Why Is the Media So Upset With Tiger Woods?

I consider my brain to be pretty media-centered, but I guess you’ll have to excuse me if I slip into PR spin mode when situations like Tigers Woods come up. After all, I was part of the office that had to deal with this and this.↵↵I just can’t understand why the media – not everyone but a large majority, it seems – is so upset with Woods for announcing that he will be speaking to the public for the first time this Friday. (UPDATE: Per SBD, the GWAA has voted to boycott the event.) To recap, on his official website, the Woods team posted this, in part:↵

↵↵⇥Tiger Woods will be speaking to a small group of friends, colleagues and close associates at 11:00 a.m. EST on Friday at the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Tiger plans to discuss his past and his future, and he plans to apologize for his behavior.↵⇥↵⇥He wants to begin the process of making amends, and that’s what he’s going to discuss. His remarks will be open to a press pool for live coverage. It is NOT a news conference.↵⇥

↵↵They put the word in all caps, people. It’s NOT a news conference. It’s Tiger Woods, making a public statement. He’s inviting some of the media to be there, if for nothing else, as a courtesy. So why are people refusing to accept that? New York Post columnist Mike Vaccaro shot off a column about Tiger, suggesting the media boycott the event. He then reiterated his point on Twitter by stating:↵↵⇥Press conferences are supposed to be that: conferences, not dictation pools.↵↵Again, Mike, in ALL CAPS, it’s NOT a news conference. If you want to make the semantic argument that by inviting the press, Woods is thereby making this a press conference, then fine. But it’s not. So stop getting so angry about it.
↵
↵

SportsBusiness Daily had news that the Golf Writers Association of America may boycott if Camp Woods doesn’t let in more of its members (UPDATE: They have, per the link above.) Other writers are scoffing at Tiger’s “appearance” in front of cameras. Don’t they get it? Tiger wins if they don’t show up. The room is going to be filled with as many people as they want it to be, whether they are actual media members or just interns from Woods’ agent Mark Steinberg’s office holding reporter’s notebooks so they look like media members.↵↵From a PR standpoint, they don’t actually want the media there. Tiger doesn’t want to answer any questions about this. He wants to make a statement and move on. And frankly – excuse my PR brain again – he shouldn’t have to answer questions. What happened was splashed across the front page of every newspaper in the world for what seemed like a month (even longer in Vaccaro’s paper, actually) and the entire time, Tiger kept his mouth shut. I’m somewhat surprised he’s even saying something now. This is not a situation like Mark McGwire, who came clean about cheating the game of baseball upon his return. Tiger Woods cheated on his wife. He doesn’t have to answer any questions from the media about that.↵

↵↵Woods’ handlers have decided it makes more sense to invite a select group of media to the event. Brooks has the rundown of who has been invited, and let’s just say, they are very Tiger friendly. If those invited think by showing up they’ll be seen as a shill for the Woods camp, by all means, stay home and watch it on TV like the rest of us. Those who do go might take the opportunity to do some actual journalism. Tiger won’t be fielding questions, but maybe his agent will. Perhaps a buddy of his will have loose lips before the event begins and some reporter will be able to grab a quote nobody else has. Or maybe his mother will have something to say. The event is taking place at the TPC Sawgrass, so maybe officials from the PGA will have a few extra nuggets for those in attendance.↵

↵↵When the President of the United States gives a statement and leaves with a barrage of questions being flung upon him that he pretends he doesn’t hear, do those reporters just sit there like a bunch of mopes, wondering why they came to a press conference and couldn’t ask questions? No, because they know they’ll get taken care of in other ways. Maybe it will come the next day, maybe it’ll be six months from now, with a sit-down interview when the time is right for Tiger. But there is merit to being in the room, even if you can’t ask anything directly to Tiger.↵

↵↵For the other side of this argument, check out Shanoff’s post this morning. To hear me say most of what I just wrote, check out today’s show.↵

↵