'Media bias' towards Nottingham Forest over Huddersfield Town for play-off final explained

Part of the reason that strange rivalry has sprung up between Huddersfield Town and Nottingham Forest this season is down to media coverage. Terriers fans felt the preview to the FA Cup fifth-round clash between the two sides was treated as though Liverpool vs Forest was a more attractive prospect than Liverpool vs Town; understandably, that rankled.

It didn’t take long for a similar vibe to emerge from social media after Forest were confirmed as Town’s opponents in the play-off final. Already you can find plenty of Town fans suggesting that the media are on Forest’s side for the Wembley showdown.

The reality is…that is probably true, but not for the reasons some seem to think. Yes, there are Forest fans in the media, and Town have had their detractors – particularly during their second season in the Premier League. But for the majority of the press, their only bias is towards which story is the more interesting to tell to the widest possible audience.

As such, we wouldn’t be surprised if there was more than a hint of a desire to see Forest get into the top flight again. It has already started with Gary Neville (who mistakenly seems to think Nottingham is a northern town).

But that is not intended as a slight on Huddersfield Town; it’s simply that for the impartial journalist or pundit, a victory for Nottingham Forest is a bigger, easier and more attractive story to tell to a general audience. It’s a two-time European champion who have been out of the top flight for 23 years and never reached a play-off final before, versus a side who were in the Premier League just three years ago and won a final as recently as 2017.

Anyone who has ever thought “I don’t want Fulham/Sheffield United/West Brom/Bournemouth to go up,