We live in an odd time.
The internet has made the world far smaller. It has enriched our lives with a sea of information on any and every subject we could possibly wish to study. From mathematics to Mozart, theories on the beginning of time to recipes for the perfect New York cheesecake, if you want to know something, you can find it.
It has given everyone a voice. If you have an opinion, you can make it heard.
The level of debate should have risen. With the bounty of information at our fingertips, the quality of argument, of reasoned and intelligent discussion, should have improved exponentially.
And yet it hasn’t. It has plummeted. Debate and reason has been replaced by vitriol and anger. Frustration and belligerence surmised in 140 blindly tapped characters.
News stories that an individual dislikes are instantly passed over as “fake news.” Stories that don’t fit the narratives which individuals have created for themselves are dismissed out of hand. Experienced and knowledgeable journalists, researchers, writers and broadcasters are lambasted and insulted by those who dare not step out from behind the veil of anonymity which the world wide web provides.
An opinion is no longer debated and discussed. It is used as a beating stick. It is chewed up and spat out as being false, fake, biased. Yet an opinion is just that. It is an opinion. It doesn’t have to be agreed with. It isn’t an absolute. It is an opinion. Personal. Subjective. Neither right nor wrong.
This age, this time of unlimited information should have created an open forum of discussion. It should be the height of intellectualism in our world. And yet all it has created is a cesspool of contempt, bitterness and hatred.
I have worked in my chosen field for the past decade and a half. I immerse myself in the inner workings of the Formula 1 paddock at every race. I will soon attend my 200th Grand Prix as a journalist and broadcaster. I have commentated on over 350 races in my career to date. I write my blog, my column and flood my twitter feed with information and the occasional opinion in order to try and open up the world I love to its fans around the world. Fans of all nationalities, fans of all teams and drivers. I do not favour one over another. I have no favourites. I try, with every semblance of my being, to write, report and act in a professional and unbiased manner.
You may disagree with me. You may dislike the things I say.
But it is you who follow me. You who clicked that button and decided you wanted to hear what I was reporting and, on the occasions that I proffer an opinion, that you were willing to listen to that opinion and respect it as having come from someone who works at the very heart of the thing that you love.
I like debate. I love discussing this sport.
But I won’t stand for abuse. I won’t be insulted.
It saddens me that I’ve had to block anyone on social media channels. And yet over the past six months I’ve had to do so more regularly than ever before. In the last month alone I’d wager I’ve been forced to block as many people as I had done over the previous three years. That, unfortunately, is the reality of the depths in which reasoned debate now finds itself drowning.
The need to do so comes not from wanting to disengage from debate, nor from wishing to deafen myself to opinions contrary to mine. But from an absolute need to halt abusive, aggressive, unreasonable behaviour which has no place in any forum or in any walk of life.
I’m not the only one. Every one of my colleagues have been forced to do the same. And it’s not something that fills any of us with any satisfaction. We report on this sport because we love it. We want to share our passion with you. We want to share our stories, our experiences and our knowledge with you.
But should you find yourself boiling with rage, reading something I or one of my colleagues has written, ask yourself a few questions. Why would we lie? Why would we risk our careers by favouring one driver or team over another? Why would we allow bias to creep in to our work? Why would our employers allow it? Why would they continue to employ us?
If more than one of us is following the same path, ask why that might be so. Ask yourself why all of these people, with all of this experience and all of these contacts and all of this access, are saying similar things.
Then ask yourself if we’ve got it wrong, or if it simply doesn’t fit with what you’d hoped. And if it doesn’t, then ask why it doesn’t. What doesn’t fit?
Engage. Question. Discuss. Debate.
And if you still don’t like what we write and find yourself in the vocal minority that can find no other path than to stoop to the level of verbal abuse, it’s really very simple. Click that button that says “unfollow.” If you really want to live in a world where the only news you read and the only opinions you see are those that back up the stilted and one-sided views you’ve invented for yourself, and can find no means of debate other than abusing those who hold a different opinion or proffer facts that betray the narrative you’ve created as your own, go right ahead. But that’s not the world I live in, nor want to promote.
