[ossuks]

For 8-11 days I would get a sick feeling in my gut every time I turned on the Radio or Tv. Every sports expert in the media was taking shots at Tony !! I will not get into my thoughts on the accident as it might offend some...BUT I will give my thoughts on the media!!

Just one example that stands out....local radio in Indiana has a DJ that spent most of a week belittling Tony....Yesterday he spent 40 seconds on the subject and acted like he had previous knowledge of the drug use instead of any type of apology!!

This is just one example of 100"s...every guy that could not make it as an athlete that was behind a microphone or camera that gave a negative view for days ...where are they now...Will they spend the next 8-11 days saying anything positive about Stewart?

The next time a media member sticks something in Tony"s face and he blows them off or knocks them on their ass don't be so quick to judge..I really have no dog in the fight and it pisses me off so much I'm pounding these keys...

I could rant forever...but those looking for a way to degrade Tony will...Sure hope he continues to get ovations like the one at Atlanta...And as for me...there is one less radio station in Indy that is on my selection pad!!


Had to add one thought ...those that supported Stewart the most seemed to be the media guys that were past drivers...the guys that have been behind the wheel!

[SWScaleChassis]

Before the accident, if you YouTube 'Tony Stewart' you'd find a few clips of interviews, as well as 10-20 minute compliations of his "Best Media Responses". One that comes to mind was his views on a wreck at Talladega, where he commented "I think we should split the field in half for the last 10 laps. Drive half the field backwards. I don't think we crashed enough cars today. It's obviously what the fans want."

Taking from all of these, all of his reactions to questions, prods and pokes, and rumors from the media were not what a sponsor would exactly advocate while their name was across the chest of a man who says things like "The kid's an idiot" or "Ill bust his a$$".. The list goes on. But I gather from just the clips, that this man is a real racer. REAL RACER. He understands that his sponsors require a certail level of poise behind a mic, but at the same time, his sponsors know Tony. They understand that his mouth is much more straightforward than the rest of the herd. I dont want to say he 'hates' the media, but I definately feel that he believes that their place in the sport oversteps a lot of lines and gets in the way.

All this being said, Once he does recover (to a point) from this and actually speaks on the subject, I believe the media will be the major talking point. Even over the big points like Wings, Vision, Handling characteristics, caution procedures...
I know at least when I see a man in a suit on CNN, commenting on the accident, Tony, racing in genral,, Viewing clips of the video from the accident, Constantly saying things like 'Dirt Buggy' and 'Backwoods Machine', it PAINS me to know that this guy in a tie is the one providing information to the public. Probably doesn't know Nomex from Cashmeire.

I had to spend time at work debunking everything those type of folks said and provide facts regarding the cars, tracks, wings, helmets, HANS, seats, tearoffs... It seemed that after I laid the facts on the table, and shed some light on the subject, most of the knee-jerk opinions changed and people who've never been to a dirt track were able to understand. Usually asking 'Well, why did CNN say this and that if they don't know about it'... Because they were out for a witch-hunt and an excuse to hang Tony out to dry.

I expect Tony to not necessarily 'Fire Back' at the media for labeling him for something he clearly is not, but definately express his displeasure with how ESPN, FOX, CNN, HLN, etc, reported on the situation and delivered information to the public. Just look at how they all went nuts after his accident when he broke his leg. And he said, "Folks have kids, they play with their kids. I have racecars, I play with my racecars. I love it, its what I do."

-Justin

[Coach]

Originally Posted by ossuks For 8-11 days I would get a sick feeling in my gut every time I turned on the Radio or Tv. Every sports expert in the media was taking shots at Tony !! I will not get into my thoughts on the accident as it might offend some...BUT I will give my thoughts on the media!! Just one example that stands out....local radio in Indiana has a DJ that spent most of a week belittling Tony....Yesterday he spent 40 seconds on the subject and acted like he had previous knowledge of the drug use instead of any type of apology!! This is just one example of 100"s...every guy that could not make it as an athlete that was behind a microphone or camera that gave a negative view for days ...where are they now...Will they spend the next 8-11 days saying anything positive about Stewart? The next time a media member sticks something in Tony"s face and he blows them off or knocks them on their ass don't be so quick to judge..I really have no dog in the fight and it pisses me off so much I'm pounding these keys... I could rant forever...but those looking for a way to degrade Tony will...Sure hope he continues to get ovations like the one at Atlanta...And as for me...there is one less radio station in Indy that is on my selection pad!! Had to add one thought ...those that supported Stewart the most seemed to be the media guys that were past drivers...the guys that have been behind the wheel!

