MY CALL - WORKING IN MAINSTREAM MEDIA TAUGHT ME RESPONSIBILITY, WHICH INCLUDES A CODE OF ETHICS

By David Fowler | Tuesday, October 9, 2012

David Fowler is the principal thoroughbred caller for Radio TAB. David, who is a keen form student and punter, has enjoyed a lifetime involvement in the racing media. His personal blog, ‘My Call’, appears exclusively on HRO.

I suppose I could be described as "mainstream media".

In fact, writing this blog is the most adventurous thing I have done in the world of journalism!

My dislike of social media (read Twitter, Facebook) outweighs its perceived values.

I still believe earnestly in newspapers and read The Australian from cover to cover on a daily basis.

To be honest, I wear the "mainstream media" tag as a badge of honour.

Mainstream media taught me responsibility which includes a code of ethics.

We are all human and we all make mistakes. I have had legal issues with stories I have written and things I have said on radio. You learn from them.

This is a long way around to say the Tony Gollan episode should never have been "reported" … and I use that term loosely … as it was on certain websites.

A basic tenet of journalism is not to report rumour or gossip. You report fact.

Seems pretty simple doesn't it.

You can't defend reporting rumour or gossip unless the item does not mention a name.

Some should know better that a positive swab is only a positive swab after TWO testings. A first sample irregularity is not a positive swab.

Gollan showed professionalism by keeping his silence.

I have no problem with most racing websites. This blog is on record in extolling their virtues with the speed they can deliver news and the space they can devote to issues that "mainstream media" cannot.

But certain website's reporting of rumour was a wrong move.

An apology, not a defence, for their actions wouldn't go astray.

**********************************************************************************************

Racing Victoria stewards set a dangerous precedent in their allowing the late scratching of Exceptionally at Flemington on the weekend.

Some said their decision was applauded "virtually unanimously". Hardly.

Pity the poor winner backers who had to be hammered with a deduction because of the late scratching.

Stipes allowed Exceptionally to be scratched on a "good 3" surface. There was no upgrade to a "good 2".

So the question begs will Exceptionally be allowed to run on a "good 3" again.

It's a legitimate question to pose.

The horse should have been scratched at the race morning deadline.

The defence put forward by trainer Terry O'Sullivan was that "rain was coming".

Using the Melbourne weather as a premise in an argument? Please.

**********************************************************************************************

Another brickbat to RV stewards for suspending Damien Oliver for slackening the pace at Moonee Valley last weekend.

Unsurprisingly, it was thrown out on appeal.

As Adrian Dunn wrote in an intelligent piece in Winning Post, other jockeys have a responsibility to look ahead and see what is happening like a driver on the road.

And the sectional times clearly blunted the stewards' charge.

**********************************************************************************************

Don't be surprised if Ipswich secures the October Labor Day date next year.

Ipswich have had the date when Labor Day was positioned in May and it was their second most successful meeting behind the July Cup day fixture.

This move makes common sense and I'm betting odds-on it will happen.

More articles