Dogs punt Bec Wilson/Tele

[innsaneink]

Bulldogs lose their bark
By Dean Ritchie
May 5, 2005

THE Bulldogs last night gagged themselves from speaking to two of Australia's biggest selling newspapers.

Bulldogs players, coaching staff and officials - including chief executive Malcolm Noad - will refuse to conduct any interviews with journalists from the Daily and The Sunday Telegraphs.

An opinion by columnist Rebecca Wilson in The Saturday Daily Telegraph has sparked the ban.

"I wrote my column based on my personal opinion," Wilson said last night.

"It certainly wasn't part of any conspiracy by this organisation - I simply expressed what I believed to be a valid opinion based on the events which surrounded Coffs Harbour.

"I have since received dozens of emails from readers, with about 80 percent expressing their support for what I wrote.

"To ban an entire organisation based on what I wrote is ludicrous. Banning me might be understandable.

"But banning the whole place is an overreaction from a club that appears to be suffering from paranoia.

"Why cut off your nose to spite your face?

"It is an extreme overreaction from a club who should be repairing bridges rather than destroying them."

Noad was last night frustrated with Wilson and explained why the club has imposed the ban.

"We have a problem. I've tried as hard as I can," said Noad, who ironically joined the Bulldogs from New Limited.

"If it means we don't talk, then we don't talk.

"But I am sick of copping it in the neck from Rebecca Wilson. She has stitched us up.

"We will fulfil our professional obligations [post-match press conferences, releasing team sheets] but it has reached the stage where we don't want to do any more than that."

Club officials claim they have tried to resolve their battle with Wilson but she was refusing to return calls.

But Wilson fired back: "As for an allegation that I haven't returned Malcolm Noad's calls, he hasn't tried to contact me for over a week.

"I spoke to him early last week about a column item in The Sunday Telegraph. I made a correction to an item involving the Bulldogs following that call.

"No one else from the club has tried to contact me since."

NRL chief executive David Gallop said: "It is a highly unusual step. Our clubs have certain media responsibilities that need to be met.

"It is a critical way of communicating with fans.

"I hope it can be resolved in the next few days."

The Daily and Sunday Telegraph executive sports editor Phil Rothfield said: "I'm surprised Malcolm has taken this stand.

"I worked alongside him at News Limited for 20 years and in his senior management role he always encouraged our columnists to express their opinion without fear or favour.

"He has congratulated our newspaper several times this year for positive Bulldogs stories but he obviously can't handle criticism."

The Daily Telegraph

http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,15179791-23214,00.html

All I can say is good on the Dogs, not often I support em, but in this instance yes.
Maybe 14 other clubs should follow suit for a period, I think they (Tele) would rather have communication with all clubs as opposed to having a rumour mongering trash journo on their books - but with no footy clubs to talk to.

 

[Boing Boing]

Good on the dogs. Rebecca Wilson wouldn't know her arse from a football. Why that woman is regarded as an expert is beyond me.

 

[Broncodroid]

I say nothing...my opinion on Rebecca Wilson is well documented

Do I think this stance will hold up for the rest of the season? Unlikely, David Gallopp will give Malcom Noad a tap on the shoulder reminding him of the clubs obligation to the media.

 

[m0j0]

Forgive my ignorance, but what did she write?

 

[Southernsaint]

I had the mis-fortune of flicking past that AFL Perfect Match show last night. Wilson's manky scone reminds me of those clowns heads in Sideshow Alley that you drop the ping-pong balls into.

Her credibility in the football world = 0

C*nterbury have said that they're fulfilling their media obligations sych as press conferences & team sheets but not doing anything extra for News Ltd...

 

[Dog-E]

Whilst it's sad to see one's team ban themselves from the major NRL news-rag - You have to agree with the principles!

Wilson has turned Rugy League journalism into a deadset JOKE! Her columns and 'opinions' read like a particularly seedy and disreputable edition of WHO Magazine!

She does the public perception of our sport, and her paper NO favours!!!

She needs to be stopped...How effective this ban will be - I suspect not at all - who really knows...But it is clear SOMEone had to take a stand, and this was a logical first step!....I would like to see a few more clubs follow suit - maybe we can get this little hack Wilson moved back onto the weather or social gossip pages - where she belongs!

Her grip on reality is tenuous and her credibility is sub-zero. She will be missed by NO-ONE! :evil:

 

[^ Pando]

Dean Ritchie is a good one to talk on the subject. He's stitched us up a few times himself.

 

[wittyfan]

80% support? So people actually read her ramblings? :shock:

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

Good on the dogs. Rebecca Wilson wouldn't know her arse from a football. Why that woman is regarded as an expert is beyond me.

She is a meer rumour columnist who should be reporting on fashion at the races, or gossip from the logies.

f**k her off from League let yawnion or AFL deal with this bag shes shitted me for years.

No crediability and anyone that takes her seriously needs to take a good hard look at themselves.

 

[Chook]

Rebecca Wilson epitomises the level to which journalism has sunk too in this country.

Chook.

P.S Is that ok? :roll:

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

*edit*
I had the misfortune of seeing that dating AFL show on fox and by god it was horrific she is pathetic!

Cant remember who said shes got a head and build like a bloke but they hit the nail on the head!

 

[Mr Saab]

knight82...she has also a voice like a man. Aussie Ocka at its best.

I am glad the dogs are keeping silent...full credit to them. Bennett did it 2001, so the Dogs can do it 2005.
Dogs have been stiched up big time. Willie Mason goes to a concert (crime of the decade) and he has a 2 page spread written about him.
Crocker is involved in a melee where he is charged and didlee squat is written

 

[lemon rabbit]

There's no way the ban will stay in place - the Dogs will get tapped on the shoulder.

