Journalists should tell you news when it comes to hand, not at a time that suits the subject
AFL journalist Tom Morris broke the story of Richmond Coach Damien Hardwick’s resignation yesterday which created the situation in which a few of the Richmond playing group found out their coach was leaving at the same time as the public.
Some people on socials were outraged by this, which is tiresome, because it reveals a complete misunderstanding of the purpose of journalism.
A journalist’s role is to get you news, which is new information that is correct. And that information should be independent – which means it should be released when the journalist finds out, not at a time that’s convenient for the organisation they’re covering. Even in 2023, journalists should try not to be messengers for the apparatus.
I know that Tom Morris was sidelined after he outed the sexuality of one of his Fox Sports colleagues on a WhatsApp group last year. That was private citizen Tom Morris behaving in a toxic way. But the incident should not be conflated with the breaking of the Hardwick story - which is an example of a journalist doing their job.
Journalists always ensure families are notified by police that a loved one has died before they write about it. But no one has died here. If some players found out via media that their coach was going before the coach was able to call them himself, then they’ll be fine. It’s nothing like the grief of losing a Grand Final by a kick.