Disgraceful coverage of Benoit tragedy
I had intended to take a little break from writing about Chris Benoit, but after watching some cable “news” shows on television last night, I had to get this off my chest.
I’m not going to say that WWE always handles every situation the way I think it should, but I couldn’t agree more with the company when it issued a statement saying it was “concerned with the sensationalistic reporting and speculation being undertaken by some members of the media.”
I think they key phrase in that statement is “some members of the media.” There has been plenty of good, solid reporting on the Benoit double murder/suicide, and there are certain indisputable facts regarding this case specifically and pro wrestling as an industry that WWE might not like, but it has to accept. But there also has been an abundance of yellow journalism on the so-called news channels, filled with rushes to judgment, disingenuous displays of moral outrage and leading questions.
Last night’s Nancy Grace show on Headline News was the final straw for me. First of all, I don’t expect all of these talking heads to be knowledgeable about wrestling, but seeing them try to fake it is embarrassing and weakens whatever credibility they do have. The way she introduced Bret Hart – who was a guest on the program via telephone – by gushing about how “he built wrestling,” made it clear that she had no idea what she was talking about and was just repeating something that someone on her research staff told her about Hart. Here’s my rule: Don’t speak with authority on subjects that you’re not actually an authority on. It just makes you look uninformed and phony.
Then she asked Hart “questions” such as this one: “I know that Chris Benoit had gone from the elite, the Four Horsemen, down to Raw. And that was a little bit of a demotion. How badly do you think he took it?” Beyond the fact that what she said doesn’t make a lick of sense, did she expect Hart to say, “Well, I think he took it so badly that he went crazy and murdered his family and himself”?
Of course, the buzzword on Grace’s show and the others was “steroids.” After saying that she knew that Benoit loved his son – which is interesting, because I’m guessing that she probably had no idea who Benoit was before Monday – she concluded that it “leads me to believe that he was under the influence of steroids” to have committed such a heinous act.
Ever since the Tuesday afternoon news conference in Fayetteville, Ga., when authorities acknowledged that anabolic steroids were found inside the house, the cable news shows seemed convinced that it was an open-and-shut case – the steroids made him do it.
Right after the news conference, the talking heads and “experts” in the Fox News Studio were going on and on about “roid rage.” Now, it might eventually be proven that steroid use (although not necessarily “roid rage,” because the drugs have other side effects such as depression and paranoia) played a role in Benoit’s actions, but we don’t know that for sure yet. More than likely, it’s not that simple. If steroids alone caused people to kill their families and themselves, there would be a lot of dead bodies throughout baseball, football, cycling, track and field and most other major sports.
The fact that Daniel Benoit was a special needs child and that it reportedly was a point of contention in the Benoits’ marriage sure seems like an important piece of information, but since that’s not as sensational as “roid rage,” it hasn’t received much attention on the cable shows.
It was more of the same on Dan Abrams’ show on MSNBC. During an interview with Joe Laurinaitis (Road Warrior Animal), Abrams was fixated on steroids. As Laurinaitis was discussing how demanding life on the road is for a pro wrestler, Abrams interrupted him and returned to the subject of steroids. Abrams also blasted WWE for airing the Benoit tribute on Raw, claiming it was a tasteless ratings ploy. Well, judging by the sensationalistic manner in which he was covering the deaths, it’s obvious that he knows all about tasteless ratings ploys.
Perhaps the worst performance, though, was by – what a surprise – Bill O’Reilly. He actually laid some of the blame for this tragedy on the late Nancy Benoit, saying that she had to know her husband was troubled and chaotic, and that by staying with him, she allowed the chaos and failed in her responsibility to protect her child.
Yeah, it would be great if life were really that black and white.
And these are the same people who consider WWE to be sleazy.
Comments
I couldn't agree with you more. Nancy Grace is absolutely absurd. Raw being a demotion from the four horseman? Raw is the biggest thing on TV in wrestling for the biggest wrestling company, and has been for years. Its is my opinion that when people get tired of seeing the same wrestlers with their same antics on Raw, they soon get "demoted" to Smackdown, i.e. Edge (not saying he is a bad wrestler, its just I am an average fan, and I got tired of seeing him every Monday night, so I know I'm not the only one.) If I were Brett Hart or Laurinaitis, I would have told them they had no idea what they were talking about, said their show was a joke, and hung up.
Posted by: Paul | June 28, 2007 1:04 PM
We live in a world where everyone wants to rush to judgement on any topic they hear about whether they have the facts or not. I don't care to hear what the "talking heads" think because I know they have never been in any of the situations they are talking about.
I've been enjoying your blog and keep it coming. Any chance you're going to talk more about your interactions with wrestlers from your days in WCW?
Posted by: Reid | June 28, 2007 1:52 PM
What, you mean you expect actual investigation and insight on news shows? Wrestling isn't the only arena where they fake it.
Sadly, situations like this in which men kill their wives or girlfriends - current or former - and children are far too common; sometimes they kill them while they are still pregnant with their unborn children (a la Laci Peterson and Jessie Davis). "Roid rage" doesn't begin to explain the vast majority of these cases; let's hope that this tragedy doesn't get dismissed for this reason.
If any good can come from this, it would be for the media to examine this type of domestic violence in a context broader than just the wrestling world (but don't count on it).
