Untold Media Review: The Mirror – Don’t panic « Untold Arsenal: Arsenal News, supporting the club, the players and the manager

Untold Arsenal Media Watch: The Sunday Mirror

Mirror Coverage of Newcastle and Liverpool Matches

By: Anne and the Untold Media team

Note: much thanks to Stephen for his research contributions to this article.

*Editorial Note following what happened at Old Trafford:

I’m not even going to talk about what happened this afternoon, because I’m not ready for it. However, I do want to point out that the issue in this media watch (the “anxiety and crisis” talking points campaign), is going to be a bigger issue following the loss to ManU. In fact, I’m fairly confident that it will be scaled up significantly in the coming weeks. I’m only covering the Mirror here, but there are also other media outlets involved in this as well, so I think it would be a good idea to pay attention to these tactics now. Best way to avoid letting them influence you in the future. Thanks.

-Anne

Newcastle Match Coverage

Where the Mirror is concerned, the best thing to keep in mind regarding their Arsenal coverage is to always have the words “don’t panic!” in the back of your mind. However, before I get into that, I’ll give you Stephen’s brief summary of the Mirror’s general coverage of the Newcastle match:

In the Sunday Mirror’s match report (by Brian McNalley), Stephen reports that the actual coverage of the match action is limited. The coverage of the match that does appear is a generally fair assessment of the main points of action.  The article doesn’t pick up on some of Walter’s observations with regards to Stuart Taylor’s fouls, but does mention that Barton should have also received a red card. The referee gets a 6 rating.

Moving on…One of the main reasons that the Mirror’s coverage of the actual match is so limited is because of the amount of space that they devote to “other” topics, such as the “crisis” and “anxiety” talking points campaign that features heavily in the Mirror’s Arsenal coverage.  In the Newcastle match report, these talking points were inserted into their descriptions of Arsenal’s style of play (McNally uses the words:  nervous, hesitant, anxiety), as well as their descriptions of Arsene Wenger on the touchline (worried, wearied, ultra defensive).

Some specific examples of McNally’s use of talking points are as follows:

“Arsenal passed Newcastle off the park but it seemed that the anxiety that has afflicted Wenger in recent months had got to the players…Wenger appears to be ignoring the crisis in his club’s midst.”

“The Gunners dominated in terms of possession but they looked nervous and hesitant when ever the goal came into sight.”

“The response of many anxious Gooners is that if losing two stars of the calibre of Fabregas and Nasri is not his main worry, then it is about time it was…Wenger appears to be ignoring the crisis in his club’s midst.”

In general, the talking points that have been analyzed previously on Untold were intended to convey some type of idea to the readers, by repeating the claim over and over again. However, what the Mirror is doing here is slightly different, in that they are attempting to create a particular mood amongst readers: in this case, anxiety, fear, and even (as we’ll see later) panic. This tactic becomes even more apparent in the Mirror’s coverage of the Liverpool match.

The Mirror’s match report on the Arsenal-Liverpool match (which is not attributed to any particular author) begins with their “crisis” talking point, stating that “[t]here may be crisis clouds at Arsenal but Kenny Dalglish was full of smiles…” Also, on a slightly unrelated note, it’s worth noting that before the Mirror eve gets into the events of the match, they opine that:

“Injuries and ­suspensions aside, this was further evidence that [Arsenal] lack the depth and quality in their squad to challenge for major honours this season… Wenger and his team are in for a tough campaign [unless he becomes active in the transfer market].”

I think that this is a rather strong statement of opinion for a match report, as opposed to an editorial, but moving on… The Mirror also quoted Arsene Wenger as saying:

“Despite all this talk of a crisis, which is coming far too early, I have always maintained I want a good team with good players. Nothing has changed.”

Note here that the Mirror uses Wenger’s refutation of its talking points as a means of re-emphasizing them. One particularly interesting aspect of the Mirror’s match coverage is that, at the conclusion of their articles, they include a “VERDICT,” which gives their ultimate opinion on the match, along with “THE BIG ISSUE,” which allows them to draw attention to any particular issue that they choose. These sections are useful in determining the editorial position of the paper. With regard to the Liverpool match, the Mirror’s “verdict” is as follows:

“There is no doubt that Kenny Dalglish’s side looked strong and will only improve. But the growing crisis engulfing Arsenal and the Emirates is showing no signs of subsiding.” Further to that, the question that they presented as their “big issue” is: “Do Arsenal fans start to think the unthinkable that they might finish outside the top four?”

