There has been a massive controversy this week with news South Coast Group Seven Rugby League player Ian Catania being sanctioned by Country Rugby League and the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) after a prohibited substance was found in his system.
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Catania, a Warilla-Lake South player, has been banned for two years after Benzoylecgonine (a metabolite of cocaine) was found in his system during a routine in-competition doping control test on August 11, 2018.
As a news organisation, we have to report the news - good and bad.
The criticism directed at the South Coast Register and Illawarra Mercury for reporting the incident has been intense.
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Ninety-nine per cent of the time all the stories we do are positive - let's face it everyone loves a good news story.
The organisation we are reporting on, the people involved, the readers and believe it or not, as journalists we would all rather be doing good news stories.
For instance, the wonderful story leading up to this weekend's Group Seven grand finals highlighting Jamberoo player Kieran Pearce's drive for premiership glory to honour a close fallen mate Joey Rose.
But we can't always report of rainbows and puppy dogs.
Unfortunately it is not the world we live in and certainly, the controversy over a positive drug test has overshadowed that, which is understandable.
Bad things happen, sad things happen, mistakes are made and yes it is our role to report the good with the bad.
And there will be those one per cent of times when there is something unpleasant we, as journalists, have to report - be it covering council, politics, industry, crime and, of course, sport.
This positive test had to be reported - it is not something that is seen in local or country sport every day.
But sports also have to own their own issues and controversies.
Sports need to get on the front foot.
There would certainly be a lot more respect for any sporting body who came out and reported such issues within its own ranks - surely officials of any organisation want to be seen to be doing the right thing and not only stamp out drugs in sport but society as a whole?
Don't we all have that responsibility?
Group Seven knew of the ASADA and Country Rugby League sanctions and report.
It was posted on ASADA's website in June. Remember the testing was carried out last August - over a year ago.
Did Group Seven just hope that no one would discover it?
The issue would just slip through the cracks.
Group Seven even has an appointed media person.
Yes, it was unfortunate that this issue raised its head in undoubtedly the league's biggest week, grand final week.
But if the league as a body had come out and said back in June when this was posted on the ASADA website - this issue would have all died down by now.
Why not be like the Illawarra Rugby Union Competition which actually lists players who are suspended, what the offence was and how long they are suspended for?