Steve Mascord: Don't shoot the messenger
Three days later, debating the merits of Friday's Jon Mannah/Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority story only serves to reheat an emotional imbroglio that should be just starting to cool down. That's the last thing anyone needs. If Cronulla has written to ASADA, effectively dobbing themselves in over giving peptides to Mannah, I'm glad I know about it and that it wasn't covered up by a well-meaning journalist concerned about being maligned for writing it. These are the dilemmas we rarely face. There is a saying in tabloids: ''A good display can turn a good story into a great story.'' ''Display'' is photos, headlines etc. But an over-the-top display can clearly also turn a worthy story into a community scandal.
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/the-truth-must-always-win-out-20130428-2ims9.html
I don't think I agree with Mascord.
a) Was Cronulla "effectively dobbing themselves in over giving peptides to Mannah"? I thought whether he took them or not was not part of the report.
b) Even if you hold a to be true just on Mannah's name being mentioned in report, how does the public knowing about this serve anybody but ACC interest of frightening the public into believing player's lives could be at risk?
Not even Syd Uni say there is a "genuine risk", it's only theoretical at this stage. The leak to tabloid gutter trash was deliberate; they knew they would maximise the fear and untruths to get the public opinion back in favor of the investigation & tighten the screws on the Sharks players before their interviews.
I don't think it's a story. Maybe it could be; in a week, month, year, decade time when there is actual evidence. But for now its just theories/ideas/rumours/gossip that were predictably dressed up as bombshells by TeleCrap, designed to favor whoever leaked the report and if the Mannah family get thrown under the bus in the process than so be it.