Have any of you ever read his columns on ESPN.com?

It's really interesting stuff.

If you don't know what an ombudsman does, it's someone that investigates complaints or acts as a consumer advocate.

ESPN added Solomon to ESPN.com back in July 2005. He critiques decision-making, coverage and presentation for studio and event production, including SportsCenter, ESPN Radio and, occasionally, programming outside the news and information genre.

Here is a link to his archive if you ever want to read some of his stuff. http://sports.espn.go.com/keyword/search?searchString=George_Solomon&rT=sports

I'll post his most recent column in the next post so you can get a flavor for what he writes about, it's pretty open and honest, which makes it a good read each month.

Hopefully we have people here besides myself that are interested in sports media.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=solomon_george&id=2432518


Bonds show offers more questions than answers

By George Solomon
ESPN Ombudsman

Wednesday, May 3, 2006

We're five episodes into "Bonds on Bonds," and I'm still looking for a lead for a front-page news story or riveting human drama. Bonds wondering about finishing his career in the American League to become a less-stressed designated hitter, or admitting every ball player, sooner or later, "comes to the end" of his career, is not the kind of material to generate the word "Bulletin."

ESPN executives made a decision that whatever Bonds says on the series, produced by the Tollin/Robbins company for ESPN Original Entertainment, is aired first on the show -- regardless of news value for ESPN's news operation.

While the series has been artfully crafted and holds a fan's attention for the full show, one gets the feeling the producers do not press Bonds sufficiently to react to the developments and turmoil that seem to follow this man 24/7.

What the series does well is take the viewers to the field with Bonds, as it did Tuesday night, reflecting the duel between Bonds and New York Mets relief pitcher Billy Wagner.

"That's as good a drama as you can get," Bonds said.

He was right. There's also a sensitive piece about Bonds showing kindness to a young fan who has been fighting cancer, Bonds restating his love of family and a defense of Bonds by broadcaster and former player Mark Grace. Recent stories about the possibility of Bonds' friend and weight-trainer Greg Anderson being called for further questioning by a grand jury were glossed over in about eight seconds.

As Bonds closes in on Babe Ruth's career total of 714 home runs, these issues dominate the daily sports news: reports by the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN that a federal grand jury is investigating Bonds for possible perjury committed during his grand jury testimony on steroids in 2003; a syringe thrown at him from the stands in San Diego; and subpoenas of training associates. Yet these topics are barely reflected in the series.

Despite Tollin/Robbins' and EOE's stated intent to remain responsible and responsive in this project, to this viewer, Bonds remains in control. Writing in the April 5 edition of the New York Times, media columnist Richard Sandomir said he would have liked Bonds to be asked by Tollin/Robbins questions such as:

"Have you taken steroids?"

"Have you taken human growth hormone?"

"Would you like to clarify or elaborate on the grand-jury testimony that was obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle?"

Actually, Bonds has in recent weeks been asked such questions -- by ESPN reporter Pedro Gomez. He's not associated with the show and is frequently treated with disdain by Bonds, who often gives dismissive responses to Gomez's questions such as, "You have issues, Pedro," and "Is that a baseball question?"

"We're trying to cover Bonds as thoroughly as possible, as we understand he's a figure of great interest," said Vince Doria, ESPN's senior vice-president for news. "We're doing crowd reaction, security and those elements of the story that can be reported, including the perjury charges."

Regarding ESPN's promotion of the Bonds' series, Doria said, "We're not cross-promoting the series from our news shows, as we sometimes would do in similar situations."

That's why this business relationship between Bonds and EOE is so frustrating. ESPN has a first-rate news operation that, if freed to use the time and resources, could have provided a different and perhaps a more balanced view of Bonds than Tollin/Robbins has provided via this series.

Stuart Scott's World
Along with Dick Vitale, anchor/commentator Stuart Scott attracts more viewer e-mails to the Ombudsman than anyone else at ESPN. Scott's often unique style of delivering the news, his distinctively hip use of language, and his occasional forays into poetry drive large numbers of viewers to choose sides -- as is the case with Vitale.

"It's our job to inform, educate and teach the viewers in an entertaining way," Scott said. "We all have that role. People do it in different ways, expressing their own personalities. My personality is my personality, as Neil Everett has his own personality and Chris Berman has his own personality. None of us fakes it; we're all different and diverse -- talking to a diverse audience. You shouldn't be on television to please everyone. I want to see someone who is real, who will entertain and inform me."

If Scott's use of poetry annoys some viewers, his retort is quick and pointed.

"The reading of poetry is an African-American thing -- expressing emotion," he said. "I do it as an ode of respect to the community and an interesting way to do a highlight. It's a way of expressing a passion that's creative and instructive. Sure it's different. That's what we're supposed to do. I want African-Americans to see you can do the job and still be who you are."

I enjoy Scott's work and believe he's someone who attracts viewers with an entertaining and knowledgeable style that appeals to many, even if it is irksome to others. That said, I would suggest he might be less chummy with colleagues who once played professional sports, be more open to hearing out critics in the viewing audience and less prone to put himself in the story, as some viewers complain that he does.

Surfing
No one can accuse ESPN of not covering the NFL draft. Wow. For nearly two months, ESPN -- with its deep team of reporters -- has provided viewers what it believed to be every possible story angle, twist and piece of information related to the draft of college players, held last weekend in New York City.

The Draft Day crew of Chris Berman, Mel Kiper Jr., Tom Jackson, Chris Mortensen and Michael Irvin did a good job of summarizing the winners and losers -- particularly Irvin, who seems to have sharpened his commentary in the offseason.

But for all the solid reporting by ESPN in the past several weeks, I never got a sense until way late that North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams would surpass Southern California's Reggie Bush to become the No. 1 pick by the Houston Texans. Nor did I ever get a sense that USC quarterback Matt Leinart would drop like a rock -- to the 10th pick -- by the Arizona Cardinals, though there was some suggestion that he might fall as far as No. 7 to Oakland if the Titans opted for Vince Young at No. 3.

Several commentators, included Merril Hoge and Ron Jaworski, did suggest that Vanderbilt QB Jay Cutler might have more pro potential than Leinart.

Also, I would love to see more reporting -- not commentary -- on whether the supposed relationship of Bush's family with a wannabe marketing agent was a factor in his not being selected No. 1 overall. Or did the Texans see something in Bush's potential, or contract demands, they did not like? And the fall of Leinart requires more in-depth reporting. Both developments took me by surprise -- which should never have happened, considering the strength of ESPN's reporting team.