I could not agree more. On the local news down here (Florida) last night, they mentioned it during the sports portion (not important enough to be a top story but when it happened it sure in the hell was) and it took them all of about 20 seconds to do so. They also never bothered to mention the part about the weed. Now that he has been cleared this will be swept under the rug by the media. You bet your ass had it went the other way it would have been the lead story.

[DAD]

Justin

Not being a football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, figure skating, horse racing, etc. fan, should I also view these news outlets comments on these as well as the news in general with a bit of "Skepticism".

That was a tragic accident up in New York, a week later a young girl lost her life in a TQ practice session. I think that was also in New York state, with barley or no mention in the main stream media. It is a shame that because of his fame Tony is major news and this young girl doesn't even register with the news people. The loss of life was not the driving point to their story the driving point was "Tony Stewart" a national celebrity and something that would attract the public attention and generate moneys for their company's.

They were in such a hurry to get the story out they had people with little if any dirt open wheel racing experience write and deliver the story to a very uninformed general public.

They owe the public that listened to them and took them as informed at face value, the sport of dirt track open wheel racing, and Tony Stewart an apology and an explanation for their actions.

The only saving grace of this experience is that it gave a lot of us a chance to join into a conversation with the general public and point out to them the truth as we knew it and explain to the joy and appreciation for a little known sport and it's participants.

There is a guy on IOW that describes Jack Hewett as a great composer when driving a Silver Crown car on the big mile dirt tracks, How True It Is.

Honest Dad himself

[DAD]

Originally Posted by Coach I could not agree more. On the local news down here (Florida) last night, they mentioned it during the sports portion (not important enough to be a top story but when it happened it sure in the hell was) and it took them all of about 20 seconds to do so. They also never bothered to mention the part about the weed. Now that he has been cleared this will be swept under the rug by the media. You bet your ass had it went the other way it would have been the lead story.

Coach

I hope we never talk about the weed again, maybe we should talk about a tragic decision made by a young man made in a moment of anger, and use this incident as a learning experience for other young drivers.

Honest Dad himself

[JarrettFarms73]

I wish I had the computer savvy to post side by side the stories that initially broke the tragedy and recent stories. IMO night and day in tone and direction.

Btw. The tq driving school accident was in Jersey. I think her name was Amanda but can't remember her last name. I hated the way agencies would report on it as if they care about local racing only to include the Ward Jr story, as if it relates.

[Nate]

Originally Posted by JarrettFarms73 Btw. The tq driving school accident was in Jersey. I think her name was Amanda but can't remember her last name. I hated the way agencies would report on it as if they care about local racing only to include the Ward Jr story, as if it relates.

The same thing happened when Jason Leffler was killed. Prior to that, Josh Burton's death wasn't on ESPN or CNN but when Jason, a driver with an affliation with NASCAR, was killed you suddenly saw Josh's name being mentioned in articles. It's lousy the way it works.

[JstAbvVMC]

Hey guys, all great observations and questions about the media and the way they handled the reporting of this accident…

This was a situation where we were all very aware of and familiar with. We have the subject matter knowledge and insight that the general public does not.

We all screamed BS when the media kept getting things wrong. RIGHT…

Now, think about the news stories you see and read about that you are not a subject matter expert in. Did the media get that story right were those involved treated fair?

Many times in my career I have actually handed writhed detailed press releases to the media regarding an event only to see the facts reported totally different on the news.

Understand one thing, the media is out for ratings and sensationalism ONLY and facts only get in the way. Remember that when you watch the nightly news.

I take every news story with a great deal of skepticism.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by DAD Coach I hope we never talk about the weed again, maybe we should talk about a tragic decision made by a young man made in a moment of anger, and use this incident as a learning experience for other young drivers. Honest Dad himself

Dad, I understand what you are saying. My point was if Tony would have tested positive for weed do you think that same news station would have mentioned it?

[chathamracefan]

This whole incident is another demonstration of the mainstream media selling a story for ratings and not reporting the news. I know within a few days of the incident, I read in at least 2 places (one was Mike Lupica - a well known respected sports columnist) where it was reported that Tony got the nickname Smoke because he is a "hot head". Anybody doing a little bit of research would know he got that nickname because he used it as an assumed name years ago to sign in for races so Gibbs wouldn't find out about it. It was Ted Johnson's son's name. Also ESPNEWS interviewed Stewart Friesen (east coast racer) the day after the incident & he trashed Stewart. It took me about a 30 second google search to figure out he is dating Jessica Zemken (Stewart's ex) and could have an axe to grind, yet ESPN put him forth as an expert.

Just 2 examples of how they don't give a rip about the truth, just the narrative they are trying to sell.