Journalists writing about cycling: bikesnobnyc

tomasrojo · 27-08-2009, 10:17

Good post today. I agree wholeheartedly. Sums up the Irish papers too.

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2009...-in-media.html

"Really, though, none of this is surprising. While mainstream publications will generally require that people who write about movies, or cuisine, or cars, or finance, or politics have at least a basic understanding of them, when it comes to cycling they like to pick writers who are completely clueless. This is because they assume their readers also know nothing about cycling and will be more likely to accept information from and relate to somebody like them. This is not true. People actually read things to gain information, and they actually like it when writers know more than they do. Even a hacky movie critic knows the difference between a film and a sitcom, even the lamest automotive journalist can tell a manual transmission from an automatic, and even the worst political analyst knows the difference between the Senate and the House of Representatives. Bicycles should be treated like computers by the media, in that both were once the domain of nerds and children but are now totally commonplace and thus can be written about with more sophistication. The media does this with computers, but when it comes to bikes they still write about them like they're reciting the alphabet over and over again to a bunch of children--only they keep getting the letter order wrong."

petethedrummer · 27-08-2009, 10:54

On Yer Bike, ho ho.

tomasrojo · 27-08-2009, 11:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by petethedrummer

On Yer Bike, ho ho.

If I see that headline one more time ...

flickerx · 27-08-2009, 11:56

TV or radio too.
"Today we sent Elaine, who normally drives into work in her Nissan Micra, out into the mean streets of Dublin/London/wherever on a bicycle, and she survived the ordeal to tell us her tale today. Elaine?"

**Gavin** · 27-08-2009, 12:16

Sure the snob must be a journo

not bakunin · 27-08-2009, 12:51

Well I don't read publications specifically geared towards the sport of cycling, but I presume that they have cycle-savvy writers?

The journalist writing for the national/local/feature paper has to take in the consideration of his or her target audience, i.e.......not everyone cycles.

tomasrojo · 27-08-2009, 13:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by not bakunin

Well I don't read publications specifically geared towards the sport of cycling, but I presume that they have cycle-savvy writers?

The journalist writing for the national/local/feature paper has to take in the consideration of his or her target audience, i.e.......not everyone cycles.

But it's not how the article is pitched that's the problem; it's that the author has no idea what he or she is talking about, and then has the temerity to issue categorical but patently wrong statements by the end of the article, such as "only the foolhardy would consider riding in traffic in Dublin" or "cycling 5km everyday is beyond the ability of normal people".

The bikesnob post explains this better than I can. This is good too:
http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/commute/sufferin.htm

not bakunin · 27-08-2009, 13:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomasrojo

But it's not how the article is pitched that's the problem; it's that the author has no idea what he or she is talking about, and then has the temerity to issue categorical but patently wrong statements by the end of the article, such as "only the foolhardy would consider riding in traffic in Dublin" or "cycling 5km everyday is beyond the ability of normal people".

oh yeah, fair enough, that is complete bull. I remember reading an article on urban cycling in The Gaurdain last year and it was utterly sensationalist, describing taking to the streets by bike of cities with tram lines as being the "ultimate commuting russian roulette" and other such piss...

Captain Havoc · 27-08-2009, 13:47

@tomasrojo really enjoyed the suffering motorist part at the end.

tomasrojo · 27-08-2009, 14:02

Ah, he was a great guy, Ken Kifer.

tomasrojo · 27-08-2009, 14:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gavin

Sure the snob must be a journo

He is now; writes for Bicycling Magazine. I think he got the job from the blog though, rather than branching out into blogging from journalism.

petethedrummer · 27-08-2009, 14:41

Well there's an article in the Irish Times today and the journalist didn't know how to fix a puncture before heading on a month long trip around Ireland!!

Other than that it was a reasonable article on cyclnig.

monument · 28-08-2009, 00:19

It's not just cycling, and it's not just tech or social networking sites as this focuses on - http://glinner.posterous.com/the-conversation-23

flickerx · 28-08-2009, 07:06

Those type of articles drive me mad, sending someone who has never cycled before into urban traffic, and the resulting "oh i was nearly killed!" sensationalist drivel. What do they think would happen if they took a cyclist who didnt know how to drive and stuck them in a car to deal with the M50 at rush hour?