There is space and there is a right for all opinions and all viewpoints to be heard and debated. That’s what a world wide web should be about. It should be a melting pot of opinions and discussion. We all have the information at our disposal to make logical, reasonable, informed debate the norm, not the exception.
As a kid, the thing I loved about going to races was that you could stand trackside next to people of different nationalities, supporting different teams and different drivers and everyone got along. It wasn’t them and us like at a football stadium. It wasn’t tribal and warlike. It was respectful, it was engaging and intellectual and fun! This sport is one that brings people together. It doesn’t divide or hate.
So please, if you feel that passion start to burn as anger, take a step back. Passion is great. It’s why we all do what we do. Fervently loving your team, your driver, your country, whatever it might be… that’s what makes this sport so brilliant and so beautiful. It is all about the passions that drive us and get us excited. But please, temper that passion in the field of argument.
Anger, hatred and vitriol has no place here.
The Buxton Blog 
Will, you’re an excellent journalist, I very much enjoy your articles, hopefully you won’t be too discouraged by the trolls out there. Realize there are plenty more that appreciate what you do, but may not feel the need to comment on it all the time. Keep your chin up!
Whine, whine, whine.
You’re letting them win. Grow a skin. That’s what sane people do when confronted with assholes who try to get underneath their skin.
conzo77, “growing a skin” does not solve the problem. If anything, it makes the problem worse because “they” simply get more vitriolic in response. Even supposing one manages to grow enough skin to prevent them going underneath the skin, they simply end up spoiling the fun of your readers.
The attitude you are giving is the same vein as “Don’t feed the trolls” from last decade. Which only worked because effective moderation would cause such people to quickly be banned. Nowadays, with people having less knowledge or interest in netiquette before venturing onto the social media, the rise of vitriol as a tool of cyberwarfare (which, by the way, is more effectively limited by blocking than any amount of “skin growing”) and a more profit-driven, low-labour approach to network platforms, there simply aren’t enough moderaters to scratch the surface of the troublemakers. Even blatant breaches of Terms of Service are routinely ignored because the platform owners have their hands full with outright criminals and the most flagrantly illegal conduct.
The nearest thing that exists to effective moderation at this point is the block tool. That is what people who actually want to help sort the problem use. (And yes, I have used the block tool, most often because a vitriol-wielder is too busy getting themselves into a tizzy to realise they’ve lost the argument, and needs the mental space created by a block to stop digging the hole they’re in deeper).
…and as a Brit living in America love the work you do for NBCSN!
same here.
and likewise here…. (Cool name btw…..). 🙂
Totally agree Will!!!!
Keep fighting the good fight Will. I don’t agree with everything you say but I like that you say it and how you say it. Good honest debate and opinion are vital to bringing life to F1 and how sad it would be for us to just get factual information about race winners and losers. Please know that there are a silent majority who appreciate the work of you and other journos and sincerely hope you guys continue for many years.
Don’t let the haters ruin our sport!
Well stated Will! !
Excellent post Will. I cannot understand the people who feel the need to vent their frustration in this way – we all share the nervousness and excitement of a contest, the more we hope for one result the greater that becomes. We all share in the immense disappointment when things don’t turn out as we hoped and frustration if it was fate, not skill, that influenced the result. BUT THAT’S WHERE IT HAS TO STOP! Argument is fantastic, I love trying to persuade people that their point of view is wrong (or be persuaded myself) but personal insults and worse should have no part to play.
Please keep up the great work with your blog; we look forward to receiving them.
I congratulate you sir on a very well constructed and wonderfully emotive response to the few who would seek to destroy the sense of community evident among all motorsport fans. They will not succeed we are the many, as long as we continue to espouse the values and respect of true passionate racers.
Wonderfully written, Will. This could be sent out generally to all consumers of all types of news. One can only hope the nature of discourse improves as more and more people demand open discussion without the need for personal attacks. It’s really quite simple…gather facts then form your opinion. Flipping those has the world in a very strange place.
Keep up the great work, Will!
Nicely put.
I always tell my children never write anything on the internet that you wouldn’t dare say to the person’s face.
That is very wise advice.
Will, not only are you one of the most well-educated, intelligent, and experienced Formula One journalists out there, but you care. And it shows. And we love you for it.
