It is not unusual for TV profiles to experience abuse on social media. Sometimes it’s criticism, other times it’s pure rage. news has spoken to four high-profile football experts and sports commentators to hear how they handle inflammatory messages from various teams. A common practice among the experts is to share the messages on Twitter. “You probably thrive best in pedo-land” PROFILE: Football expert Jesper Mathisen received a very serious message that cost him and his father Svein “Matta” Mathisen. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB After the end of the match between Rosenborg-Brann in the Eliteserien, a very serious message arrived in Jesper Mathisen’s inbox. – After the match there was a message that I think was way over the line, where it came at the expense of both me and my father. Some things were written that I don’t think were acceptable, says Mathisen to news. Photo: Screenshot – There are probably explanations for why they write the way they do, and personally I am far from flawless in my work. I can stand criticism, and I love to argue when it is factual. But when I get feedback that comes at the expense of my father, who is my great hero, it feels wrong. Afterwards, Mathisen chose to share the messages on his Twitter account with over 58,000 followers. It wasn’t the first time the former footballer did it. – The aim is to hold those who have written these things accountable. I often ask those who send such messages: “We can disagree, but do you think this is okay to write?”. In the vast majority of cases, I find that they take a new view of it, and apologize. I think it is important to show people that we are also human, he says. EXPERT: Jesper Mathisen is known for standing up for what he believes. Here at the Friends Arena in Sweden, together with Egil Drillo Olsen, and Arilas Berg Ould-Saada. Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / NTB Holding people accountable – In 99 per cent of the cases I get positive feedback, but then there is some criticism as well. It’s kind of my style, that I like to take a stand and say what I think, so people can disagree with it. I can live with that. – Do you take notice of such messages? – No, I shake my head and smile at that. However, there are probably several others who find it tough to get messages the way I got now. You are of course allowed to disagree, but it must be factual to a certain extent. Jesper Mathisen is also involved in the podcast B-laget. In the episode “Et A4-liv” it emerged that the man behind the messages had complained repeatedly. He also made the following request to Mathisen: “This summer, could you please buy some flowers to put on your father’s grave.” After the apology, Mathisen deleted the tweet from his profile. APOLOGIZED: Jesper Mathisen says in the “B-team” podcast that the sender of the message apologized. He runs the podcast with TV 2 profiles Simen Stamsø Møller and Marius Skjelbæk. Photo: Ditlev Eidsmo / TV 2 – When people turn around like that, it’s fine as far as it goes. Then they have realized that they have crossed the line, but you still have to think about it, said Mathisen in the episode of the B team. news has been in contact with the man who wrote the messages. He does not wish to make any further comment. – There are limits SHARED PUBLICLY: Viaplay’s football commentator Kasper Wikestad shared a hate speech on his Twitter account this autumn. Photo: Geir Olsen / NTB Viaplay profile Kasper Wikestad also has a history of sharing inflammatory messages on his Twitter account. In the autumn, among other things, he received this message, which he chose to share with his followers: “It’s a pity that the cancer lost, but cancer is always awful” In 2020, Wikestad was affected by bowel and kidney cancer, and was operated on four times that year. – It is rare for me to receive such messages, but there have been some extreme cases. There are limits to what one should put up with, and in this case it wasn’t just about me, but also my family. It had been a tough time for all of us, so this particular one I felt a little bit about, says Wikestad. He says that the purpose of posting the message on social media was to hold people who write such things accountable. – Although it concerns very few people, I think it might be wise for everyone to keep in mind that writing such messages can backfire on themselves. That’s my reasoning for sharing it. COMMENTATOR: Kasper Wikestad together with Brede Hangeland during the football World Cup in Russia, 2018. Photo: Olof Andersson / TV 2 – Have you realized that it’s just like that? – Yes, unfortunately I have. It shouldn’t have to be like this, because you shouldn’t find yourself in trouble when people cross the line. It’s a shame, he says. Wikestad is nevertheless quick to emphasize that the upsides of the job weigh much more heavily than the few times he receives such messages. – I don’t want to take any victim role in this, because I am in no way one. We are extremely