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A LETTER FROM FOGES

A letter from Foges

By Bruce Williams

A letter from Foges

A letter from Foges

Dear fans,

I love your passion and your interest. It may sound trite, but you are the reason people like me exist.

Motor sport journalists write to inform you. We are the conduit through which the participants communicate with you.

Serious reporters and writers – and there is a difference – work to take you inside racing and give you insight. We have privileged access and gain knowledge not available to the public.

That’s just how it works. You watch from the outside and your level of knowledge, no matter how deep, is informed by us.

Sure, we have a great time being ‘on the inside’ and dealing directly with the stars. You can’t get that close.

Which I why it is our responsibility to expose the inner workings to you through our writings. No fear, no favour.

I can’t speak for all motor sport journalists, but the main ones operate without conflict. They try to tell it like it is.

Let me tell you, that is not a popular stance. In the small world of Supercars, reporting the facts or informed speculation is not welcomed.

Bad luck. It’s what proper journalists do. It’s what I’ve been doing for nearly 50 years, annoying the good and the great.

But I’m still here because, well, I’m still here, and because I write what I think based on a vast accumulation of knowledge that covers working in Formula 1, ATCC/Supercars, BTCC, IndyCars, etc.

I’ve annoyed/challenged the best, from Senna to SVG and everyone in between. Why? To bring you the best, most incisive stories I can.

I never set out to be friends with the stars. Unlike other media types, they’re not my mates. Even the ones I get along well with and those who trust me, they know I won’t compromise on the story.

The best I expect in this business is respect. They deal with me, knowing they’ll get a hard time, but also that I have no sides.

It’s all about getting the best story, the most insight, for you, the reader.

Which is why I wonder at why you are so disrespectful of the motor sport media.

In your social media comments, so many of you treat us like fools or accuse us of bias.

The fact is, we know more than you. We can’t always report everything we know because there are such things as journalistic confidences, ethics and defamation laws.

We can’t just say what we think or what we’ve heard without justification or corroboration. You’re getting a free kick on Facebook and other social media outlets, but your mean accusations are vulnerable to legal action.

Your disrespect of our some of our stories is puzzling. We are right way more often than we are wrong, yet many of you castigate us for our informed speculation.

It particularly disappoints me that so many of you see the pre-publication post of our cover and go off with ill-informed comments.

Without actually going out and buying the mag, you rail against our content.

Folks, cover lines are designed to attract attention. They are not the full story. You have to buy the mag to get that. If you did, you’d find the coverlines were justified.

Despite what you may think, we do not sit here dreaming things up. Every story is based on hard facts – or at least, informed interpretation.

We also don’t get information served up to us on a platter. The big news stories we regularly break, we have to dig deep for them.

So I would appreciate it if you gave us more credit for trying to tell you what is really happening, not just regurgitating the fluff that comes from teams and organisers.

I and my colleagues do our very best, but we don’t – and can’t – know everything. And we can’t always tell you everything we know because we don’t have the full facts.

But we’re trying all the time. My mission is to expose the inner workings of the sport to you. There is no other motivation.

That may sound sanctimonious, but it is true.

So when you sit there with your focused attention on the moment, realise that we have to look at the big picture and interpret it.

In isolation, yes, there are many more things you know. But we have to be across everything and understand the nuances.

Seriously, you should respect what we do, not dismiss or demean it, because we are trying to help you understand and get more enjoyment from your favourite sport.

I haven’t been doing this for the best part of half a century to amuse myself. What I write is what I think is good for racing, consequences be dammed.

Think about that, please, before you write us off as sensationalist mugs. The cover is a taste, not the full, informed story.

Buy the mag, which is a bargain either online or at your local retailer, and then you are qualified – and welcome – to criticise.

Otherwise, pull your head in.

Yours faithfully, Foges