A biased newspaper is something that should never be printed. Every activity or occurrence that is relevant to Bradley University should have equal opportunity to be covered and reported on.
I have never seen so much unbalanced coverage in a sports section as I do in The Scout.
Almost every single issue is focused on men and women’s basketball. The issue printed March 7 had four out of six stories written solely on basketball. I’m sorry I didn’t realize that this was the only prominent sport on campus.
Never have I seen a story printed about Bradley’s track team. March 1 and 2 was the MVC indoor conference championships.
Sophomore Kristen Busch won the 5K title with a personal best and a school record, then came around and placed second in the 3K with another personal best.
Junior Emily Delvo won the 800m finals with a lifetime personal best and second-fastest time in Bradley history.
The distance medley relay placed third, medaled and achieved all-MVC honors. The 4x400m relay achieved a new school record, and junior Sarah McMahon placed fifth in the 3K, second in the 5K and was the recipient of the Elite 18 award for academic and athletic excellence for the third time.
I believe this is far more prominent coverage compared to the basketball story about a player overcoming an injury, or the embarrassing losing score of the men’s basketball team.
Don’t take these words out of context; I fully support the basketball teams, but come on, people. This story practically writes itself. It highlights such a huge achievement for the athletic department and shows how far the track team has come as a program.
There have also been so many other opportunities to cover the success of the track team, not just the recent MVC tournament. Yet, every time I open The Scout, the success of the program has just been brushed aside and in its place is a half-assed story.
By only covering one sport on a continuous basis you lose an audience. Who wants to read about a losing basketball game?
Why doesn’t this newspaper strive to cover an array of different types of sports instead of covering the same stories with the same names and the same pictures?
As reporters, it should be a goal to cover as much as possible with variety being the key.
Sincerely,
Melody Mercado
Freshman journalism major