Some viewers wondered if ESPN was spending too much time on the Duke lacrosse story. It's a complaint with which I do not agree. The network has been aggressive, fair and smart in its coverage. Reporters George Smith and Rachel Nichols have done well reporting from Durham, and legal analyst Roger Cossack has provided interesting views well within the bounds of fairness.
"You want to be fair and accurate, while reporting the story with context," said Norby Williamson, ESPN's executive vice president for production. "We've had people on the ground from the start looking to report the story from all sides, while trying to be as fair and objective as possible, while not over-covering."

My take: ESPN has done well on this story, although I'm still waiting to hear what Duke's most famous coach, Mike Krzyzewski, has to say.

ESPN tennis commentator Mary Joe Fernandez walks a fine line in reporting matches involving clients of her husband, an executive of the sports management firm IMG. But her boss, Jed Drake, ESPN's senior vice president for remote production, said Fernandez can maintain her standards and be critical of her husband's clients, who include Maria Sharapova.
"She is an excellent tennis commentator," Drake said of Fernandez.

My take: ESPN and Fernandez, as well as NBA commentator Bill Walton when covering his son, Luke of the Los Angeles Lakers, need to make viewers aware of their relationships early and often in the telecasts.

Many hockey fans are closely watching how ESPN is covering the Stanley Cup playoffs, now that the network no longer carries the games.
"We're aware people are watching how we do," Williamson said. "I think the quality of our coverage -- what we're doing on SportsCenter, and the placement of [commentator] Barry Melrose -- is the same as when we had the games."

My take: The NHL's playoff games are too far down in the nightly SportsCenter lineup, particularly in relationship to the coverage of baseball games in April. Also, the live interviews after NHL and NBA playoff games that often brighten ESPNEWS shows would be worthy of SportsCenter, as well.

Soccer buffs want more Champions League, World Cup previews, coverage of the U.S. team and MLS recognition.

Finally: "Pardon The Interruption" host Tony Kornheiser, once my responsibility at The Washington Post, might have gotten a little too chummy with royalty by recently referring to Queen Elizabeth II as a "babe." Tony, Tony, Tony.

Stuart Scott hasn't been "hip" for about 5 years.

Stuart Scott's World
Along with Dick Vitale, anchor/commentator Stuart Scott attracts more viewer e-mails to the Ombudsman than anyone else at ESPN. Scott's often unique style of delivering the news, his distinctively hip use of language, and his occasional forays into poetry drive large numbers of viewers to choose sides -- as is the case with Vitale.

"It's our job to inform, educate and teach the viewers in an entertaining way," Scott said. "We all have that role. People do it in different ways, expressing their own personalities. My personality is my personality, as Neil Everett has his own personality and Chris Berman has his own personality. None of us fakes it; we're all different and diverse -- talking to a diverse audience. You shouldn't be on television to please everyone. I want to see someone who is real, who will entertain and inform me."

If Scott's use of poetry annoys some viewers, his retort is quick and pointed.

"The reading of poetry is an African-American thing -- expressing emotion," he said. "I do it as an ode of respect to the community and an interesting way to do a highlight. It's a way of expressing a passion that's creative and instructive. Sure it's different. That's what we're supposed to do. I want African-Americans to see you can do the job and still be who you are."

I enjoy Scott's work and believe he's someone who attracts viewers with an entertaining and knowledgeable style that appeals to many, even if it is irksome to others. That said, I would suggest he might be less chummy with colleagues who once played professional sports, be more open to hearing out critics in the viewing audience and less prone to put himself in the story, as some viewers complain that he does.
I remember when 50 Cent first came out I actually laughed. It was street cred to such a degree that it was amusing. The way a man might walk out of a doctor's office with terminal cancer, get hit by a bus, and then gets loaded into an ambulance just before it explodes.

A few years ago, an old roommate pointed out to me that virtually every time Stuart Scott interviews a black athlete, he starts throwing around street slang. I watched closely and noticed he was right, and I thought about 50 Cent.

Personally, I'm uncomfortable about Scott's easy assumption that blackness, if there is such a thing, means speaking in urban slang. I don't see his act as an "ode of respect to the [African-American] community"; such attempts at black authenticity often devolve into the anti-intellectualism that has mostly harmed the Black community--and, consequently, the American one. The same way getting good grades means acting white, I'm supposed to believe that speaking with no regard to grammar means acting black? I don't accept that. Even if he calls it poetry.

That's pretty much how I feel about Stuart Scott.

Damn, realistic - great post.

Seconded.

This guy is entertaining. Glenn, keep it up.

I love Stuart Scott. He's my favorite ESPN anchor.

And I also agree with Unibomber. I like that article.....very insightful and entertaining.

From his August 2005 column...



My gripes
• What was Jim Rome thinking last month when, while reporting the possible comeback of former NBA star Shawn Kemp, he suggested the story would be of interest to women who might want to have his child?

LMAO

New column.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=solomon_george&id=2459811


ESPN needs more journalism, less sensationalism

By George Solomon
ESPN Ombudsman

The ombudsman gets hundreds of e-mails a month from viewers with complaints, suggestions and praise for ESPN. But a recent visit to Bristol generated opinions, comments and questions from staffers who help make ESPN America's No. 1 sports network.

Some of the comments (names withheld, to protect the innocent families), followed by my responses:

Would love to see more journalism and text-driven stories.

ESPN has the resources do more of "Outside The Lines"-type journalism, but much of that work doesn't translate into exciting television. Still, ESPN has the responsibility and a staff capable of doing more than it currently does.


Covering the big-name stars and doing the sensational story vs. reporting the hard news and simply telling a good story.
ESPNEWS and SportsCenter should consider scaling back a "send out all the troops" philosophy in their coverage of some big stories and stars, such as Terrell Owens and Barry Bonds. Overplay is often worse than underplay.
Too much on-air use of former athletes over more experienced sports reporters and commentators.
Former athletes add depth to analysis, because they actually played the games. But too often the athletes pull their punches -- often to avoid offending former colleagues -- and do not share their full knowledge or real feelings with viewers. However, some -- Tom Jackson, Harold Reynolds, Tim Legler, Michael Irvin, Steve Young and Mark Schlereth, to name several -- have figured it out.
Too many mistakes made during the course of a day's news cycle without an appropriate and sufficiently visible method of making corrections.
ESPN needs to find a better way to correct mistakes. Its Web site, ESPN.com, is a possibility, or the company could wait until the end of a show, as "PTI" does, and point out earlier mistakes. Newspapers make mistakes all the time, but they correct them, usually in the same location each day.
The network is too driven by ratings. Even an old newspaper guy can understand that motive.

The Sunday Conversations on SportsCenter, as well as other interviews, should be sharper, with more edge. That would mean asking tougher questions. And I would add a personal plea for additional post-game interviews on SportsCenter with players and coaches, as ESPNEWS does so well.

