David,
I think Geoff acknowledges the issues he is most concerned about, and provides links to stories by others that educate us about the issues, but there is little critical analysis like what a Matt Taibbi does at Rolling Stone with his blog. There is no investigative journalism in the main golf press. What exists is for our entertainment and amusement, it does not exists to delve deeply into the issues that affect the game.
Kelly,
First off, my condolences for Longhorns. I did think about calling you and weaseling my way into another wager, but thought such an effort would have been contradictory with my New Year's resolution to be kinder to my fellow man.
I think you have confused Matt Taibbi with a high quality investigative journalist. No doubt he is a critical questioner and insightful commentator, but his brand of "slam first and retract later" shouldn't be mistaken for factual analysis and journalistic integrity. His recent pieces on GS and high frequency trading reveal his ability to selectively twist a series of events into a conspiratorial weave, while conveniently omitting critical facts and viable alternative explanations.
As to Ran's larger question, the media has spent the better part of the past three decades morphing themselves away from the boundaries and ethics of critically investigative and honest journalism and into the dollar-chasing, power-seeking, fame-grabbing behavior of the subjects they are covering. They've been enabled by a slovenly and complacent populace that defines our present society.
Traditional news venues such as newspaper's, periodicals, TV and radio (with the exception of NPR to some degree) have all become measured not by the quality of their reporting or news gathering, but instead by their ad views and revenues. Such institutionalization of refined capitalistic pursuit will most always and inevitably transform the pursuit of truth into a panache of agenda-driven pacification. What is most sad, is that the Fourth Estate has few, if any, reliable critics with enough following to meaningfully effect any positive and critical change.
Only the emergence of a disruptive forces (re: blogospheres and those internet-deliver newly driven investigative agents) can effect any significant change and only once the larger population has access to and critical mass in these venues, will the seeking of the truth again carry a premium. The Tiger Woods story is a perfect example of this phenomena.
Golf, often cited as a metaphor for life, is no different. Golf journalists (read: HACKS), for the most part, traded their principles for access and profit. They ignored what they knew would challenge the hands that enabled them (see Jay's remarks about Finchem and the PGA Tour). They sought not to question the manufacturers, sponsors or developers whose dollars trickled down to their paychecks and frankly, they weren't much asked to do any differently by the audiences they served.
The golf world has provided too much pleasure to likes of otherwise critical journalists (i.e. Verdi, Murray, Anderson, et.al.) and it's too insular to allow for the likes of a Sam Smith to emerge and write a "Jordan Rules" style tome on one of it's stars. The fear of retribution, combined with the absence of monetary promise, has effectively stifled such efforts. As many others hear have already noted, Geoff Shackleford does the very best job of exploring the real issues and exposing the places where corruption of principle exists. Unfortunately he's alone....save for, from time-to-time, our own Gib Papazian