Many of us may have read the same vitriol on Joe Saward, Mark Hughes, F1 fanatic and skyF1 columnist blogs. It appears very similar to the hatred/intense dislike on many political forums. I sometimes wonder whether they are the same people or is it simply their way of venting frustration with their own life and having attached their identity to a persona.
salvuborg, 1) that’s more than 4 columnists (since Sky F1 uses multiple columnists), 2) the F1Fanatic comments are if anything more likely to be commenter v commenter than commenter v original writer 3) I’m not sure calling people a swearword on a blog entry that is about minimum levels of respect entirely connotes understanding of what the blog entry is trying to say…
Well said – just saddened that it was needed.
This is such a great message that extends well beyond F1. I follow so many people that I regularly disagree with but that doesn’t take away from the validity of their perspective, experience, or knowledge. Keep up the great work Will! The F1 world is a better place with you in it.
Great post, Will. I deeply respect your talents, and enjoy every piece of your work. Keep in mind that the haters that spit vile toward you… Their anger is rooted much deeper than you will ever know. You are simply the convenient target. I love you because you words, on screen and off, are filled with thought and passion. Will the journo is also Will the Person.
Will, I love the work you do, commenting on a sport I have loved since the days of Lauda and Hunt. Keep up the insights and the great work, especially the “asides” in your travels you post on Instagram. I enjoy hearing about you and had the pleasure of meeting you in Austin a few years ago. Keep up the great work and all that you do.
-Cheers
The Lavaman
So very well said, Will. It is sad that you felt compelled to write this but unfortunately, especially here in America today, this piece applies to much more than racing commentary. I love F1 and very much enjoy your commentary as well as your writing. I could go on and on with the compliments, but suffice to say in our household we appreciate your obvious knowledge and efforts. Keep up the good work. I’m sharing this post on my social media feeds.
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Hi Will. I confess that I don’t regularly read your blog but that is not for any negative reasons! I do, however thoroughly agree with this post. It accurately sums up why I stopped using Twitter. I think you have found a new follower. Best of luck for the 200th race – that is commitment!
Well done sir. My wife (not an F1 fan in any sense) and myself absolutely love your work and intelligent thoughtfulness on any given subject matter. Unfortunately the saying, “haters gonna hate,” is thoroughly true.
Wonderfully stated. No room for hate, plenty of room for debate! Love your insight and love watching you stateside.
I’m an armchair enthusiast and a pedestrian driver. I’ll never have the skill to pilot an F1 car or indeed any high performance car. Yet I love motorsport because it shows me people operating at a skill level far above mine.
I read a number of different blogs because I don’t know any of the people driving, organising or running F1 personally and this gives me a spectrum of views on various topics.
I’ve been following F1 since 1958, so I’ve seen a lot of drivers and teams come and go, some of whom I’ve favoured, some of whom I’ve not liked much.
I enjoy your blog Mr. Buxton, thank you for freely providing your insight and opinions.
I don’t always agree with everything you say because , as a thinking individual, I may have a different opinion.
I’m dismayed at the level of some of the comments I read on the blogs. Some are at the ‘football supporter’ level where all the other teams and players, apart from the supported one, have insulting names and can do no right.
It’s got to the point with some contentious topics I’ve simply stopped reading the comments because they become a set of entrenched opinions attempting to simply shout down anyone who dares to disagree with them.
I honestly don’t know how you, and the other bloggers I read, cope with juvenile level that some of the comment threads sink to.
Please keep reporting but I may well omit to read some comment threads.
hope POTUS was one that you blocked, now if only the rest of my beloved country would do the same. Keep up the excellent job your doing and tell NBCSN we need a weekly f1 program
Holy Cow! i can only imagine when happened between your last two posts! lol This worlds gone crazy!
Hi Will,
I used to work for F1.nl, and we also had too many idiots yelling and hiding behind silly nicknames. So we changed it so you could only comment from your Facebook profile. That actually helped a lot, because people don’t feel so anonymous anymore. Maybe worth the consideration?
Good luck, Eltjo
Some long-term fans, (read older), don’t use Facebook or other forms of social media like Twitter. I’ve no need for a Facebook login, so I would end up being prevented from commenting at all.
