv: has to be John Ralph - just shits me to tears. Criticises everyone.
Print: has to be Caroline Wilson. She writes well but her opinions and articles are often wrong.
Radio: Mark McClure. Nothing but a grumpy bum

I mean if McClure is actually a journo by title then he wins this thread. I just always considered his occupation to be some dude in the background to lazy to offer any opinion or insight.

 

[Ebert80]

Tony Shaw - bleh, he's a shocker.

Biased, talks crap, can barely put a sentence together.

 

[Jade]

Caroline Wilson.

An absolute stain on football. Has no love for the game, parades around like she has some genuine insight and lives for the chaotic and dirty aspects of football.

She disgusts me to a point that I refuse to buy The Age, listen to 3AW or watch Footy Classified.

Don't have a single nice thing to say about her.

 

[Doss]

Have nothing but contempt for Damian Barrett. Cannot stand listening to him. He is smug, condescending and narcissistic in the extreme. He also manages to make an art form of being sanctimonious and has his penchant of over expression of faux outrage down to a fine art, far beyond what any other football journalist does.

Jon Ralph is next on the list, but quite some way behind Barrett for me. Barrett is a stain on football journalism- nothing more than a professional troll in my view.

 

[Partridge]

Worst AFL journalist? It's like having to decide upon the wettest glass of water.

I was going to use "most cowardly French soldier of May 1940" but your one does nicely too.