That'd be a good one for the motors section of a paper.

DualFrontDiscs · 28-08-2009, 07:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomasrojo

Ah, he was a great guy, Ken Kifer.

+1

27-08-2009, 10:17	#1
tomasrojo Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 1,086 Adverts \| Friends	Journalists writing about cycling: bikesnobnyc Good post today. I agree wholeheartedly. Sums up the Irish papers too. http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2009...-in-media.html "Really, though, none of this is surprising. While mainstream publications will generally require that people who write about movies, or cuisine, or cars, or finance, or politics have at least a basic understanding of them, when it comes to cycling they like to pick writers who are completely clueless. This is because they assume their readers also know nothing about cycling and will be more likely to accept information from and relate to somebody like them. This is not true. People actually read things to gain information, and they actually like it when writers know more than they do. Even a hacky movie critic knows the difference between a film and a sitcom, even the lamest automotive journalist can tell a manual transmission from an automatic, and even the worst political analyst knows the difference between the Senate and the House of Representatives. Bicycles should be treated like computers by the media, in that both were once the domain of nerds and children but are now totally commonplace and thus can be written about with more sophistication. The media does this with computers, but when it comes to bikes they still write about them like they're reciting the alphabet over and over again to a bunch of children--only they keep getting the letter order wrong."

28-08-2009, 00:19	#13
monument Registered User Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Dublin Posts: 5,829 Adverts \| Friends	It's not just cycling, and it's not just tech or social networking sites as this focuses on - http://glinner.posterous.com/the-conversation-23 __________________ \|\| \|\| Me dot com \|\| Flickr \|\| twitter \|\| Do the test \|\| Documenting Dublin's cycle lanes \|\|

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27-08-2009, 10:54	#2
petethedrummer Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: dundalk/dublin Posts: 2,393 Adverts \| Friends	On Yer Bike, ho ho.

27-08-2009, 11:56	#4
flickerx Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: BÁC 15. Posts: 1,155 Adverts \| Friends	TV or radio too. "Today we sent Elaine, who normally drives into work in her Nissan Micra, out into the mean streets of Dublin/London/wherever on a bicycle, and she survived the ordeal to tell us her tale today. Elaine?"

27-08-2009, 12:16	#5
Gavin Moderator Join Date: Feb 1998 Location: Dublin Posts: 3,883 Adverts \| Friends Mod: Nets & Comms	Sure the snob must be a journo

27-08-2009, 12:51	#6
not bakunin Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: The Basilica of Goo Posts: 175 Adverts \| Friends	Well I don't read publications specifically geared towards the sport of cycling, but I presume that they have cycle-savvy writers? The journalist writing for the national/local/feature paper has to take in the consideration of his or her target audience, i.e.......not everyone cycles.

27-08-2009, 13:47	#9
Captain Havoc La Lanterne Rouge Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Kilkenny Posts: 1,649 Adverts \| Friends	@tomasrojo really enjoyed the suffering motorist part at the end.

27-08-2009, 14:02	#10
tomasrojo Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 1,086 Adverts \| Friends	Ah, he was a great guy, Ken Kifer.

27-08-2009, 14:41	#12
petethedrummer Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: dundalk/dublin Posts: 2,393 Adverts \| Friends	Well there's an article in the Irish Times today and the journalist didn't know how to fix a puncture before heading on a month long trip around Ireland!! Other than that it was a reasonable article on cyclnig.

28-08-2009, 07:06	#14
flickerx Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: BÁC 15. Posts: 1,155 Adverts \| Friends	Those type of articles drive me mad, sending someone who has never cycled before into urban traffic, and the resulting "oh i was nearly killed!" sensationalist drivel. What do they think would happen if they took a cyclist who didnt know how to drive and stuck them in a car to deal with the M50 at rush hour? That'd be a good one for the motors section of a paper.