The disgusting way fans treat journalists

UnitedSofa

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This summer's transfer window has really summed up how disgusting Football fans are online, who most of them are relatively young and immature. But after seeing two tweets from two different journalists / broadcasters and the vitriol that is spread their way is quite frankly disgusting and needs to be stamped out of the game.

These guys aren't frauds, neither are they just making things up. They're qualified journalists who have been recognised by huge newspaper organisations, in Mittens case anyway as Tim is a commentator and mainly gives his thoughts and insights to things. Even still he's been recognised by huge broadcast companies such as Talksport. Regardless of how 'reliable' you may or may not think these are still major major organisations who just don't hire anyone.

It disgusts me to see this tweets calling them frauds and comparing them to fellow journalists. This is their job and their livelihood. Sure you could argue that it comes with the territory, criticism, yes, as long as it's respectable, then critisicm is fine. But to call them liars and frauds is the ultimate disrespect to highly qualified journalists and writers.

We don't know what they do or how they do it or how difficult it may be. None of us know the industry. We just see what we see on our end, I.e: articles and tv reports. We don't see the hours of work that goes in behind the scenes, the fact checking, the calling up various sources day in day out for hours on end trying to get the news out.

What do you get for it? Death threats and snotty nosed teenagers telling you how shite at your job you are because it's not what you wanted to hear.

I say it a lot, but Football is full of entitled fans who think that they know best.

What also upsets me is this whole "Tier" based system for journalists. What?!

Imagine how it must feel, if you'd work for years upon years working at lower level newspaper organisations (Such as local and community based newspaper orgs) and gradually cutting your teeth and working your way up for 10-15 years until you finally get the job that you want. For some snotty nosed entitled teenager or manchild telling you that your work is shite because it's not exactly the most positive news.

How disrespectful to be told "you know nothing mate" what do you think after all that work their just going to make something up and put it out there. Highly highly HIGHLY doubt it. All that journalistic intergrity that you've built up for a good portion of your life only to throw it away with a crappy article.

It's RIFE in this place too. All over the transfer tweets thread, there's plenty of arrogance and childish behaviour calling out journalists for simply doing their job. It's disgusting. I say it time and time again, but this place is great for it. Why is it that every bad news is treated like it's gospel, yet any good news, is BS, you know nothing, sorry excuse for a journalist and my favourite one by a country mile.....don't believe it....it's a brief. Good lord almighty.

These people are human too and they don't deserve the vitriol that gets spread their way. It happens nearly every transfer window and it needs to be stamped out. Call out this dickish behaviour, this isn't what football is all about. We shouldn't want brand new shiny toys each year, and ironically, start throwing your toys out the pram when it doesn't go your way and start being personally abusive to the journalists that provide you the information.

It's a tough job being a journalist, but they shouldn't be subject to this sort of behaviour from stupid snotty nosed teenagers and man children.
 

SATA

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Not sure where to ask this but did Mitten ever revealed who was the player that an agent offered to United few days ago before the deadline if anyone remember?
 

AltiUn

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It's deplorable but it's not limited to journalists. Some of the stuff people have been saying about the players has left a very bad taste in the mouth. If we weren't already I think this summer we've cemented ourself as the worst fanbase on social media. Although I don't think there's a single fanbase in the top flight that covers themselves in glory.
 

mu4c_20le

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Damn, so serious. The whole LUHG thing on twitter is a toxic cesspool.
 

do.ob

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Here's another one with a shout-out.


The thing is that to me it seems like for every "good" journalists there are several clickbait storytellers. I think for the most part sports journalists only have themselves to blame for their bad name, but sending them hate on Twitter is still wrong of course.
 

UnitedSofa

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Here's another one with a shout-out.


The thing is that to me it seems like for every "good" journalists there are several clickbait storytellers. I think for the most part sports journalists only have themselves to blame for their bad name, but sending them hate on Twitter is still wrong of course.
To be fair, the writers of the articles won't write their own headlines.

A journalist writes the story who then sends it on to the editor for sign off, then the editor sends it off to the headline writer to make a catchy headline to make people click on it. The headline is not necessarily wrong or misinformative, but it will be worded in such a way to get you to click.
 

Sky1981

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Live by the sword, die by the sword

Chat shit get banged

Majority of them made up bullshit news they're bound to get called upon at one point

(I don't condone racist/violent threats etc, but being called a fraud is fair game)
 
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It's deplorable but it's not limited to journalists. Some of the stuff people have been saying about the players has left a very bad taste in the mouth. If we weren't already I think this summer we've cemented ourself as the worst fanbase on social media. Although I don't think there's a single fanbase in the top flight that covers themselves in glory.
I don’t go on Twitter, and that’s far worse as it’s unregulated. But it’s pretty bad in here a lot of the time.

