Cycling News turning tabloid journalism

[summershoe]

What's with the increase is crappy reporting this year? It seems especially bad this week. Astana gets fined and the headlines read "Armstrong and Contador fined" like that isn't a blatant ploy to keep stoking the "rivalry" that may or may not be there. And then "Sky is the limit for Brailford's budget, Speculation grows after Cavendish wins". What? The article doesn't site anyone speculating Sky will try to sign Cavendish except the author. Sensationalistic crap to add to the overly melodramatic writing of Anthony Tan's tour coverage. I do believe the opening line of Stage 1's report will go down in history. "Pounding, pounding and pounding as if each turn of the pedals were grinding a mother cow through the mincer". Tan should try his hand at writing trashy novels. Pounding indeed.

Please, the race and the riders are exciting enough on their own merits. Quit trying so hard for drama and google hits.

 

[roadfreak44]

Cyclingnews going chinese

What is with the live report format? I thought cycling news was going to "improve " the site?
Open any book , newspaper , magazine or website in the western world and the content reads top to bottom...On the live report site it starts at the bottom and reads to the top which doubly stinks if you want to have even the tiniest bit of suspense regarding who did what when you open it up...Unfortunatley thats not going to happen becuase the uber genius that set up the site has it reading form the top to the bottom chinese style ,so staring you in the face as soon as you open it are the results. Rather anti climatic dont you think? Just one more of the many "improvements"
hope whoever cmae up with all this doesnt thave their salary based upon performance...

 

[issoisso]

Personally I find the constant bias toward anglophone riders much more annoying.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

This thread needs to be put into the "About the Webite" forum, not here.

 

[titan_90]

Personally I find the constant bias toward anglophone riders much more annoying.

+1
Not just annoying, I would say nauseating

 

[jaylew]

You know, I have to agree with you. I've been really unhappy with the level of journalism around here lately; it almost seems like it has coincided with the new format. The titles are sensationalist and the articles within often contain little, if any, support for them. See the newest Contador article, "Armstrong Tactics Leave Contador Reeling" for an example.

 

[the_prawn]

What is with the live report format? I thought cycling news was going to "improve " the site?
Open any book , newspaper , magazine or website in the western world and the content reads top to bottom...On the live report site it starts at the bottom and reads to the top which doubly stinks if you want to have even the tiniest bit of suspense regarding who did what when you open it up...Unfortunatley thats not going to happen becuase the uber genius that set up the site has it reading form the top to the bottom chinese style ,so staring you in the face as soon as you open it are the results. Rather anti climatic dont you think? Just one more of the many "improvements"
hope whoever cmae up with all this doesnt thave their salary based upon performance...

I totally agree.

 

[krebs303]

You know, I have to agree with you. I've been really unhappy with the level of journalism around here lately; it almost seems like it has coincided with the new format. The titles are sensationalist and the articles within often contain little, if any, support for them. See the newest Contador article, "Armstrong Tactics Leave Contador Reeling" for an example.

+1..............

 

[Captain Slow]

I agree!

They should use the same trick as for race spoilers so that we have the option of seeing all news headlines as 'Things happen in bike race'.

 

[manolo]

"Armstrong expounds on wind, splits and fish" article

The artcle titled "Armstrong expounds on wind, splits and fish" by Richard Moore ended with the following statment: "And there we had it: in two minutes Armstrong managed at least two digs, and a surreal fish reference. A virtuoso performance." (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/armstrong-expounds-on-wind-splits-and-fish)

I almost think these statements belong in a blog, not in a news article. One is an opinion piece, another reporting factual events and statements. It'd be nice to separate the two clearly.

 

[toronto-rider]

Yes cyclingnews has gone downhill over the past 2 years.

 

[manolo]

"Fortune favours the brave in Perpignan" artcle title

I find this misleading: The article is titled "Fortune favours the brave in Perpignan". Then you read: "Reactions from stage five". Why isn't it just called "Reactions from Stage Five"?

In retrospect, I guess what I mean is - if I read "Fortune favours the brave in Perpignan", I expect a story about the the stage. Instead, I get a collection of rider commentary and reactions. I just think a more appropriate title for the piece would have been, plaind and simple, "Reactions from Stage Five". I'm not upset, just a little annoyed I expected something else. Maybe, as I mention below, it's a little bit of an annoyance at a wasted "click". If we were in the old CN I would just scroll over the item. Here, I have to go back a page and click on another item. Ah! Just being pick!

 

[vladkips]

The artcle titled "Armstrong expounds on wind, splits and fish" by Richard Moore ended with the following statment: "And there we had it: in two minutes Armstrong managed at least two digs, and a surreal fish reference. A virtuoso performance." (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/armstrong-expounds-on-wind-splits-and-fish)

I almost think these statements belong in a blog, not in a news article. One is an opinion piece, another reporting factual events and statements. It'd be nice to separate the two clearly.

I have joined the forum just to complain about this and especially, Richard Moore. In addition to the above article, the articles titled "Armstrong tactics leave Contador reeling" and "Differing accounts from Cavendish and Rogers on stage 3" were not news reporting they were opinion pieces. I may start a thread on Richard Moore.

I have been using cyclingnews daily (until the new site launch) for a decade. I have been patient with their new site design despite its short-comings, but adding tabloid journalism, I am know ready to jump ship to velonews or whatever else is out there. Pathetic how things have changed in a very short time here.

 

[workingclasshero]

I find this misleading: The article is titled "Fortune favours the brave in Perpignan". Then you read: "Reactions from stage five". Why isn't it just called "Reactions from stage five"?

deary me you're hard work aren't you.

does the headline not tell you something about what happened in stage five?

 

[manolo]

"Basso reminds Kreuziger they're teammates"

Strictly speaking, I wish the writing and the choices on where and how cycling news and items were posted pn the different sections of the site were a little bit stricter. A little bit more organized.

For example, I feel a little bit baffled that an article named "Basso reminds Kreuziger they're teammates" makes it into a section called "News Headlines".

I would expect "News Headlines" to be about events and racing. Maybe you should have a section called "Around the peloton" for rider commentaries about each other. Maybe I'm just being picky. And maybe I didn't mind earlier, when in the old CN layout it was all in one "News Edition", because I just scrolled over these items. But, to me, it does seem a little like a tabloid. And, in my opinion, a little bit of a stretch to call this cycling "news". I guess to me your headlines define the kind of site you are. It's like the difference between reading the headlines of the New York Times and The Enquirer. News makes the headlines of the Times. Gossip makes the headlines of The Enquirer.

No offense meant and none taken at any response or comment to my opinion.

 

[Sheltowee]

Sports writing has never been considered "hard news' in the new business. That's why sportswriters can get away with the creativity often expressed in stories that would normally be allowed in a straight news piece. As far as the lead went in stage one story, It was catchy as well as good. There's nothing wrong with that lead.

 

[Anonymous]

I didn't mind earlier, when in the old CN layout it was all in one "News Edition", because I just scrolled over these items.

And now you have the option of not clicking on them at all or waiting till they're compiled into an edition (a format we retained specifically because we knew people liked it) and scrolling past them.

Sport is entertainment (as well as all business, serious athleticism, borderline religion and the other things people bring to it), so there are always going to be these gossipy stories.

 

[cxking818]

Editor in Chief

You are complete a buffoon. I have tried to be patient with all the changes but I can see from your comments that you really do not get it. What a waste of what was once a really great site.