The second match of the season seems a bit early to be asking this question, no? My take would be that this has more to do with their “fear” campaign than anything else. Nonetheless, the Mirror offers the following opinion:

“On the evidence of their opening two games you would argue that it’s a tall order for the Gunners. Their lack of activity in the transfer market is evident and the home defeat by Liverpool exposed the lack of depth and quality in Arsene Wenger’s squad despite the absence of key players through injury and suspension. Unless the Arsenal boss spends heavily during the final days of the transfer window it is unlikely to ease talk of a crisis and prevent the critics and home supporters from writing them off this season. Yet again the supporters made their feelings clear at the end by booing their side off.” (note: I’m not sure that the booing part is true)

Just below the match report, the Mirror includes a link to the opinion series “Michael Calvin Big Match Verdict,” which reinforces the paper’s editorial position with an article titled “Can Arsenal afford to trust in Wenger as crisis deepens?”

At this point, I would like to emphasize again that this article was published following only the second match of the season, so whatever “crisis” there might have been could certainly not have “deepened” TOO much. And the reason I re-emphasize this point is because it’s very important in terms of ascertaining the motive of the writer. Why would he be calling “crisis” following the second match of the season, if it were not his motive to promote that sentiment? That being said, here is his take on the precise nature of Arsenal’s current “crisis:”

“Arsenal cannot afford the price of Arsene Wenger’s principles.

They cannot bear the cost of the purity of his approach to an impure game.

They cannot trust the professionalism of senior players, looking for the lifeboats.

They cannot rely on the innocence and exuberance of youth.

They cannot expect to remain ­immune from the insanity of the transfer market.

They cannot even console themselves that the only way is up.”

So, according to Calvin, the aspect of the “crisis” at Arsenal that’s most worthy to head the list is the fact that Arsenal has maintained its “principles” and “purity” in an “impure game.”  Well, we would all define “crisis” a little differently, I guess…Aside from that, the remainder of his points are too ill-defined and vague to really respond to. Moving on, Calvin states:

“Just when it seemed things could get no worse, as the warm summer rain hammered down, they did. Liverpool’s first win at Arsenal for 11 years has triggered a full blown crisis. If a shadow side is eliminated from the Champions League by Udinese in midweek, the panic will be contagious.”

Now, this next part is particularly worthy of your attention, because it concerns Calvin’s opinion of what is likely to occur in the event that there is a “setback at Old Trafford next Sunday.”  And the reason this sentence is worthy of such notice is because it is an indication of where the media is likely to be going this week, and it will allow you to prepare for it. Remember, the Mirror is not the only media outlet working on this “fear” and “crisis” angle, so pay attention and be prepared. According to Calvin, a loss at ManU:

“will force Arsenal to think the unthinkable in the ­international break.

Financial forecasts will be ­shredded. Fans will be in revolt.

The board will have a duty to ask uncomfortable questions of a man who has shaped the club in his own image.

Wenger has used up his reserves of respect. His integrity has been questioned, his training methods have been pilloried, and his CV doubles as toilet tissue.”

So, here the point emerges… This is really about Wenger. And apparently, they are looking for a “fan revolt” to help that process along. So, in the coming weeks, you should expect all manner of inducement and incitement to be coming at you from all sides, whether it be towards panic, or anger, or who knows what else? However, whatever it might be, the most important thing is to always think about the motive or agenda of your information source before you allow yourself to become angry or frightened.  And I’ll conclude by saying this:

There ARE some problems at Arsenal right now, and I’m not going to deny that. Those problems need to be addressed, and I’ll admit to feeling a little bit of anxiety myself following today’s match. And in a situation like this, it’s very tempting to turn to others for advice. However, it can also make you more vulnerable to people who are seeking to influence you. In the coming days and weeks, we’re going to experience an onslaught of people giving their opinions on exactly what Arsenal’s problems are, and what exactly Arsenal should do to fix them.

However, before you allow yourself to be influenced by anyone, the most important thing is to always ask yourself the following question: Does this person really care about Arsenal, and does it matter to them whether Arsenal succeeds? If the answer to that question is “no,” then there’s no reason to believe that the advice that they’re offering is even intended to help Arsenal in the first place. And there’s a good chance that the truth is precisely the opposite. And unfortunately, at the current moment, it seems that nearly everyone on television, on the radio, or in the newspapers, falls into the “doesn’t care about Arsenal” category, thus making their opinions unworthy of much attention from us.