Why so many promotional ads? I can understand ESPN's need to inform and promote, but the network sometimes goes too far. For example, most everyone by now is fully aware that "Monday Night Football" will be on ESPN this fall.Bonds on hold
ESPN announced May 24 that it was putting the "Bonds on Bonds" series -- which has run weekly since April 4 -- on hold. While the production by the Tollin/Robbins company was often creative, and seeing Bonds in different situations was sometimes interesting, the ethics of having the network's original entertainment division in a business relationship with someone so prominent in the news was not worth the conflicts.

The episode scheduled to be shown May 29 will conclude the run, and begin what ESPN has called a "hiatus."

ESPN spokesman Rob Tobias said in a statement: "We anticipate that Barry Bonds will surpass Babe Ruth's 714 home runs by our Memorial Day special. The decision is based on Bonds' health and his home run pace. The series will then take a hiatus and come back with a special edition at some point during the season, perhaps the All-Star Break, or at the end of the season."

ESPN's decision to air the series caused some resentment inside and outside the network's Bristol headquarters. Some viewers even expressed unhappiness over ESPN's cut-in shots of Bonds' at-bats in his efforts to tie and surpass Ruth's 714 career mark. It put the news division, including reporter Pedro Gomez, in a difficult position.

Vince Doria, ESPN's senior vice president for news, said Gomez and his team would be given other assignments after covering Bonds full-time since 2005.

"The appetite for this story has waned and become less compelling since the start of the 2005 season," Doria said. "After he hits 715, we'll stop the day-to-day coverage and cover him from time-to-time, as news dictates."

Lest all the attention be focused on Bonds, it should be noted ESPN also erred in doing a series with controversial Texas Tech basketball coach Bob Knight. I also wonder why ESPN encourages stars such as LeBron James and Maria Sharapova to do promotional "drop-ins" in Bristol -- giving the impression they are part of the "ESPN Family."

Surfing
ESPN continues to do well covering the Duke lacrosse story, in which three players were indicted last month on charges of sexually assaulting a woman who had been hired as an exotic dancer for a team party in March. The coverage has been balanced; the commentary mostly even-handed.
"In our efforts to be fair and cautious, we haven't put some people on the air in hopes of avoiding trying this case in the media," Doria said.

Baseball fans get out of sorts when "Baseball Tonight" is trimmed to 20 minutes (when it is slotted with "Outside The Lines" and "NBA Fast Break.") That's likely to occur less in the coming months, especially after the end of the NBA playoffs.

Darren Rovell's Weblog about Gatorade -- done independent of the Gatorade company and ESPN -- still looks very commercial, and raises questions from viewers about its propriety. Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com and appears on ESPN's networks, also wrote a book on Gatorade that ESPN.com Executive Editor Patrick Stiegman said was "independent of his role with ESPN," as is his work with the Gatorade blog.

Stiegman added that Rovell's work on Gatorade, both on the book and the blog, is "unauthorized (by Gatorade) and offers a balanced view on developments in the sports drink niche. Darren has been both forthright and careful in his handling of this project." Rovell's coverage of sports business has been aggressive, clever and generally admired. His association, in my view, with the Gatorade site, on top of a writing a book on the subject, isn't helping his reputation, or that of ESPN.

Let me declare that I believe NO ombudsman, or sports editor, has ever been asked to pose for GQ, the classy monthly men's magazine. Still, I was surprised, and not so pleased, to see the GQ promotion this month featuring SportsCenter anchors Steve Levy, Trey Wingo, Mike Greenberg, John Anderson, Chris Berman, Kenny Mayne and Jay Harris modeling clothing for LYCRA, NYNE, CoolMax and Macy's.

Al Jaffe, ESPN vice president for talent and production recruitment, said permission for such outside activities would be withheld if "the commercial or service was done by an announcer who might be asked to comment on the product he or she has endorsed." I know I'm out of touch, but I still view these guys as news anchors and reporters.

Finally
Good reporting by Jeannine Edwards after the breakdown of Barbaro one furlong into the Preakness. It's a story that has the interest of many sports fans and merits additional reporting. ... Rick Sutcliffe's word-slurring performance from San Diego in a guest appearance in a local broadcast booth could have been avoided by a simple "no thank you" when asked to appear. Embarrassing. . . . ESPN Radio made two foolish mistakes recently. A tape making light of the Army women's basketball team and its late coach, Maggie Dixon, was recently played by Erik Kuselias on SportsBash. The tape was made during the season, before Ms. Dixon's death. And NBA commentator Ric Bucher, appearing on "Game Night" on May 20, said after Barbaro's injury in the Preakness that the horse could expect a future either as a stallion or the "glue factory." That remark upset some listeners and prompted ESPN Radio GM Bruce Gilbert to say Bucher "should have used the term 'put down' instead of 'glue factory.' "

New column, good read.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=solomon_george&id=2566936


Playing favorites: Viewers question game choices

By George Solomon
ESPN Ombudsman

This is the time of year -- the intersection of baseball and football -- that millions of ESPN viewers savor. It's also the time viewers ask the most questions, such as, "Who decides which games will be televised and how are these decisions are made?"

Juggling contracts, viewer E-mails, research data and input from other network executives, David Berson, ESPN's senior vice president for program planning and development, has the ultimate responsibility for deciding what games you'll see.

"We try to take into account viewer interest, performances of teams, past ratings and story lines when we choose our games," Berson said. "I do not see us setting an agenda; rather we try to satisfy our viewers, serve the sports fans and, in our own way, educate our audience."

While Berson's philosophy and goals are admirable, some viewers take exception to their execution. I hear many complaints that ESPN puts too much emphasis on the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox at the expense of other teams, such as the defending World Series champion Chicago White Sox and this year's surprise team, the Detroit Tigers.

I hear complaints that ESPN also has its favorites in other sports (the Los Angeles Lakers, Duke basketball, Notre Dame football and USC football, to name four).

"The Yankee-Red Sox games attract a large viewership," said Berson, noting that 81 percent of ESPN's audience resides in the Eastern and Central time zones. "Some people believe we favor those teams. But they are great attractions nationally."

ESPN's power to pick which games it will televise varies from sport to sport.

"We give the NFL a list of what we want, then they dictate the schedule they give us," Berson said. "We give the NBA our preferences, too, and they're responsive. College sports offers more of a blank canvas for us; we have contracts with most major conferences and more flexibility in our selection of games."

For the most part, ESPN tries to please the majority of viewers when selecting the games it broadcasts across several networks. The same can be said for how ESPN chooses its weekly college GameDay site for Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and Co. to set up shop for a day on campus.

