IT’S become almost a farce in the AFL media industry.

Communication managers on a power trip, attempting to control what goes in the daily media and what doesn’t.

Surely, it’s frustrating for many football journalists and organisations that these communication managers are taking a stranglehold of the media, knocking back continuous media opportunities and countless opportunities for stories.

It’s their job; for some it’s their dream job. It’s their job to hound clubs and build relationships.

For every player and every story idea, you have to go through the club or else…

Expect a phone call from the media manager on Monday morning. Most AFL players will knock back interviews anyway after being preached to by the club that stories must go through these media managers.

Some are controlling, some are manipulative and some treat some journalists as if they haven’t had an education.

Hawthorn and Geelong are the toughest to crack. Maybe that’s why they have won the last three premierships but I seriously doubt it.

St Kilda has also been problematic for journalists.

Of course the directors of these clubs would love it.

There was an instance when a story went to press on the Hawks last year, speculating that two of their players may not get back in 2010.

The journalist attempted to contact all sources; some denied to comment, others were unavailable.

It was a purely speculative article but this journalist has now been banned from contacting the Hawks.

There have been other instances at the club with this journalist submitting story ideas and then continuously being knocked back.

He has asked why and it was suggested if he or she were a Caroline Wilson or more experienced journalist, then he or she would have been granted these interviews.

It should not be based on reputation or experience for these media managers to decline or grant interviews.

Speaking of Wilson, she copped a media ban from Collingwood at the start of 2009 for her attack on Eddie McGuire in a column for The Age.

Surely clubs are professional enough to cop criticism; just as these journalists do when they make mistakes or approach a story angle incorrectly.

But it’s come to the point now where the newspaper coverage is full of press releases with only the brave journalists prepared to cross the line.

There are very few of them around.

Some are too intent on keeping their jobs; scared that their bosses will come down on them.

Others go for the easy and positive angle on the club rather than attacking the issue with brutal honesty.

This is the way the communication managers like it.

This is the way they’ve tried to make it.

Fortunately, there are still a few sports journalists around that toe the line for their audiences.

There are other clubs such as Melbourne and North Melbourne who crave the publicity and aren’t as subjective. But the majority make life tough for the media.