Critics Dispute KCUR Framing Kansas City Stadium Tax Showdown

Check bloggy debate over good writing vs. journalism . . . Or maybe neither.

Here's a critique that one of our readers found worthwhile . . .  

"Where will Kansas City’s teams move? Missouri lawmakers enter a high-stakes, high-tension battle"

You can see why KCUR went with that phrasing: It’s immediately gripping, presenting an exciting conflict with an important outcome — where the Chiefs and Royals will move. It’s also factually incorrect, or at least misleading: The Chiefs and Royals may not move anywhere, either if the Missouri legislature doesn’t approve state money and the team owners decide not to take what’s on offer from neighboring Kansas, or if the owners just decide to wait and see if Missouri can be encouraged to up its ante next session, or if they decide they’d be better off renovating their current stadiums, etc.

The article’s subheading — the “dek,” in journalism parlance — doubles down on the heightened dramatic tension and starts to assign blame

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

"Where will Kansas City's teams move?" How media framing boosts stadium shakedowns