"We try to take into consideration the mix of conferences, and whether or not we've already been to the campus during the season," explained Craig T. Lazarus, the ESPN VP for studio production in charge of that show. "But the most important factor in the decision is the question, 'Is this the best game of the day?' "

That makes sense, of course. But if ESPN wants to better serve viewer interests, what I would suggest is that on occasion company executives make themselves available to the cameras or on ESPN.com to explain to viewers why specific decisions were made.

Monday Night Football

National Football League teams need at least four games to get ready for the regular season; ESPN's "Monday Night Football" team is following the same formula.

Not that anyone needs another critique of this production, but to me, the team of Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser is off to a good start, with solid work from sideline reporters Michelle Tafoya and Suzy Kolber.

A number of viewers, however, expressed via E-mail their dislike for the scoreboard graphic used in the preseason MNF broadcasts, and disappointment that the Al Michaels-John Madden announcing duo didn't move from ABC to ESPN for Monday Nights this fall. Others believe Theismann might consider talking less, and still others say Kornheiser needs to be more assertive and informative. Almost everyone seems to like Tirico.

My response to the viewers: give the new MNF crew a chance. While most critics in the media have generally offered favorable reviews, several were not. For example, the Washington Post's Paul Farhi wrote of Kornheiser, his colleague at the newspaper, "He wasn't especially witty, provocative or insightful in calling the Raiders' 16-13 win over the Vikings (August 14) from the Metrodome in Minneapolis."

On the Dan Patrick radio show the next day, Kornheiser, who worked for me for 25 years (until 2004) when I was sports editor of the Washington Post, called Farhi "a two-bit weasel slug" whom Kornheiser said he "would gladly run over with a Mack truck given the opportunity." He also he was surprised such a negative review would appear in his own newspaper, and also expressed unhappiness with ESPN Radio's Mike Golic, whose offense was calling Kornheiser's debut "OK."

Kornheiser's response to Farhi on Patrick's show was in bad taste and petty. Taking criticism, even from your own newspaper, goes with the territory. Nor were Kornheiser's comments about Golic necessary, even though Golic had previously questioned the selection of Kornheiser as part of the MNF team. Later in the week after the initial broadcast, Kornheiser joined fellow Post columnist Mike Wilbon on "Pardon the Interruption" -- and both referred to Farhi as a "weasel," an unacceptable editorial description that should have been edited out.

Surfing

--ESPN needs to do a good job in coming days in alerting viewers about the numerous changes in its programming for the upcoming NFL season. That includes noting the end of the much-acclaimed Sunday night "PrimeTime" show featuring Chris Berman and Tom Jackson. The NFL's contract with NBC for Sunday night football prevents "PrimeTime" from continuing its run. But ESPN hopes to keep the spirit of "PrimeTime" alive in the late "SportsCenter" -- after NBC's Sunday night telecast -- and by featuring Berman and Jackson, among others, in its extensive Monday package around that night's game.

--Overplayed: The downfall of former Ohio State football star Maurice Clarett -- charged this month with carrying a concealed weapon after officers found four loaded guns in his SUV after a police chase -- needed to be covered. So did the story surrounding his alleged relationship to people who supposedly lent him money in the past year. But the coverage of his arrest, in my view, was excessive. Similarly, there needs to be more restraint in the coverage of Terrell Owens, the Dallas Cowboys receiver whose injury-prone preseason has been given far too much prominence. Owens' verbal jousting with whomever happens to be his coach has become tiresome.

--Overhyped: The Disney movie "Invincible" got too much play before and during the Steelers-Eagles preseason game on ESPN (Disney is ESPN's parent company). Someone needs to say, "Wait a minute, this doesn't look so good." Same with the pushing of Mobile ESPN phones. And shouldn't rookie running back Reggie Bush of the New Orleans Saints establish himself in the NFL just a little bit before ESPN nominates him for the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

--Nice work by Kenny Mayne and Co. on the Travers at Saratoga last weekend -- understated, informative and entertaining.

--Kid stuff: Generally high marks for ESPN from viewers for its coverage of the Little League World Series, though some were uncomfortable when they heard how the event spurs bonding between "fathers and sons." Asked one viewer, "What about the mothers?" Another viewer from Texas expressed discomfort about what she said was a between-innings commercial for phone sex. An ESPN source said the commercial was inserted by the local affiliate.

--Though I know I'm out of touch on many issues, ESPN's pitting of prep football powers Glades (Fla.) Central against Byrnes of Duncan, S.C., on national television in late August tells the world high school sports are about winning, big-time recruits and ratings -- but not education.

--Finally, Jim Durham and Fran Fraschilla are calling FIBA World Basketball Championships games for ESPN from Bristol, and are not on site in Japan. A similar situation occurred this summer during some of the coverage of the FIFA World Cup from Germany. The solution is simple: Tell the viewers where the announcers are, and do it more than once a game.

New Column

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=solomon_george&id=2610531


Latest Terrell Owens media binge 'just too much'
By George Solomon
ESPN Ombudsman

ESPN's coverage -- television, radio and on its Web site -- of the Terrell Owens situation last Wednesday was a "Category 5" media binge worthy of a national leader at death's door. The day began with a police report detailing an apparent attempt by the celebrated Dallas wide receiver to take his life with an overdose of painkillers. Eight hours later, Owens held a press conference to announce that he "made no suicide attempt" and wanted to play against Tennessee on Sunday.

The scenario began Tuesday night when a 911 call was placed and the 32-year-old wide receiver was taken to the Baylor University Medical Center, where he spent the night. Late Wednesday morning, he was released from the hospital and by early afternoon was at the Cowboys' training facility, working out and addressing media.

By the end of his news conference, the story had taken on a life of its own. That's life in the world of 24-hour immediate news and sports: A story breaks and reporters report, whether they really know anything or not. Many of ESPN's networks, shows and resources were devoted to this story for more than 24 hours, with anchor Bob Ley doing a solid job in the lead role.

"We had an obligation to cover this story live from the time it broke," said Norby Williamson, ESPN's executive vice president for production. "We felt the need to track its twists and turns and stay with it. Our concern was not how much we did, but to be careful not to speculate over Owens' state of mind."

My gripe was that, in hindsight, some of the information that got on the air proved to be inaccurate. In general, the network's producers and editors need to be more restrained. It's better to be right -- even if it means being second to the competition. Meanwhile, many ESPN viewers, via e-mail, said the coverage of Owens this past week on ESPN was just too much -- a belief that had merit.

Monday Night Football
If ESPN was looking to return "Monday Night Football" to a special place in sports prominence, it has succeeded -- at least that's what the ratings show through the first month of the season. Pregame and postgame shows positioned around the game work well, although you often get the feeling the network is seeking to turn every Monday night into the Super Bowl. The "MNF" announcing team of Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser seems to be settling in, with solid support from sideline reporters Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya.

A number of viewers complain that Kornheiser's comments aren't sufficiently game-related and Theismann talks too much. Very few complaints about Tirico.

Many viewers, however, were adamant in their belief that the coverage last Monday of the NFL's return to the Louisiana Superdome was politically slanted to make the Bush administration look bad. Others felt that too much of New Orleans' post-Katrina problems were injected into a football production, and not enough attention paid to the game; that Mississippi's ravaged gulf coast was ignored; and that by interviewing filmmaker Spike Lee, ESPN was making a political statement.

"There was no political leaning in our coverage," Williamson said. "We felt the reopening of the Louisiana Superdome was a huge news and cultural event. For this night, that's how we covered it -- rather than our normal coverage of a game."

Of Lee's presence and the notion that some viewers believed it to be anti-President Bush, Williamson said, "He's been in the news with his documentary of Katrina and New Orleans. We felt his appearance was reasonable and responsible."

Still, a moratorium on celebrity guests in the MNF booth might be in order.

But I'll let Kornheiser's words from his column in Wednesday's Washington Post speak for the more than 500 ESPN staffers who worked the game: "It will take years and years for it (New Orleans) to come back whole again. But the great elixir of sports, the great shot of adrenaline that sports gives you, is in those few hours when you can lose yourself -- and put your worries aside -- and if you get lucky your team wins and you go home happy. The problem in New Orleans, of course, is that not everybody has a home to go to. Still, nobody walking out of that Superdome on Monday night felt anything but hope. It's a script that was perfectly written and a moment that was perfectly lived."

Whitlock's departure
Last week, ESPN cut its ties with Kansas City Star columnist Jason Whitlock, largely over derogatory and highly personal remarks Whitlock made about former ESPN colleagues Mike Lupica (panelist on "Sports Reporters") and Scoop Jackson (ESPN.com columnist). Whitlock, who recently left his role as a columnist for ESPN.com's Page 2, had been a regular panelist on "Sports Reporters" and a guest host on "PTI". He made the remarks about Lupica and Jackson in an interview that appeared on the Web site biglead.com.

The comments were pointed and offensive and won't be repeated in this space. Last week, Whitlock told me, "I have no hard feelings towards ESPN. I don't feel I should work where I'm not wanted. My ability to state my opinions is too important to me. I still have TV aspirations, but not with restrictions. I enjoyed my time doing 'PTI' and on 'The Jim Rome Is Burning' show. But it's time to move on. More than anything else, I'm a sports columnist."

Said Williamson, "ESPN has no problem with being criticized. We think that's healthy. But we're not going to tolerate personal attacks against specific individuals."

Added ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz, "There are numerous examples of allowing people to voice diverse, critical opinions of our company, including from Jason himself over the years. These were personal attacks that went too far."

I've admired some of Whitlock's work over the years. But I also noticed that he, and some of his former ESPN colleagues, were unable to make a distinction between fair commentary and personal attacks or irresponsible generalizations. And I don't see enough tough editing and direction from people directly responsible for what gets on the air and on the Web site. Attack journalism is not acceptable journalism in any form. Commentators, panelists and so-called "star talent" need to be held to the same standards as everyone else at ESPN and other media.

ESPN should make certain its guidelines and standards are known and followed by everyone taking its paychecks.

Surfing
--I understand the reason announcer Brent Musburger had to explain to the University of Southern California why he shared with viewers the meaning of quarterback John David Booty's hand-signals to wide receivers. But like Trojans Coach Pete Carroll, I don't see why such a fuss was made over the incident. Booty shared the information with Musburger at a regular Friday pregame television meeting with coaches and players that allegedly is off-the-record. Off-the-record sessions, in my view, cause more problems than they're worth.

--Embarrassing moment:Seattle's MVP running back Shaun Alexander falling down in an advertisement for Mobile ESPN that ran on the same day Alexander broke a bone in his foot. Days later, ESPN announced it would end its phone project.

--Many viewers continue to get emotional when "College GameDay" site choices do not include their favorite campus. My suggestion to ESPN is to keep moving the sites around as much as possible, unless two top-five teams are playing, regardless of which network is televising that game. Also, I'm delighted that Lee Corso, one of my favorite commentators, has stopped referring to his colleagues as "sweetheart" as though he was in a Boynton Beach, Fla., diner.

--ESPN could have done more reporting on the steroid story involving the Carolina Panthers. It should also remember the attention it devoted last February to an alleged NHL gambling probe in New Jersey. Both stories need callbacks.

--ESPN's Boston reporter, Wendi Nix, is married to an executive with the Boston Red Sox -- an apparent conflict of interest in the making. I raised this with Vince Doria, ESPN's senior vice president for news, who said the couple can separate personal from professional and that "she was the best person for the job." That's fine, except I would not assign her to any stories involving the Red Sox.

--Some viewers wonder why "Sports Reporters" moderator John Saunders ends the weekly show with a personalized "parting shot" just like his three panelists. "In the structure of the first three segments, I do not share my opinions," Saunders said. "My role there is to provoke conflicting and opposing sides. The closing format allows me to share my opinions. Sports is hugely different from news; it's about sharing your opinions. People want to know what you think." The show's producers, since the days of the late Dick Schaap, have encouraged the moderator to express opinions. Personally, I'd be happier if the moderator simply moderated, as happens on most of the Sunday morning news/discussion shows. "Sports Reporters" is a serious sports show about serious topics.

--There were more than a few pleas that ESPN not repeat the "Full Circle Coverage" it tried during the Sept. 4 Florida State-Miami game. The experiment of multiple screens and multiple outlets was confusing to many viewers.

--And one viewer from Anchorage, Alaska, while watching a football game on ESPN with his children, seemed taken aback by a suggestive promo for ABC's "Desperate Housewives."

Enough for now. Next time we'll tackle sideline reporters, as well as ESPN's boxing coverage.

New article: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=solomon_george&id=2645282


Balancing act: Miami-FIU brawl coverage one-sided

By George Solomon
ESPN Ombudsman

ESPN's coverage of the brawl in the third period of the Florida International-University of Miami football game in the Orange Bowl in mid-October elicited a torrent of e-mails from viewers who claimed the network was one-sided and unfair to the Hurricanes.

The melee was prompted by an FIU player jumping on Miami's holder following a third-quarter point-after attempt and resulted in dozens of players fighting each other, including many rushing the field from their respective sidelines. FIU's response was to dismiss two players from the team and suspend 16 indefinitely.

