It's a time-honored tradition among candidates of all political stripes. It's used to raise money for campaigns and political parties. And it's probably the best way to get out of answering a tough question.

When you need a boost, just blame the media. And the media affects fantasy football, too.

The media's unpopularity (ranked somewhere between a root canal and "Caddyshack II") makes it an easy target. Sometimes it gets a bad rap. But other times it's perfectly justified, like over the summer when you're trying to figure out what's going on in the NFL as you get ready for your draft or auction.

You can probably blame the media for whatever pre-conceived notions are circulating about players right now. Desperate to report "news" and justify their existence, sports media creates stories out of coach's quotes, agent claims and player promises.

In other words, right out of thin air. So let's take a quiz. Which of the following statements is probably true?

A) An aging player who can't get a contract is feeling great. He's faster than ever and in the best shape of his life!

B) A vet on the bubble is totally over those nagging injuries that keep cutting his seasons short. It's like they never happened.

C) A player who saw the team draft his replacement in April is excited to start mentoring the new guy. They've already built a strong rapport and are going to work great together.

D) A younger quarterback who struggled last season is really picking up the offense. The game is slowing down and he's ready to make great strides this year.

E) A team that never makes the playoffs is going to surprise people this season. Things are different at camp and the players are really coming together. They can't wait to get the season started.

F) Absolutely none of the above.

You know the answer already. But that's a laundry list of media stories you've been seeing since the draft, and will continue to see until the meaningless, pretend games start. I mean the preseason, of course. But that's for another column.

In this case, you can blame the media. It's their fault. They're filling space, or supporting the hometown team, or satisfying a contractual obligation as an "official partner." Or maybe it's just clickbait for their website. Their "news" isn't news at all, and it won't help you win a title this year. in fact, it could actually hurt your chances.

With all this media bias, some of it is going to seep into your subconscious. And you might not even realize it, because you're getting hit with a barrage of updates from local media outlets. And really, they're just giving people what they want. If you love the hometown team, you want to see articles about how things are going. You want a little optimism. You appreciate a little positive spin. And that's great, as a fan. But as a fantasy owner, it's a different story. You'll start to inflate their values. You might reach a little earlier for a player, or discard a valid, negative factor. Then you have a team with marginal players you're already going to root for on Sunday.

For some owners it's out in the open. We've all had league mates who insist on taking their favorite players from their favorite teams. Maybe their fantasy squad suffers, but they enjoy the season more. And that's fine. But even for regular owners, that bias can still play a role. If you have to decide between two similar players, it might come down to a gut feeling. And somewhere down deep, you might remember a warm and fuzzy television interview or radio discussion or news story. It could affect your decision, and even your season.

So for now, it's probably best to ignore the media. If it's not related to fantasy football, avoid it. You want to keep up with actual facts, of course, but that's easy enough. It's the hours of analysis from media "experts" you want to skip. And they're everywhere, including the league's own network. You might be hungry for football news, but avoid the empty calories. These talking heads aren't worried about your fantasy team. They aren't thinking about how valuable a player will be in September. They're just killing time in July. Don't let them kill your season before it even starts.

And if things don't go well later, you can always point your finger at the biased media. If it's good enough for presidential candidates, it's good enough for fantasy owners.

How do you feel about blatant examples of media bias? Is your hometown paper or station creating creampuff stories that prop up marginal fantasy talent? Share your thoughts below.