Assumptions lead to poor journalism and are best left out during the journalistic process.  Journalists begin down a dangerous path when they assume information without facts to back them up.  The mere essence of journalism is to report factual information, not what a journalist’s experiences and biases tell him or her the truth may be.

This past Sunday, I witnessed several journalists make assumptions and I even caught myself make an assumption based on a situation that occurred during an NFL football game.

During the Dallas Cowboys @ Detroit Lions game this Sunday, Dez Bryant a wide receiver for the Cowboys, was seen yelling on the sidelines, waving his arms, and throwing his helmet.  Later in the game, the cameras saw Bryant again in what appeared to be a confrontation with Cowboys tight end Jason Witten.  It took the grip of Demarcus Ware’s hand on Bryant’s shoulder pads to calm him down.

Immediately after each incident many journalists, including the announcers of the game began to criticize Bryant for his antics.  Former NFL coach, Brian Billick, even went as far as to call Bryant’s behavior a “spoiled-child routine.”

I will admit that at first glance the two incidents did appear to be the case of a receiver selfishly complaining about not getting ball.  A viewer who has no idea about Dez Bryant’s passion for the game could easily make this assumption.  However, journalists need to be aware of the assumptions they are making and find ways to confirm if they are valid.

The assumptions and criticisms of Dez Bryant didn’t end with the game.  It was as if a heartbreaking loss by the Dallas Cowboys, in the final 50 seconds of the game, didn’t matter and the fact that Bryant yelled a bit on the sidelines was somehow breaking news.  Reporters drilled Bryant with questions post-game all about his sideline behavior.  Bryant answered the questions emotionally and explained that he simply is passionate about the game and wanted to win.  Apparently, Bryant’s comments didn’t matter to several journalists who had already formed their opinions.

Many journalists wrote articles following the game blasting Bryant without having the audio to understand what Bryant had been saying on the sidelines.  This is a huge element to the story that journalists, some at the highest level and with the largest readerships, completely ignored.

A day later, the audiotape of what Bryant actually said on the sidelines during the first rant, was released.  In the tape, viewers are able to see that Bryant is simply attempting to encourage his team and specifically his quarterback, Tony Romo. In the audio, Bryant stated, “we are the best in the NFL on that, Tony, we are the best in the NFL.”  That doesn’t sound like a “spoiled-child routine” to me, it sound like a player with great drive.

The Dez Bryant situation is a prime example of the power journalists have and how it can be used to damage someone’s reputation.   People do not have the time to do all the research available and form educated opinions on news by themselves.  People trust that what a journalist writes is backed up by factual information.  Unfortunately, in this case, journalists witnessed soundless video, and made up there own facts solely based on that.

There are many lessons to be learned from this situation.  I took from this, that I need to hold back my judgments and make sure the whole story with all the necessary information is available before I write or state any opinion in a matter, specifically in journalism.  Now that I am a journalist in training, I need to begin to understand that things are not always how they appear and that major mistakes can be made if one engages in that sort of thinking.

Below is the Audio of Dez Bryant on the Sideline:

http://www.dallascowboys.com/multimedia/videos/Dez_Bryant_Sideline_Audio/af52852f-cc73-47ad-9378-42f60e5d212d