Look journalists are fans (or pretend to be for money) of whatever code they like. If it was as easy as ignoring AFL/union/tiddlywinks articles because I'm not a fan, and vice-versa, then we'd all be much better off.
But I cannot escape the fact that league, and to some extent soccer, gets treated completely differently in all forms of media than the other codes. Players are held to higher standards and are pilloried to a much more sensationalised degree. Equal time is not given to talking about the on-field action. Even dedicated programs like NRL360 spend at least half the time trashing the code. This is leaving aside all the negativity we ourselves generate whinging about refereeing or eligibility criteria etc.
It all adds up to a self-sustaining frame or lens through which RL is viewed by everyone, including (critically) the casual sports fan. I don't even need to suggest there's an anti-RL media agenda for the facts to still be true.
By all means report the misdemeanours of RL personalities but only do it fairly and I'll shut up.