While I don't agree with Rebecca Wilson most of the time and actually refuse to read her now, one comment in the paper today is correct - the Bulldogs thank them for positive articles and take this reaction for negative ones. I've worked in a similar field (not reporting on league, however) and it's always the way.

Wilson is a joke but lets rememeber that if it isn't her, it'd be somebody else. The paper WANT that kind of stuff, they don't just tolerate it. I'm sure she is told to fire up.

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

She brought up an issue that had been flogged to death and was buried.

An issue that the dogs we abundantly cleared of and tried to make a big issue of it and basically say that they were more then likely guilty.

I'd be pretty pissed off to!

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

For some of my earlier posts on this issue I apologise to all viewers of this forum the language and tone was a bit to inappropriate its just that this womans columns at the best of times annoy me but this one trying to bag League again really made me fly off the handle.

So sorry will try to keep in mind not everyone appreciates my colourful language.

 

[MightySharks]

Can anyone give me her e-mail? I will put a dent in her 80% support when I tell her what I think?

While where on the subject of bad journo's last week on the footy show dickhead Danny said that David Peachey will not be at the Sharks and playing for an English Super League club. What does he bese these comments on when the Peach has come out yesterday and said he was never going to England and he is a one club man. Even Peachey's daughter asked him why they were moving to England and he had to explain that someone was spreading lies about him.
I can't believe you can just make stuff up about these playes without any evidence and without any repercussions to the people writing them.
Good on you bulldogs, like someone else said maybe all clubs shoul ban the telegraph until they get the message that it is not okay to print lies!

 

[JW]

This is what she wrote...

DIGGING FOR THE TRUTH - By Rebecca Wilson.

The PIC is now having a look at the so called Coffs Harbour scandal. No fewer than 5 senior policemen will be investigated as a result of the whole sorry saga that enveloped the Canterbury club last year.

The PIC's terms of reference are narrow and very little new information may come to light as a result of it. But five policemen are on leave pending the results of the investigation (two return to work on Monday) making them in one small way victims of one of leagues darkest times.

What we still don't know, is exactly what happened in Coffs Harbour last year. League has had its fair share of scandals and drame but nothing quite like the magnitude of Coffs, Super League changed the course of the game politically.

Coffs Harbour changed the game because it made us really look at, and question the integrity of our heroes off the field. A loss of innocence from league supporters particularly females occured because of it.The fact that no player was found to have a case to answer still left many perplexed as to why nobody ever told us what happened. If there was no case well why not come clean on the facts surrounding the case.

I will say here that I will never ever attend a Bulldogs' home game again because of the Coffs Harbour scandal. Back in the days of Chris Anderson and Peter Moore I was a regular at Canterbury games. The Bulldogs still have many good men and women just like Moore and Anderson still on their board, in their player ranks and in the fan club. But Coggs has cast a huge shadown on them all. The good people at Belmore deserve better.

Let's face it, the scuttlebutt and the rumours have never gone away. Neither has the smell around the club. No matter what anyone told us at the time, we all wondered, and still do, just what happened in the coastal city during that couple of days back in the beginning of 2004.

Malcolm Noad's now infamous statment "Let's pretend Coff's never happened" went down like a lead balloon and still does. Hundreds of women walked out on the presentation of the NRL trophy at the end of last season. They couldn't bring themselves to watch it because of the innuendo that still surrounded the team six months after the scandal.

Most of my female friends, all of them mothers, refused to tip them in the office tipping competion and they all agree they won't go to Canterburry games again.

The police announced there was no case to answer. Not one person ever told us what actually happened that night, or on the nights leading up to the alleged assault. The victimmade her allegations to the police but the public didn't hear her side of the story.

We didn't hear from any of the players either because not one single one ever admitted he was one of those accused. The police declared case closed. The club claimed everyone had been hard done by and nothing untoward occured."Just look at the evidence" they said, "Everyone has been cleared" The fact that a chief executive, a football manager and a board member are no longer at the clubshould surely tell us something did happen that wasn't necessarily right.

The players turned up at police headquarters wearing shorts and looking anything but concerned following the airing of of the gang rape allegations. They were fined for their casual attire and apparent lack of respect for the situation.

Now the issue has resurfaced.What we do know is that Jim Hall and Malcolm Noad have made a complaint that has resulted in the case ending up the subject of another investigation. Whether they end up regretting waking sleeping dogs remains to be seen.

The PIC is unlikely to throw up any more facts than the scant ones we already have.What it just might do though, is trigger action from the club or the alleged victim. The police are withinh their powers to tell us why no chargers were laid, or if something did really happen ( as one police officer did say in a media conference last year )

If Coffs Harbour is just a figment of our imaginations tell us for gods sake. This famous old club and its supporters deserve to know. The Canterburry club won't be able to genuinely move on and claim falsely lost its credibility untill we know the whole true story.

 

[bartman]

Trouble is by going up against the whole paper (owned bythe same mob that owns half our game), Wilson and colleagues will get their backs up and think that they're important cutting edge journalists.

Maybe Dogs should try and hit the paper where it really hurts, by publicly requesting all supporters to stop buying the paper until Wilson's column is dropped? A lot of other NRL fans would probably follow suit in sympathy, and the drop in sales is a better way to grab the attention of the paper's management.

 

[JW]

EMAIL:

[email protected]

 

[PARRA_FAN]

Rebecca Wilson. :roll:

She definatley ran out of controversial things to say about Rugby League, so she decided to bring up something that was gone ages ago.

Why wouldnt the Bulldogs be p1ssed off? *edit*

Rebecca Wilson is a host of an AFL show, WTF would she know about Rugby League. :roll: