Reality Check: Espn Journalism

[huskyjawz]

spin control:

http://frontrow.espn.go.com/author/jkrulewitz/

 

[BarkingDog]

espn journalism. That's right up there with industrial park and military intelligence.

 

[SAMCRO]

Generally, when someone has to explain and convince others that they have journalistic integrity, it means they dont have journalistic integrity.

Interesting that there was still no reference of Flippers quote in the Globe in the Gene W. write up on the BE/ACC dance. It listed all of the double talk that came out of Pitt, SU, WVU, and UConn from 2003 to 2011, yet nothing on Flipper admitting it was ESPN who told them what to do.

 

[Druken Friar]

I was foolish enough to watch their BCS countdown show every week last year. No matter what TCU or Boise did they were dismissed. When TCU destroyed Utah it was written off as Utah was overrated.

The show was propaganda to try and influence voters to pick who ESPN wanted in the championship. The BCS is designed to keep the championship game within the AQ conferences. ESPN wants the same thing. It's a huge conflict of interest.

 

[sportsart]

This reminds me of that infamous statement "I did not have sex with that woman".

Almost 100% of the time someone responds to accusations with reasons why the accusations are false they usually end up being true.

If you are innocent there is no reason to respond.

 

[NHUConnfan]

This reminds me of that infamous statement "I did not have sex with that woman".

Almost 100% of the time someone responds to accusations with reasons why the accusations are false they usually end up being true.

If you are innocent there is no reason to respond.

Are you talking about Herman Cain?

 

[mattp]

Generally, when someone has to explain and convince others that they have journalistic integrity, it means they dont have journalistic integrity..

i'm very surprised they would write this. it's basically and admission of guilt as far as i'm concerned. they must have been getting a lot of backlash to their reporting to feel the need to write something like this.

 

[mattp]

I was foolish enough to watch their BCS countdown show every week last year. No matter what TCU or Boise did they were dismissed. When TCU destroyed Utah it was written off as Utah was overrated.

The show was propaganda to try and influence voters to pick who ESPN wanted in the championship. The BCS is designed to keep the championship game within the AQ conferences. ESPN wants the same thing. It's a huge conflict of interest.

i've pretty much given up on ESPN for anything other than game broadcasts. their college coverage is slanted, and their NFL shows are nothing but a bunch of dopes slapping each other on the back and laughing at jokes that aren't funny while tossing out tired, worn cliches. Jaworski's awesome though, i'll give them that.

 

[SAMCRO]

i'm very surprised they would write this. it's basically and admission of guilt as far as i'm concerned. they must have been getting a lot of backlash to their reporting to feel the need to write something like this.

It's a deflection piece, and Gene W's write up is especially pathetic. After the one guy writes a long bit about how ESPN always has, and continues to be unbiased, professional, and having integrity in their reporting of the realignment, they link to a slam piece which attempts to embarass 4 schools and administrators in teh BE. They really are counting on the fact that the large majority of their viewers/subscribers are simple midned folks (which is probably not far from the truth).

 

[Stinger92860]

Just posted this comment in the ESPN comments section for this blog/article. We should pound this guy.

Why has ESPN NOT run a story on Gene Deflippo’s recent comments; “ESPN told us what to do’’ in relation to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s expansion plans? If there has been a story, would you please post the link? I’d like to see this on Outside the Lines too.​

Thank You​

 

[businesslawyer]

espn journalism. That's right up there with industrial park and military intelligence.

Plastic glasses. Jumbo shrimp.

 

[noeynox]

Don't know if you guys caught during last nights game, Reece Davis asked Craig James "I as a rb coach, what would you tell your rbs near the goal line". James response started off "I would tell em, don't watch sportscenter." Davis had a cow "why would you say that, you can't say that, etc." It was comical to hear and pretty much every thing you need to know. If you work for espn, you can't be critical of anything associated with espn.

 

[phillionaire]

I'll take ESPN's journalism seriously again when half their news stories don't involve someone's twitter.

 

[Dirty Water]

I can't see the videos at the office, but did any one notice the conferences that are missing from all of his examples of ESPN's journalistic integrity when it comes to conference realignment?

He boasts of freedom of information requests from the Big 10, Big 12 and Pac 10 as well as suing Texas and OSU for said info.

Gene Wojciechowski’s commentary on the Big East’s turmoil
ESPN breaks news of long-time Texas associate AD fired for harassment
Follow-up to harassment story
Jeff MacGregor’s commentary on NCAA’s shortcomings
Andy Katz reported the reason the Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott wouldn’t expand was because he couldn’t get revenue share assurance from Texas
ESPN airsfirst playing of Jim Tressel audio tapes from NCAA Meeting

I am amazed he included the Texas stuff given their business relationship, but he can't provide a link to a story on the ACC's annexation of 5 Big East in the last 8 years? Wonder why?

 

[Champions990411]

Meanwhile I caught the end of Mike Tirico on Sportscenter or some other show deriding the "New Big East". He was belittling a future BBall match-up between SMU and DePaul. Is that approriate when his alma mater Syracuse contributed to this problem and his network actively participated in the downgrade of Big East Hoops?

 

[Vuce]

Yeah and Tirico didn't mention about how all the fans in Pittsburgh are going to turn out for the big tilts versus Clemson or NC State.

 

[CTFootball]

Lots of ESPN haters on this site but I am sure you spend every waking moment watching the networks......put you r money where your mouth is and stop watching the network and using their other media.

 

[Druken Friar]

This is what happens when a company comes to dominate an industry. They start throwing their weight around to increase their bottom line. The Big East will continue to take cheap shots in the coming days because we didn't eat the dog chow ESPN was serving.

At least the Big East knows who they are dealing with going forward. I look forward to the day the BE signs a new contract with Fox, CBS or NBC.

 

[buckley503]

I didn't know Pat Forde was no longer with ESPN until a buddy of mine told me this morning. Forde is now at Yahoo and my buddy says that expect Forde to write insider stories of the Big Brother-type control that ESPN has over college football. Hopefully it will have some validity.

BTW, I'm going to miss his Forde yard dash columns.

 

[Excalibur]

The dash is published on Yahoo! if you can deal with the stench over there.

 

[buckley503]

The dash is published on Yahoo! if you can deal with the stench over there.

thanks. it will be the first time that i ever go to that site.

 

[CL82]

Earlier draft of the article follows. Portions in red did not make it to the final version.

It’s also worth noting that ESPN’s dynamic in the college space is not unique in our industry. Several other media companies have reporters covering all aspects of college sports, while at the same time, these same companies have long-term contracts with multiple conferences such as the SEC, Big 10, Pac-12, Big 12, Big East and others, however, none of them have been publically accused of directing conference raiding by the chairman of the ACC's expansion committee.

Whatever your interest in these topics is, the facts should help in forming your opinions. Below is a small sampling of some recent news content on ESPN’s entities:
ESPN filed an open-records request for internal communications to every school affected in the proposed June 2010 college football realignment, including every member school of the Big 12, Big Ten and the (then-) Pac-10. When the University of Texas withheld documents, ESPN wound up suing the University for those remaining documents. The case is still pending.

In July 2011 ESPN sued Ohio State University for withholding records that it viewed as public documents. In early October, the Supreme Court of Ohio denied Ohio State’s motion to settle the lawsuit out of court. The case is still pending.

ESPN has not requested any documents regarding the ACC's most recent raid on on the Big East. Most notably we have not investigated nor reported Boston College AD Gene DeFillipis' statement that we manipulated that process, nor do we plan to.