A question of sport

So Andrew Ashmore is upset with the Jakarta Post for not covering his beloved Chelsea. The Post cannot hope to satisfy all of their readers every time they go to press. Spare a thought for supporters of Crystal Palace. The only time we get a mention is when they let in 6 against Liverpool.

The real problem at the Post is that they rely too heavily on the wire services for their reports. Normally this means that we are inundated with extensive coverage of sports from the United States. With the ongoing baseball strike this has been curtailed somewhat and we have at least received coverage of some sports that normally do not get a mention.

The Post is indeed a good read, especially in the sports pages. Not only do they cover the sports but they add a little bit of their own sport. Such as: guess the sport.

Many articles do not mention the sport being covered. How many Post readers know who the Canberra Broncos are? Their recent game was covered without letting us know what game they were playing. From the result 41-6, I would hazard a guess that it was rugby. I hope it wasn't soccer. If it was I hope they never play Crystal Palace.

Then there is what happened next. All too often you are well into an article and it suddenly stops. This was very noticeable in a recent report on the drug-taking scandal at the Commonwealth Games.

The article finished with the words "left on a plane to" and then it stopped. We will never know where they went. Next time the editor hands a report to his cub reporter with instructions to "cut this report by two column inches" please make sure the reporter doesn't do it too literally.

What The Jakarta Post also needs is someone responsible for continuity. The cricket coverage is a prime example. Cricket is a unique sport, understood by few. Matches can take up to five days to complete and then may even result in a draw. You cannot take a report from one day without following up until the final conclusion. If the Post decides to cover cricket (and I hope they do) then please cover the whole game.

Philip Cooper

Jakarta