Miami suspended 12 players for one game (against Duke) and one player indefinitely -- the helmet-swinging Anthony Reddick. Miami's president, Donna Shalala, said in a news conference the punishment was adequate -- and she would not be "throwing any of the school's student-athletes under the bus."

President Shalala's position prompted harsh criticism from several ESPN commentators on a number of shows. But many viewers believed the commentary was not sufficiently balanced, and Miami coach Larry Coker was not given credit for attempting to improve Miami's image.

"It's time for the feeding frenzy to stop," Shalala said in response to the criticism. "These young men made a stupid, terrible, horrible mistake and are being punished."

The incident was heavily covered and commented on, in part, because Miami's football team has a history of ugly incidents, including a fight with LSU at last year's Peach Bowl, and its players stomping on Louisville's logo on the field before this year's game. Another factor was the available video footage, in contrast to a fight among Dartmouth and Holy Cross players the same day that received no national TV coverage.

"The coverage was intense because it was a big story, and we have dozens of shows," said Vince Doria, ESPN's senior vice president for news. "Nor do I think Donna Shalala did herself any favors with the lack of severity of Miami's penalties. FIU was much tougher in its disciplinary actions."

Other factors in the network's coverage and commentary, Doria said, included Miami's position on the national stage, the use of a helmet as a weapon by Reddick and the kicking of an FIU player by Miami's senior co-captain Brandon Meriweather.

"Much of the commentary occurred after Miami imposed its penalties," Doria said.

I have no problem with ESPN's focus, but I wonder how many times you can watch one brawl. And there could have been more balance in the reporting and commentary, particularly on former coach Butch Davis' success in improving the program's image and Coker's similar, but presumed less successful, attempts.

New York Stories
Some viewers were uneasy over the non-stop, day-long intensity ESPN brought to the October 12 coverage of the private airplane crash into a New York apartment building that killed New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor.

"You'd have thought a president had died," one viewer from Ohio complained. Another viewer felt the coverage was "exploitive." And, ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd said on his show the coverage was "too much."

But Norby Williamson, ESPN's executive vice president for production, said ESPN had an "obligation" to its viewers to go right on the air, and remain, with its on-the-scene coverage.

"It was an easy call for us," he said. "It was a tragic, shocking, developing news story of magnitude involving a New York Yankee pitcher flying into a New York apartment building."

I thought ESPN's response and coverage was appropriate and its reporting team, headed by Jeremy Schaap, professional. Viewers looking for sports had an NBA preseason game from Europe on ESPN2 to watch.

Not so impressive was ESPN's coverage of whether George Steinbrenner would retain Joe Torre as manager after the New York Yankees' elimination from the American League playoffs by the Detroit Tigers.

With the New York Daily News and Newsday reporting in their October 8 editions that Torre likely would be fired, ESPN followed with reporting and commentary also suggesting Torre was out. Three days later, however, Torre was told by Steinbrenner he would return for a 12th season.

Schaap, one of ESPN's best staffers, and Buster Olney, a knowledgeable, smart and experienced baseball commentator, both suggested Torre was close to losing his job.

"I tried to be careful in my reporting," Schaap said. "But it certainly looked that way [Torre's firing]. We reported no decision had been reached and attributed much of our information on Sunday to the Daily News and Newsday."

Olney said, "I tried to make it clear no decision had been made."

Still, ESPN over a three-day span, should have been more careful and cautious in reporting this story, with Schaap likely regretting his very good line, "Not everyone gets to attend his own funeral."

Instead of a public oops from ESPN, Jim Rome seemed to get in the last words, saying on his show Torre "should have been fired." So there.

Sideline reporters
One of the most controversial positions at ESPN is the sideline reporter -- an assignment that calls for aggressively creative reporting for an audience that often questions the need for the job. The duties include pressing pre-game story lines, reacting to news and developments on the field during the game, and interviewing some coaches who would rather not be interviewed. In addition, sideline reporters support and assist announcers in the press box.

"Sideline reporters are a distraction" is a common theme among e-mails sent to the Ombudsman.

"The job has evolved substantially over the years," said Jed Drake, ESPN's senior vice president for remote productions. "Sideline reporters are asked to deliver storytelling reports prior to the game, report between plays, make observations and cover injuries and sideline developments."

Said Williamson, "The sideline reporter is our beat reporter. Sideline reporters are responsible for everything that takes place on the field beyond the telecast of the game."

Holly Rowe, a veteran sideline reporter, believes her role is to answer questions and clarify developments during the game, as well as providing the announcers in the booth news and information.

"One of the things I'm most proud is when my reporting generates conversation from the booth, as well as providing the viewer a front row seat during the game," she said. "But sometimes you feel like an intruder when you try to balance private exchanges with the public's right to know."

Rowe's reservations notwithstanding, the more information and news delivered by sideline reporters the better. Their job is difficult. What team wants a reporter looking for news during the game when viewers are more interested in the action than the story line? Also, while some announcers seem reluctant to welcome input from their sideline colleagues, those same sideliners often seem to accept their role as journalists more than the guys upstairs.

Boxing
The Ombudsman grew up in a time when boxing was among the major sports in this country, when a big heavyweight title fight froze the nation, when fighters such as Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard dominated the sports headlines.

These days, major fights, when they occur, are shown on pay-per-view, with HBO, Showtime and ESPN picking off the rest.

"There used to be a huge appetite for boxing in the days of the megafight," Williamson said. "When SportsCenter covered those events, our ratings double and tripled."

ESPN's coverage of boxing includes a regular "Friday Night Fights" offering, as well as EOE's "The Contender" series, run by Leonard, which attempts to "humanize" the fighters, Williamson said.

"On Friday nights, we're putting on fighters in their development stages," said Rob Breiner, the producer of ESPN's Friday night show. "We try to show honest competition" even if not in the high economic strata of HBO and Showtime's promotions.

With Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas commentating, Breiner, with a budget of between $20,000 to $30,000 per show, hopes to give promising fighters "exposure" and satisfy fans who still appreciate the game.

Surfing
--ESPN has to be pleased with record ratings (for cable television) of "Monday Night Football" and the performance of its announcing team and sideline reporters, as well as the pregame and post-game shows. But some viewers complain the Mike Tirico-Joe Theismann-Tony Kornheiser team still doesn't talk enough about the game, and others have individual gripes. The biggest knocks are the celebrity interviews. From Emmitt Smith talking about his dancing to James Denton of "Desperate Housewives" being asked an off-color question by Kornheiser to filmmaker Spike Lee, many viewers feel the guests are a distraction from the football game. I agree. It's a football game, not a night-time talk show.