Great post Will. Unfortunately it’s the world we live in.Everyone has to have the final word or they feel they lost.Politics,sports or even road rage.It’s the new normal.
Spot on and beautifully articulated.
Well said. Support journalism. Subscribe, and pay, for the things you enjoy reading.
Hear, hear! Much respect to you, Will. You do a brilliant job. Sorry to hear about the irrational haters, but glad you spoke out. I wish you all the best!
Bravo Will!! I enjoy your reporting so much because it is factual and unbiased. It is very clear that you have a huge respect for the sport as well as the individuals involved. Sadly, people are jerks! Keep encouraging good debate and get rid of those who don’t get it. You’re a gem!
This is a bit silly. With all my respects Will, this has happened since the introduction of the printing presses. Think all the way back to Alexander Pope and The Dunciad. It was a satirical piece written on the society of London, from the people whom ran the printers to the critiques of Pope. People have always felt their opinions matter. They don’t. That includes even yours. Yes, I understand there may be “trolls” who feed you hate. But even the middlemen receive hate as well, example Pope’s attacks on Edmund Curll or as Wikipedia sells him as, “an English bookseller and publisher”, though he was far more than that. A hatred and satirical work of The Dunciad, which was all sparked due to their differing critiques on a Shakespeare. That’s it, a feud over Shakespeare critiques. Which would involve some of the most powerful persons of London and as well as the middlemen who fed the wealth to the powerful. Decades full of the most venomous words one can imagine at the highest level of academia. Though, I am sure you know this all. The point being is you are replying to something of which has always existed, criticism and satire.
Which ultimately stoops as low as those who wish to go out of their ways to write it. For what? The obvious question you have asked yourself I am sure numerous times before: jealousy, position, the freedom of access inside a sport they have fancied since they were a child as well etc… And yet, here you sit — in a position they dreamed of as children. I dare not use the word privileged, as I am sure you have grinded your teeth in your field of work, far more than any “troll” may be able to imagine. Yet, you have let those with their childish and most likely now unobtainable dreams eat away at you. For something that has existed and thrived far beyond any of our times, satire and criticism. Though, I am sure next to none are that of the least bit of, “creative criticism”.
I dare not say you are in a position of privileged, as I am sure your work takes a hefty toll mentally and physically. But I dare say that you must let go of what a 14 year old child or an envious 55 year old man may have to say. Your work is phenomenal. You know how much effort you put into your career, far more than any of us may ever know. Yet, it shows through your journalism, a journalism that is sui generis even in your field. Through the years of watching Formula 1, you may be one of the few journalist whom the drivers eyes do not roll for. You seemingly have earned the respect from the drivers to management and that of even other journalist.
Keep up the good work Will. And if I may recommend to read Machiavelli’s “The Prince” translated by Allan H. Gilbert, on one of our flights across the worlds nations. Acknowledge your position but never allow critiques or yourself to eat away at yourself. Also, please pardon me for not taking the time to edit any of this prior to posting.
– XYZ
It’s very simple. You have a higher calling. Just reporting things as you see them. Rather than trying to stir up stuff to gain followers. Your interviews on NBCSN show this. Especially last week with Seb. In watching you work on NBCSN I see a person asking a question and letting the other person answer. And a follow up, if needed. Rather than create controversy. Ignore the rabble and keep doing your job. Oh it would be nice for you and the team to do something for is F1 fans in Southern California.
Cheeres
While the world has given us a marvelous set of tools with which we can now communicate more widely and in much greater depth than ever before, for some reason – our parents, our educators, our society, or our own life experiences have ill equipped us to use these tools wisely. Our communications capabilities are now treated with the same regard as the toy that petulant children choose to throw across the room when they don’t get their way.
Hang in there…I’ll hang in there with ya:)
From all I have read about nasty people on social media it seems reasonable to assume that one third of all commenters will need to be blocked. I don’t do the social media thing so my view is simplistic, I don’t get what is so upsetting about blocking someone. If you have to block half the people that come to read and leave a comment, block them. Life is too short to get overly upset about random nastiness.
I probably do block 1/3 of the people who make comments to me… …but despite the increase in vitriol-related blocks, it’s still almost as likely that the reason will be spam (and not far behind the number blocked because people retweet things I prefer not to see and blocking’s more reliable in that situation than muting).