I’m not sure fans actually watch the football, they just want to complain, and complain about everyone and everything.

I agree I don’t think it’s just a football thing. Clearly those people who spout off like this will do it for every aspect of the miserable lives.

I don’t frequent other forums, but our fans have been horrific this summer. There seems very little room for constructive debate and opinion.
 

Gambit

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Where as I'm against the threats. So called sports journalists are also full of shite. If traffic on a site is running low they will churn out a quick United transfer rumour that has no founding on evidence. Our we don't comment on transfer rumours is a god send to them as we don't deny them either so they have free reign to do as they want.
 

do.ob

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To be fair, the writers of the articles won't write their own headlines.

A journalist writes the story who then sends it on to the editor for sign off, then the editor sends it off to the headline writer to make a catchy headline to make people click on it. The headline is not necessarily wrong or misinformative, but it will be worded in such a way to get you to click.
I meant that in the broader sense. E.g. all the reporters according to whom there was a new breakthrough in the Sancho deal every couple of days. Or, likely, the journalists who suddenly claim to know about every single transfer that's happening in Europe, while they tour podcasts, write books or make videos about themselves.
 

el3mel

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I have said this multiple times, United fans on Twitter are stupid and annoying. Check the comments section on any Tweet of the official club Twitter page. Way too stupid, way too annoying.
 

LoneStar

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It's deplorable but it's not limited to journalists. Some of the stuff people have been saying about the players has left a very bad taste in the mouth. If we weren't already I think this summer we've cemented ourself as the worst fanbase on social media. Although I don't think there's a single fanbase in the top flight that covers themselves in glory.
It’s a vocal minority tbf.
 

DavelinaJolie

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We live in times where if you don't like something you just say the person saying it made it up and abuse them. It's not just football.
 

RedDevil@84

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Journos lie through their teeth to create traffic for the owners. They also have sh***y biased opinions which can make or break a player. The hype they create sometimes destroy a young player or drive the prices like crazy in the market. They also destroy players, shatter manager-player relationships by constantly talking about small things in a big way. They also drive the agenda (like United get penalties) which causes the refs to be biased in games.

Some others make their wealth by giving nonsensical opinions to attract reaction, thus driving the traffic for themselves.

No one deserves abuse, but the journalists cannot say they didn't have it coming.

Edit: And yes, twitter is pure vile because it is unregulated nonsense. The corporations won't act on it. But if the cons outweigh the pros, journalists have an option to stay off from it
 

pascell

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I'm not condoning what these fans have said and will say in the future because it is morally wrong.

But it also works both ways, some journalist/fan channels use tweets mainly to drive traffic through their website, social media platforms and YouTube channels to gain more hits, which means more money for them.

United are the easy money spinner, we've got a global fanbase that can be reached via #MUFC and @ManUtd, that's all it takes, two tags and you're making money. Most journalists siphon off this, they show no morales in doing so as a means of making money because that's what they want to do, make money.

Unfortunately the likes of Mitten etc are caught in the crossfire amidst the hysteria of a transfer window. Several journalists have played United fans this summer in our pursuit of many targets, whether fabricated or true.

I don't use Twitter, refuse to do so as its the worst of the lot, it gives anyone the platform to throw vile abuse at people and not receive a consequence.
 

James Peril

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Three aspects. Journalists are not common people like you or me, their names are known and they will receive messages and opinions from everyone. Secondly, journalists have chosen their own profession and they have collectively disgraced their own business over the years. Being a journalist for a rag like the Sun or the Daily Mail is now the same as being an influencer, you need clicks to survive - there is no award for genuine content and you do whatever it takes to get there. Thirdly; this will never stop unless you have to log in with your own name and credentials, just like with your banking system.

People who write drivel and hatred anonymously on the internet are a certain bunch, often young, stupid, naive and irrational - if not only the latter three. The world is filled with deviants and idiots, but they won’t say the same, nasty stuff if their name is out in plain sight. There is a reason why we have prisions and people will stop writing stuff when there are consequences involved.
 

mav_9me

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Twitter will be the end of civilisation.
Ironic because as a doctor so much of my continued medical education comes from following some excellent doctors on Twitter. I have learnt so much from what's called Free Open Access Medical Education (FOAMED) of which Twitter is a big part.
 

mav_9me

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I don't think this is anything particular to united or soccer. This is just a lot of Twitter. I am sure so many of the more well known people get so much of similar abuse. I imagine it's much much worse for women.
 

SteveCoppellFan

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Im all for a little privacy but im not sure why it would be necessary for things like Twitter, Facebook etc etc.

I think anyone that opens a account for the above type places should have to verify their name and address before doing so and they can only have one account.

The fact these keyboard warriors can hide behind a false name to sprout rubbish seems ridiculous.