Posted by: Al East | June 28, 2007 2:12 PM
Kevin, the interesting thing here is you walking the tightrope between wrestling fan and journalist. Bottom line is journalism seldom portrays a subject or incident precisely as it was experienced by the parties involved, and the sound-bite t.v. "journalism" you referenced can't even come close. You know that as a sports journalist -- you focus your story on one or two angles, but the players and coaches who participated in the game (but weren't interviewed for your story) could probably give seven or eight totally different reasons for the game's outcome. They're on the inside -- the journalists and media consumers are on the outside.
So this story is hitting home for you as a wrestling fan, yet all media outlets (including your own employer) cover other subjects with the same carelessness every single day -- just ask anyone who's been the subject of a newspaper article or television piece. Look, a pro wrestler (the very words conjure images of violence, steroids and grown men living in a fantasy world) murdered his wife, young son and then killed himself. It doesn't take Nancy Grace (who is a total idiot by the way) to sensationalize that story -- it's newsworthy, and everyone's going to cover it, whether they know anything about wrestling or not. You have a problem with the coverage because wrestling is getting a black eye, but tonight the same shows will be covering an entirely different story in the exact same manner, and those with a vested interest in the subject of the coverage will be just as outraged as you are today. That's why some people -- even those with a deep fondess for journalism -- leave the profession for other pursuits.
Posted by: Marc | June 28, 2007 5:07 PM
Nobody knows what they are talking about anymore. first off we didn't know what had happened when WWE ran the tribute show. By the time WWE found out it was too late to pull Raw. Nancy Grace is a looney tune ex-lawyer who knows nothing. The 4 Horseman disbanded long before WWE bought out WCW, so how can that be a demotion? I thought she really embarrassed Bret Hart because of her lack of knowledge of wrestling. At times I thought Bret really didn't fully understand Nancy's questions confusing him some.And Bill O'Reilly is another looney tune. You can't tell him he's wrong or you will get a big argument. And If Nancy knew what was going on wouldn't she get some kind of help to protect her and Daniel and even Chris too. I missed the Abrams-Animal interview and really can't comment on what was said.
Posted by: Dave | June 28, 2007 5:09 PM
I think you are very much on point with you analysis of the so-called "news" channels. If you've ever seen Nancy Grace before, you realize all she does is stories about the sensationalistic murders, abductions, kidnappings, etc. I doubt she could do anything else other than be a self-righteous, pompus, insincere fake that it is clear she is.
Posted by: tom in pasadena | June 28, 2007 5:13 PM
Kevin,
Fisrt off let me thank you for starting this blog, it is quite Awesome. As for the So called news Channels, they are a joke. if you know absolutely nothing about wrestling and have to do interviews with wreslers, why show your ignorance, IE: Nancy, Bill , Abrams and I'm sure about 1000 other news journalists. I understand it's news and it must be covered. I just think people need to THINK a little bit more before they WRITE or SPEAK!!!As far as your coverage as a journalist and fan ....... You walked the walked the walk and talked the talk!!!!!! Thanks again for the Blog it Rocks...
Chris
Posted by: Chris | June 28, 2007 7:55 PM
Kevin,
It is refreshing to read an informative blog such as yours. Like you said, the media reporting this story should KNOW pro wrestling and the facts before making uneducated statements. The bottom line is the ONLY person who knows what drove him to this and his reasoning hung himself already.
The rest is pure speculation! It is very sad to know that Benoit will be remebered as a murderer and not a great technical wrestler. My question is will the WWE delete his footage from their library? Can someone give me their opinion on taking Benoit off of their footage?
Thanks,
Bill
Posted by: Bill Butler | June 29, 2007 11:57 AM
i have watched nancy grace decimate many people who make the mistake of going on her show.the lady who son disappered in fla. she went on her show and killed herself a few days after because nancy basically said she killed her child. maybe she did but she 's not a trial lawyer anymore and she is downright disrespectful to guest who don't agree with her. i love the way the big time news reporters have no clue what they are talking about at times and say what ever sensational crap they can to get the ratings.i have seen and heard more crap on these news shows than i can stomach.we can't change what happend and we may never understand it either but my god 3 people lost their lives 2 being a woman and a disabled child. lets stop the madness and look to keep this from happening anymore .lastly i thought these reporters hit a new low with anna nicole smith but they never cease to amaze me who low they can truly go. go after vince mcmahon and his outfit. look at why 60 wrestlers have died, mostly from drugs,anteriorsclerotic heart disease or hardening of the arteries, heart attack or stroke all before the age of 45. come on people get a grip.
Posted by: sonya mc. | June 30, 2007 1:07 PM
I AGREE WITH EVERY THING YOU WROTE -I'M A BIG FAN OF WRESTLING AND ALL THESE SO-CALLED EXPERTS TICK ME OFF (NANCY GRACE -ESPCIALLY) I' WAS A BIG FAN OF BENOIT AND BRET HART
Posted by: JEFFREY LENOIR | June 30, 2007 1:38 PM
I've read alot of articles online about this and I'm wondering why TNA hasn't been mentioned.
I look at articles on Foxsports.com and it's about how the WWE needs to do something. The WWE has done something. It has drug testing. How about TNA? The WWE released Kurt Angle when he was battling addictions. TNA hired him. TNA has had some deaths of its talent. Fox is in negotiations to air TNA, so making the WWE to be the main attraction in this whole mess would be to their advantage.
Posted by: SMITTY | July 2, 2007 9:11 PM