Do you see a duck or a lady?

You know those visual illusion puzzles, where when you first look at it, one image appears, but then as you concentrate and look for a secondary image, you then see something else begin to become visible? There are a few classics getting around that you most likely would have seen, such as this:

and this:

The same thing happens in media when different people report on the same event. Based upon the bias of a person, the things that they have seen or heard, and how they interpret it, they'll then put their own spin on what has happened in that event. A charismatic writer can be quite influential in swaying people towards their own view.

You're probably aware of this and have your own experiences where you've seen this happen. I was reminded of it again just this morning when reading about a particular event that occurred in the USA within the ranks of NFL. The summery of the event is that a player for the NFL team; Miami Dolphins, took leave from playing and revealed that it was due to bullying from another player in hos own team. I won't go into the details, if you want you can read about it then you can Google the two players involved Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin.

However I'm not writing about this to give an opinion on who is at fault, but simply to say I was surprised about how my view got confused when I read about the article from two different writers who I both have a good amount of respect for.

The first writer was Brian Philips from Grantland (ESPN) who wrote an interesting and extensive piece that talked about the entrenched attitudes of bullying and machismo that led to a shocking degree of depression and suicide within the ranks of that sport. The article is here though I must warn that the language is a little course.

On the flipside is another writer who is even more coarse in his language, but approaches the situation from the reverse angle. I've found his perspective and experience interesting for a large number of reasons, but his site is even less suitable for those wanting to avoid crude language. To respect his opinion, you would have needed to have read alot of his past blog to get a feel for how reasonable or intelligent he may be. He did conclude his own entry with saying that we'd need to see all the facts come out, but he did make clear what his opinion was, and it was quite the opposite of Brian Philips. If you're not offended easily, you can read his post here.

I was reminded once again that when it comes to hearing about an interesting event secondhand, particularly when it will affect and shape my interaction with that person, I need to do my own research as the teller of the story will have applied their own bias.