--Some viewers are still upset the football game between top-ranked Ohio State and Indiana this month was on ESPNU rather than ESPN or ESPN2.

--The production/reporting team that worked on the Pat Tillman story that appeared on SportsCenter this month deserves major kudos. That would be Tim Hays, Brian Franey, Willie Weinbaum and Mike Fish. What made the story compelling was the depth of the reporting and interviews.

I've admired some of Whitlock's work over the years. But I also noticed that he, and some of his former ESPN colleagues, were unable to make a distinction between fair commentary and personal attacks or irresponsible generalizations. And I don't see enough tough editing and direction from people directly responsible for what gets on the air and on the Web site. Attack journalism is not acceptable journalism in any form. Commentators, panelists and so-called "star talent" need to be held to the same standards as everyone else at ESPN and other media.
in total agreement with this.

George Solomon > Pretty much everything else on ESPN.com.

Not even kidding.

More from the man:



Irvin's racial remarks about Romo crossed the line
Solomon
By George Solomon
ESPN Ombudsman
Archive

Michael Irvin's comments about the ancestry of Dallas quarterback Tony Romo, made during an interview on Dan Patrick's ESPN radio show Nov. 20, carried the same racial overtones that ended the television career of the late Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder nearly 20 years ago.

In a discussion of Romo's athletic ability, Irvin, a former Cowboys wide receiver and a regular on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, said the quarterback's skills would have had to come from African-American heritage. Romo is white.

Irvin told Michael McCarthy of USA Today he was "joking" when suggesting that Romo's distant grandmother "must have pulled a brother out the barn and got down to business" to produce an athlete of Romo's ability.

Irvin reflecting -- even in jest -- on Romo's family history was reminiscent of Snyder pontificating to a Washington TV news reporter about the inherited physical advantages of African-American professional football players. Minutes after that interview, Snyder was told by colleagues and friends he'd crossed the line.

He was fired by CBS the following day.

I'm not recommending a specific penalty for Irvin. That's not my role. What I would like to see, however, is ESPN take some action publicly as a result of remarks made by one of its most visible commentators. Irvin's apology on the Patrick show Monday, and ESPN's responses, don't seem sufficient.

"Anytime you generalize on racial matters, it can be damaging, dangerous and inappropriate," said Norby Williamson, ESPN's executive vice president for production. "You learn from such mistakes and move on."

Williamson said the network tried to cover the Irvin situation as a news story "as we would with any other public figure."

But the network walks a fine line regarding what it can and can't tell the public regarding internal personnel matters. In this case, however, Irvin, by his own words, has surrendered whatever confidentiality normally accorded his colleagues.

Knight games

ESPN went over the top covering Texas Tech coach Bob Knight's tweaking the chin of 6-foot-7 sophomore forward Michael Prince, Nov. 13, in Lubbock, Texas. Given Knight's history, the incident -- in which Knight's hand abruptly lifted the player's chin during a timeout in the coach's effort to gain Prince's attention -- deserved coverage, but not the volume and play of the incident shown by ESPN on its many shows.

It was, in my view, not worthy of the lead on SportsCenter, or deserving of the barrage of follow-up stories, commentary and panels over the ensuing days.

"I don't believe it was overplayed," said Vince Doria, ESPN's senior vice president for news. "Because of the number of shows we have, and the frequency that viewers tune in and tune out of these shows, we have to report the story and show the tape repeatedly to best inform those audiences. A guy with a track record such as Knight, striking a kid in the face is a big story."

Prince, meanwhile, told The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal that the exchange with Knight was "nothing," adding, "he was trying to teach me and I had my head down, so he raised my chin up." Nor did Prince's mother or Tech's athletic director, Gerald Myers, have a problem with how Knight dealt with Prince.

Pro-Knight and anti-Knight forces (former coaches, players and sportswriters) were quickly assembled by ESPN to provide additional coverage and balance to the story over the next several days.

"In retrospect, the focus on the debate should have been made clearer by us," Doria added. "The question should have centered on whether or not Knight should issue an apology and be reprimanded."

The contention by some viewers that ESPN overplayed and over-covered the story has merit. But in this world of instant news, the idea of playing down such a story until more reporting could be completed rarely carries the day. At least ESPN.com reported Knight's explanation on Tuesday: "I was trying to help a kid, and I think I did."

This is one story that ESPN's news executives must continue to discuss and ask themselves, "How well did we serve our viewers?"

Surfing

# College football commentator Craig James' crass comment about Penn State football coach Joe Paterno this month slipped below the standards of the network.

# Treating Nike's "Four LeBron James" advertising campaign as a feature on SportsCenter was a mistake. It's an advertisement, not a story.

# Kirk Herbstreit's reputation continues to grow with his smart, insightful analysis of the college football scene. But with increased popularity comes increased scrutiny, such as a number of unhappy listeners who believe Herbstreit puts down Michigan and some Wolverine players on his Columbus radio show. Also, considering the former Ohio State quarterback's role with ESPN, perhaps Herbstreit should consider abstaining from voting in the Associated Press college football poll. He did not return a phone call for comment.

# Should ESPN have done more coverage and reporting on the four-game suspension of San Diego Chargers star linebacker Shawne Merriman for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy? I think so.

# In last month's column, I should have been more exact in pointing out Newsday reported in October that George Steinbrenner "wanted" to fire (not "expected" to fire, as I previously wrote) Joe Torre after the New York Yankees were eliminated in the American League playoffs by the Detroit Tigers.

Solomon is out, this chick is in.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2798089

http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2007/0314/espn_schreiber_95.jpg


Schreiber replaces Solomon as ESPN ombudsman

ESPN.com

BRISTOL, Conn. -- ESPN has named Le Anne Schreiber, a former sports editor for The New York Times and most recently an author of essays, memoirs and criticism, as its new ombudsman.

Schreiber, who takes over on April 1, replaces George Solomon, the former sports editor and assistant managing editor of The Washington Post. Solomon held the position for 21 months.

Schreiber will be the public representative to ESPN for two years. In her role, she will offer independent examination, critique and analysis of ESPN's programming and news coverage, both on television and in other media.

She will write a column at least once a month for ESPN.com.

Schreiber has a considerable journalism résumé. She covered foreign affairs and the 1976 Montreal Olympics for Time magazine; she later was editor in chief of Womensport's magazine; and she was sports editor at The New York Times (the first female to hold the title at a major American daily newspaper). Schreiber left the job in 1980 to serve as deputy editor of The New York Times Book Review.

Schreiber is the author of two memoirs and has written for a number of magazines. She won a National Magazine Award for public interest journalism for a 1991 magazine series in Glamour about the violence and intimidation faced by doctors who perform abortions. Also, Schreiber has taught in Columbia University's graduate writing program, among other schools.

