It's been interesting to watch the so-called "war of words" between the netminders of the Stanley Cup finals - not because this is an interesting exchange, but because it was so blatantly manufactured by the media. The alleged shot - Luongo's comment that he would have stopped LaPierre's game-winner - was part of a comparison of the two goalies' styles. In the next sentence, Luongo acknowledged that Thomas, being more aggressive, is able to stop shots that he couldn't. Yet reporters persisted in taking his comment out of context and actively trying to bait Boston Bruins into badmouthing Luongo. Unfortunately for the reporters, the Bruins weren't biting.
This kind of tactic, widely used in the reporting of political campaigns, high profile court cases, strikes, and other adversarial situations, makes you wonder about the adage that journalists are objective and marketing writers are biased. In truth, we're all biased for various reasons - what's at issue is the kind of relationships we want to have with our readers.
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