Let's begin by being clear the New York Islanders deserve media criticism for the 2013-14 season along with many past seasons despite injuries.
Exactly the same as other teams with/near/worse/same record in newspapers.
Let's also be clear our fans are the only thing that matters. The media in newspapers are the "only" professional media, not myself or other amateur fan blogs/websites.
You visit this site as a substitute you have come to the wrong place. The professional media is the standard, they are what counts, not here.
Did anyone really think since 2007, or even back to the mailing list, I was critical of media for my own gain? Do some of you understand how easy it would have been simply go along with anything written like most others do?
Never.
Don't you see enough self-serving individuals do this to the point you cannot even tell what's professional anymore?
If folks saw this website critical of media for not covering our team well or with a bias considered unfair, the harder path was taken, especially when it meant a backlash directed toward me which is very easy with a last place team struggling most of the time while I have consistently defended the position Charles Wang has been placed in.
Example: Arthur Staple of Newsday is outworked, out-blogged, and does thousands of less twitter updates vs the usual middling or worse Knicks/Rangers, who are covered by Steve Zipay.
I look at the numbers, post them on twitter, asking why...........and more. I do not pull punches on the former self-admitted former Ranger fan/full time beat-writer.
Here comes the backlash----- my favorite response being: "The Islanders deserve it" despite the Knicks being worse than the Islanders over a decade, the Rangers eight years without playoffs, and middling play.
Funny how George Richards covering the Florida Panthers, or the Columbus Dispatch selling the Blue Jackets have no problems working much harder than Mr Staple/Newsday staff covering New York Islander hockey, those organizations have been far worse, so have many others at different times.
Those professional writers treat those teams great win or lose......beatwriters work hard.
No. I'm not playing the Dolan card (although the drop in coverage/pay-wall happened when they bought Newsday) much of what I'm writing about was going on when the Tribune company owned Newsday, and the Islanders were making the playoffs in 02,03,04,07.
Steve Zipay's newspaper blog back then outright advertised: "If you think Long Island is really Ranger Country prove it by visiting my Rangers blog."
Last I looked the Rangers were one (11/21) point ahead of the Islanders, the Knicks well below five hundred and a non-playoff team for close to a decade.
On 10/29 a Newsday extra writer did a blog entry titled: Rangers have been here before at 3-7.
Our team did not get that entry from Mr Staple or a secondary writer. How come?
This season Frans Nielsen has had not one entry from Mr Staple? Three scorers on this team top ten in NHL scoring. Nothing?
The Numbers:
Blog Entries/Twitter 2013-14:
Arthur Staple vs Steve Zipay:
November 2013:
Zipay 23 entries, mostly positive updates.
Staple 18 entries: 12 mostly negative since 11/6 what's wrong with Islanders.
Content: (only negative themed content)
11/6:
What's Wrong With Islanders
11/8:
Fixing the Isles powerplay problems.
*11/9:
Vanek is Garth Snow's gamble
It's about the W's for Nabokov
No talks with MacDonald yet
11/11:
Islanders having another November
swoon
11/15:
Thoughts after Thursday night's loss
11/16:
Cizikas has struggled amid high
expectations
Faceoffs a problem for Isles
11/19:
Grabner expected the scratch
11/20:
Test of leadership for Isles,Tavares
11/21:
Isles hope to turn it around avoid last place in Metropolitan Division.
*Yes, Mr Staple's three entries on 11/9 was one short of his entire October total of four.
October 2013:
Zipay 36 entries
Staple 4 entries (one pre-dated season opener)
Total Newsday Blog Entries:
Zipay 61 (extra writer cheer-leading 10/29/13-1)
Staple 22
Twitter:
Zipay: 22,855
Staple: 7,934
For those who check the Newsday archives past 2013-14 it's not even close with the disparity around a 10/1 ratio.
Yes, I got the Greg Logan is a different kind of writer than Zipay excuses prior to the summer intern (Katie Strang) getting the beat where Strang outworked Logan/Staple between her Peter Pan/Prince Charming references until she went anonymous sources/friction in the Islanders locker room. (she did not go there with the bickering Tortorella Rangers in 2013 with the players quoted comments but graded only Islander management from afar?)
I have kept my promise of not discussing local media since the season started. and wished to share this only on twitter, but after a while felt it appropriate to explain better here.
Bottom line it's up to you as fans to confront professional the beat-writer (or his/her editor) with these numbers/content disparity, asking why?
I did this entry because you deserve better/more coverage whether or not the New York Islanders win or lose games.
The professional media does for many other losing teams in New York, and around the NHL.
Thank You for reading.