Blocking one person is not upsetting – and, for an experienced comments-master, individual low-level block-worthy content usually isn’t either (though sometimes being blocked can be). What gets upsetting is having to block a lot of people in a short time due to abusive writing because it diminishes one’s view of the general quality of blogging – which is exactly what Will’s describing here. (This is especially true if any of it has high-level abuse in it, which above a certain volume is a statistical certainty).
The other thing is that I suspect a lot more people are having to be blocked on Twitter than are being blocked in the blog comments. The act of clicking on a link to read it tends to set the mind into a slightly more receptive and balanced state. A lot of people, however, are apt to respond to the headline when they see it on Twitter instead of making that small effort – breaking another important rule of commenting (find out why people think what they think before replying) and causing more abusive cyberclutter.
Spot on, Will. I’m but one person with an opinion, but I’ve a really healthy respect for your prose, and your keen ability to think and communicate incisively. At the end of the day this subject makes me just so sad. Our value system of decorum and respect as a modern society is at risk. Basic human levels of respect are hidden now, in the same way that people conduct themselves in bad traffic from the privacy of their cars. Free to be the ugliest version of themselves without fear of consequence. It’s a sad state, and doesn’t seem reversible.
Quite so Will. Please keep up the good work, it would such a shame if you let this really get to you. Enjoy your work, even when I disagree with your particular take on things, including the current contretemps between Hamilton and Vettel (both acting like spoiled children, Vetter more so).
Will,
Well stated. Debate should be at the heart of all sports. You do an outstanding job on NBCSN. Keep up the great work
Keep doing and saying what you believe and understand (better than most). We the majority of your followers truly appreciate your hard work and insights. As usual your words hit the nail on the head about cyber bullying.
Thanks for all you do!
Truly well said, Will. Thank you for the work you do. Your nearly limitless enthusiasm and love of this sport and the manner in which you present it to the world is why I continually look forward to your reporting, both in print and and on TV.
Yawn. Maybe it’s because of your inherent bias in your posting, so pro-UK drivers and teams. Almost a Hamilton love-fest. Journalism, including your blog would be better without the one-eyed perspectives. Doesn’t excuse the hate posts, I don’t condone it. Just saying be more balanced/neutral you might get less.
Sadly not something I think would happen – hate-filled post quotients are increasing for pretty much everybody, regardless of topic or approach to the subject. If anything, the lowest increase has been in the more “one-eyed” areas, that can get away with effective signposting to the effect that only fellow “one-eyed” supporters are welcome. As a professional journalist attempting to give everyone a fair hearing, that’s never going to be an option for Will. Hence, the taking of measures to get the debating temperature to a level hospitable to learning and sensible discussion.
Here is the problem. You’ve got the good people in the media, like you, Will. And you have people like Joe Saward.
Joe Saward has spent years suggesting that Michael Schumacher is overrated and cheated to win several of his titles. When asked to provide evidence, what does he do? He says no, that people should just trust him because he has covered F1 for years. And in 2012, he actually suggested that the reason Schumacher had so many mechanical DNFs to start the season was because his mechanics had lost faith in him. I saw no one in the media criticize him for this, even though I had several tell me in person they were disgusted by him.
He also defended the choice to race in Bahrain in 2012. Why? Because he had lunch with a “random” Bahrain citizen and was told everything was cool in Bahrain. And because of this one lunch, he actually said he knew more about what was going on in Bahrain than experienced journalists that have spent years covering the region.
I can’t recall, off hand, the pieces you are referring to. All I do know is Joe is a good journalist and a good friend. I can imagine him saying he’s been a journo for X number of years and so to trust him on Y or Z, and I can see his point to an extent as he has the contacts and the sources and will only have gone off what he has been told. He gets a hell of a lot of grief and I know sometimes his skin isn’t as thick as others. He’s a good man.
LOL. Schumacher was not only a cheater (blocking the track in qualifying at Monaco, ramming Hill and Villenueve spring to mind) he never had to race a teammate at Ferrari. I agree with Saward, in my opinion Schumacher is overrated.
