Media off the Mark in Illicit Drug Reporting
Posted by Michael Filosi on 24th May 2010
By Michael Filosi
There has been a tremendous amount of hoopla recently surrounding the release of the AFL’s illicit drug testing results for the 2009 season. The media latched onto the higher number of positive tests when compared with the previous year as an indication that the league’s illicit drug testing regime is ineffective, whereas the AFL trumpeted the overall decrease in the percentage of positive tests as proof that their system is working. Is this a good result for the AFL, or is it a case of lies, damn lies and statistics?
Along with the number-play over the meaning of the test results, there are sections of the media that have heavily criticised the AFL’s purported “soft” stance when dealing with those who test positive to illicit substances, lambasting the fact that players are not “named and shamed” until testing positive three times over a four year period. The chest beating that accompanies this moral outrage leaves me wondering whether they would be satisfied if those who tested positive were hanged, drawn and quartered by the AFL – or whether these members of the fourth estate would seek an even harsher penalty still. Read the rest of this entry »
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