privileged to be able to work with what we love, and usually get incredibly good and pleasant feedback. Completely disproportionate to what people can expect in other jobs. – It is part of the gamet TV 2 profile Morten Langli believes that the spread of Twitter in recent years has helped to increase hate messages against public profiles. EXPERT: Morten Langli has been a football expert and commentator for a number of years. He believes that hatred is escalating in line with developments on social media. Photo: Julia Marie Naglestad / TV 2/news – After Twitter came on the scene, things have escalated. I have received several inappropriate messages, ranging from people saying they are going to beat me up to killing me. Among other things, Langli received these messages during last year’s football World Cup in Qatar: Photo: Screenshot / Instagram Photo: Screenshot / Instagram – You have to put up with a lot, but when you receive threats against you and your family, it becomes totally unacceptable. I very rarely respond to feedback, but when I get messages in that category, I have occasionally chosen to “out” people on Twitter. Nevertheless, Langli clarifies that he has never taken notice of the messages, and takes it all with a smile. – Fortunately, I have a very relaxed relationship with it. I think the most important thing is to be confident in yourself, and be able to look at yourself in the mirror and know that you are promoting something you can justify, even if you don’t do everything right. Langli is clear about where the line is, but still believes that one has to put up with some rough feedback from the public. – In our profession, you have to put up with a lot of criticism, it’s part of the “game”. You have to be relatively tough in the face when you have to work with football on TV, you can’t be a hair-splitter then, says Langli. A short way from impulse to publication PROFILE: Mina Finstad Berg is a sports commentator on TV 2. Photo: TV 2 Øyvind Ganesh Eknes / TV 2 – When you work as an expert and speak out, it goes without saying that you will receive a lot of criticism, and some people will disagree with you. Nevertheless, one should not be caught when it veers from criticism to pure rage. It’s rare that I get that type of incitement, but it can happen, says TV 2’s sports commentator Mina Finstad Berg. She points out that football is about emotions, and often the path from impulse to publication can be short for some. Berg emphasizes that this particularly goes beyond those who comment on the matches. – The commentators are in many ways the soundtrack to people’s disappointments, and then they are often the ones who get hurt when things boil over with people. They are the most exposed, she says. Berg has rarely published hate messages on any of her social platforms, but says that she can comment if any incitement is shared publicly. – I distinguish between what I get in my private inbox and what people publish publicly on Twitter, for example. When it turns to things like racism, sexism and homophobia, I can comment on it, simply to show people that it’s not okay. If I get something private, I choose to ignore it, she says. Open dialogue is important TV 2’s sports manager Vegard Jansen Hagen confirms that he received the recent messages sent to Jesper Mathisen. He is disappointed that these messages keep ticking in with the profiles. DISTANCE: sports editor at TV 2 Vegard Jansen Hagen. Photo: Eivind Senneset / TV 2 – We have seen this over several years, and perhaps eventually one becomes a bit numb to it all, because there is no indication that this type of messages will become fewer or milder. In any case, we are concerned with creating security around our profiles and motivating them to be active in the interaction with the public. Because it must be said that most of it is positive engagement, says Hagen. Hagen also believes that rights can play a role in the positive and negative involvement before and after the matches. – We know, for example, that Norwegian football and not least the Premier League is a wasp’s nest when it comes to reactions, emotions and commitment. So although it is not unusual for TV profiles to experience abuse on social media, the messages Jesper experienced were extreme and something we fortunately rarely see. We strongly distance ourselves from such messages and this type of incitement. He emphasizes that it is important to be open internally about different reactions, so that no one walks around with a lump in their stomach. – I think Jesper solved it in a good way by holding the guilty party accountable. Surprisingly often, even the most uncompromising senders change if you engage in dialogue. And then there are times, and especially from anonymous accounts, you should just ignore it all. Then it is most likely a poor keyboard warrior with a cheese pop and an energy drink who has got his fingers stuck in the machine, says Hagen.
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