Every alias online should be linked directly to their name and address and when they over step the mark in a big way then they should be named and shamed and it made a police matter.

It would soon stop ...

Ive never been on Twitter so have no idea if people actually use their real names there.
 

sammsky1

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Twitter is documentation of the immediate response from the unimportant and faceless masses. Or what people used to say to each other when on a group setting when we used to talk in person together.

so journalists expressing their opinion on social media like Twitter will only ever get that immediate conversational response. So they shouldn’t really expect anything different.
 

Suv666

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I have said this multiple times, United fans on Twitter are stupid and annoying. Check the comments section on any Tweet of the official club Twitter page. Way too stupid, way too annoying.
Everyone on Twitter is stupid and annoying.
 

Krits

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I feel more and more let down by internet as a whole. I used to be frequent on a lot of message boards like this one here, because it always felt like a nice place to chat about stuff you love. But every single message board out there is just a massive dick swinging competition. Who is better than who, who knows more. I'm pretty close to giving up on visiting here. The toxicity and negativity here is unhealthy. I hope most of the people here aren't that toxic in real life.

Twitter/Facebook is the worst invention that the internet birthed.
 

Glorio

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I just think we have some very entitled and miserable fans, where as far as they're concerned, the grass is always greener elsewhere.

Case in point: The same manager and the same team went on a near impossible run to clinch third and reach 3 cup semi finals last season, after a virtually non existent pre-season, we've had 3 bad performances, and there are threads being spun up everywhere regarding Ole getting the sack, or how terribly bad the players are.

Very reminiscent of many young, overconfident, but unseasoned boxers who burst on to the scene.
They underestimate opponents and think they have a God given right to walk over them, and then once it looks like the match is not going as they expected, and the guy the other end is giving as much as he gets, there's no middle ground at all, it's straight to the other extreme end of the spectrum: full on panic stations!

I really fear for the mental state of some folks on here. I get your hid behind a screen and feel it's ok to spout all sorts of disrespectful rubbish, but it's not.

A good self check:
Would you say the same if you were stood face to face with the subject/recipes of your post? And if yes, would that make you a bit of an idiot?
If yes, then maybe don't be an idiot
 

Zoo

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There’s a big difference to the vile response that Tim Long received to what Mitten has posted unless I’ve missed something.
 

Acole9

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I saw Mitten's tweet earlier, he got grief over that tweet about that Partizan player for ages and it looks as though he was right all along.

I don't like this tier system which has been taken from reddit. It's just pure snobbery, if you don't like an article, link or journalist then suck it up and stop being such a spoilt brat and don't read anything they've got to say.

I'm almost glad we didn't get Sancho because of the childish behaviour of some of our fans. All the comments on twitter were monotonous.
 

hobbers

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If you're on twitter you can't really complain about people being vile twats on it. Because that's literally its prime reason for existing.

Most football 'journos' on twitter are regurgitating clickbait nonsense with no interest at all in honesty or accuracy or fact checking. They want the clicks, the follows and the retweets and they dont care how many baseless stories they have to invent or copy to get them.

Of course there are the more serious broadsheet journos who are just on twitter because, well in their job they basically have to be now, but they are few and far between all the tabloid and ITK bollocks.
 

dev1l

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It's deplorable but it's not limited to journalists. Some of the stuff people have been saying about the players has left a very bad taste in the mouth. If we weren't already I think this summer we've cemented ourself as the worst fanbase on social media. Although I don't think there's a single fanbase in the top flight that covers themselves in glory.
Thing is the same posters that hurl abuse at our players are very sensitive when you direct same stuff at them.
Hypocrisy reigns over here.
 

UncleBob

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Journalists are, in general, absolute scum.
It's been getting worse since the introduction of social media, twitter.
 

Baxter

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This reddit ‘tier’ shit that has spread is absolute nonsense too.

Obviously take stuff from journalists/papers with no track record with a pinch of salt, but there are well sourced guys out with the big sources.

Romano is obviously very good at what he does but if anything anybody says goes against him, it’s a free for all. They’ll get different versions of stories from different sources. It’s the same when stories change and everyone is automatically quick to call out bullshit or that it was lies. Even guys with a proven reputation like Ornstein we’re getting abuse when they said something that wasn’t what people wanted to here.

That being said, ‘SadioSzn’ and ‘MartialMagic’ type football twitter accounts have a lot to blame for but they’re kids behind anonymous accounts so what can you do?
 
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JJ12

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Fans have been addicted and ott during transfer windows for some time now. Some care more about who comes in than what happens during the season.

Twitter is a cess pit in general, though.
 

Sandikan

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Knew Mitten would be involved.
For some reason he and that Pilib de Brun can send normally rational people into utter meltdown.