Saward’s defense of his going to Bahrain was because he was a journalist and neutrality is part of their job, which it is. I didn’t agree that F1 should be going to Bahrain but I respected his decision.
Yesterday I read some schmuck’s comment to James Allen, “have you even watched a race”, it was like the guy had no idea who he was addressing.
Allen, Saward, Buxton, Cooper, I doubt any of them would fail to put food on the table if they didn’t run blogs/websites and all we of the general public need to pay is a little respect. It is a hell of a good deal.
Will, you are right that this time of information glut should have vastly improved the quality of debate. Unfortunately, that would also require sufficient interest in parsing the information and using it to temper points of view. This has… …not happened. Instead, more people have joined discussion platforms with less education on how to behave once there. Not just in terms of how to treat people they encounter, but also how to treat the information.
Instead of giving themselves time to process information, there’s a constant hunger for more, more, more – with a refusal to countenance anything that can’t be comprehended in a handful of seconds. (Though this has caused an interesting effect; those who still can be bothered to read original sources now seem to prefer longer pieces of writing than before).
Combine this with the instinct to share everything and we get this over-sharing effect. Not the stuff usually associated with that terms (like putting last night’s drunken photos onto Facebook and setting it to “Share with everybody including total strangers”), but over-sharing opinions – and the extent of those opinions. Often also revealing total research failures and plain rudeness.
Sometimes, taking a step back and thinking through a response really is the best option. The 2 billion web users in the world has a lot of work to do in helping each other understand this.
Great post Will, I agree with you. I feel for you. Can I say I love your posts and blogs , please don’t stop. It’s easy for people to be a keyboard warrior, with scant reference to facts, only reference to an internal passion, which becomes more and more isolated from reality. Only F1 journalist I’ve had an issue with over bias is McEvoy, never found his articles informative, just biased. So please keep going, we need journalists like you!
Anna ( racechikee or racechick) Sent from my iPad
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Hera hear ……..
Op 1 jul. 2017 14:30 schreef “The Buxton Blog” :
> willthef1journo posted: “We live in an odd time. The internet has made the > world far smaller. It has enriched our lives with a sea of information on > any and every subject we could possibly wish to study. From mathematics to > Mozart, theories on the beginning of time to recipes fo” >
Great post! I couldn’t agree with you more! I have had to do the same with friends I have had for years. Sad but true.
I have been to many GP’s and these people do not represent all the real fans I have met across Europe. We spend our hard earned money following motorsport and we really enjoy the insight and information you and your colleagues priovide. Your social media input gets us into the pit lane, into the garages and into the paddock like never before. Keep up the great work and let’s all block these people who never leave the comfort of their internet connection.
I suppose you needed a hug.
So well said. I have so much respect for you
I enjoy your writing and reporting, and even though I don’t always agree with you, I appreciate your civility. One thing I find odd about the social media age is someone (like yourself, Saward, Roebuck, Heath and others) who not only reports, but offers opinion. I prefer one or the other, not both from the same person. There have been cases where I’ve read something and thought, “did we even watch the same race?” It’s the same reason I don’t watch much pre or post-race analysis. I really don’t care what pundits, even ex-drivers think.
You, Sir, could have been describing how people act when discussing American politics instead of Formula 1. I find it disgusting and disappointing.
Please keep up your excellent work. It’s the primary way I stay up on what’s going on in Formula 1. I would also like a recommendation on some websites that you believe provide good and accurate news reporting on Formula 1.
Sent from my iPad
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Not that if you ran a community or country, you’d banish or rid the realm of anyone who does not fit a standard of discourse….. Or is it? You’re a public person. Not everyone will gild your footpath with fragrant petals. (Your closing sentence, by the way, requires the plural verb “have”; as does the multiple of “debate and reason” in paragraph 4). You’re highly respected on this end, but no one’s sacred. As for teaching etiquettes of expression to your readers, keep doing that at which you otherwise excel.
Thanks for all that you share.
Will, you’re one of the very best out there. You are obviously passionate and it really is much appreciated. Keep on Keeping on. You’re doing just fine.
And here I thought you, Will, were just a pretty face with a good voice. Well written: and, of course, hard to disagree with your “opinion”…