"Le Anne brings an impressive array of eclectic experience in journalism, writing and teaching that will bring a new dimension to our role," said John A. Walsh, ESPN executive vice president and executive editor. "Her accomplishments in sports -- having led the sports department at The New York Times and Womensport's magazine -- combined with writing about a broad range of topics, will provide a fresh perspective examining all we do."

Glenn:
Thanks for keeping up with this. I like what Solomon did, but ESPN went "corporate" many moons ago.
I hope this new Ombudsman will give us more than 90% "We're doing fine, great job ESPN!" and 10% "Dan Patrick has really nice hair".

I will still read The Ombudswoman, even though I will miss George Solomon.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=solomon_george&id=2816724


The first column in this space 21 months ago listed some of things I hoped to accomplish as ESPN's initial ombudsman: "Represent the viewers/readers; point out errors, stories missed, slights, blunders, examples of bias and poor taste; and compliment, congratulate and celebrate."
Over that span the Worldwide Leader in Sports never left me wanting for something to write.
ESPN's impact, breadth and reach in the sports world -- on television, radio, the Internet and in print with its magazine and book division -- is, of course, huge. The innovative technical skills, ability, intelligence and journalistic efforts of so many ESPN staffers never stopped amazing me. Their work often sets the agenda for sports media around the country and the world.
But, on occasion, those attributes were offset by company decisions and ego-driven actions that ignored and violated basic journalistic standards and ethics, angering many ESPN viewers, listeners and readers. Not to mention the ombudsman.
ESPN's networks draw from a total audience of about 90 million viewers in the U.S., with added millions watching ESPN on ABC, reading ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine, and listening to ESPN Radio. The Disney/ESPN partnership also has a stake in the BASS fishing tournament and Arena Football League, as well as providing its own original entertainment company (EOE). All that makes for exciting times when many other media companies are struggling.
In the spirit of an outsider paid to watch ESPN for nearly two years, I'll share some highs and lows that left an impression on me, and perhaps you.

ESPN should be proud of reporters such as Bob Ley, Jeremy Schaap, Andy Katz, Tim Kurkjian, Rachel Nichols, Michele Tafoya, Buster Olney, Sal Paolantonio, George Smith, Tom Rinaldi, Mike Fish, Shaun Assael, Chris Mortensen, Jim Gray, Shelley Smith, John Clayton, John Barr, Bob Holtzman, Ric Bucher, Pedro Gomez, Ed Werder and others who subjugate their egos working and breaking news stories. Glib anchors take note: If more ESPN talent performed at the level of the reporting/production team that has been covering the aftermath of Army Ranger Pat Tillman's death by friendly fire, we'd all be better served.
ESPN needs to better publicly define its role to its audience regarding its business relationships, including ESPN Books publishing former NBA player John Amaechi's autobiography, "Man in the Middle," and then over-covering on its news outlets; creating a short-lived reality show on EOE featuring Barry Bonds while trying to cover him as a news subject; and providing Texas Tech basketball coach Bob Knight, another frequent newsmaker, the opportunity for a series on walk-on tryouts. I also have problems with ESPN having a stake in the AFL that seems to have resulted in increased coverage of the league. Same goes for the increased coverage of NASCAR since ESPN landed more races. And do we need ESPN to feature stars such as Carmelo Anthony in ESPN SportsCenter ads, while allegedly covering him? These guys are not family.
A nod to ESPN for creating a way to correct errors by asking its audience to submit evidence of mistakes on the "corrections" link (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/corrections) on the ESPN Web site. A similar link provides the audience an opportunity to interact with the ombudsman (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?id=2097428), attracting about 1,000 responses a month.
But I wonder why ESPN still doesn't have an independent media reporter -- as many newspapers do -- to cover such stories as Ron Jaworski replacing Joe Theismann in the "Monday Night Football" booth, the dismissal of Harold Reynolds and the departure of Michael Irvin? Such a reporter might have gotten a response from Theismann and his former boothmates, Mike Tirico and Tony Kornheiser, for the March 26 ESPN.com story, and ESPN TV reports, on Jaworski replacing Theismann.
ESPN earns high marks from me on its reporting of racial issues, including coverage of Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts and Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears becoming the first African-American coaches to take their NFL teams to the Super Bowl. I also respect the network for trying to attract a more diverse audience -- for example, with ESPN Deportes doing nightly reports on SportsCenter. However, the network might want to go beyond coverage of Latino soccer.
I would suggest ESPN.com do more editing of its Page 2 columnists -- some of whom seem to shoot from the hip for the sole purpose of shooting from the hip. In the same vein, ESPN commentators, including some of the network's biggest stars on TV and radio, might be more thoughtful and less outrageous and loud in their opinions. I've always believed just because someone has the title of commentator or columnist, it doesn't mean he or she should not be held to the same journalistic standards of fairness and accuracy as everyone else on the ESPN team. I also wonder why some commentators believe viewers are interested in their political views? Also, ESPN editors should be more careful of their staffers claiming exclusive stories when these stories are not always exclusive.
Some surprises: I thought I'd hear more from newsmakers, but aside from football coaches Tommy Tuberville of Auburn and Steve Spurrier of South Carolina, high-profile individuals complaining about ESPN were rare. The NFL did complain last fall about what it perceived to be a one-sided story about concussions in ESPN The Magazine, and the magazine wisely published the NFL's grievances in a letter. Also, the Kansas City Royals were miffed about how ESPN portrayed a dugout disturbance two years ago. Also, I don't agree with ESPN covering some high-profile high school sports events as though they were more than a high school sports events. Nor do I get putting movie stars appearing in Disney films on SportsCenter's "Budweiser Hot Seat" or celebrity appearances on MNF. I also wonder why ESPN allows its talent to do endorsements outside the company?
ESPN often does very well on big news stories, such as the impact Hurricane Katrina had in the Gulf Coast region regarding sports and the death of Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle in a midtown New York plane crash. However, with time and competitive pressures a factor, the network overreacts to some breaking stories, including the 2005 suspension of Terrell Owens by the Eagles and his so-called "suicide attempt" in Dallas in 2006; Bob Knight tweaking the chin of one of his Texas Tech players this season; and the brawl between the Miami and Florida International college football teams. News executives might consider occasionally slowing down the "on-air" process until more facts become available. They might also want to back off the intensity of ESPN's coverage of Michelle Wie, the Yankees and the Red Sox.
Viewers, listeners and readers who want more soccer, hockey, Olympics, horse racing and boxing coverage should be heard. This same audience also deserves to be told when the announcers are not on site of an event they're covering.
ESPN analysts and commentators would do well to occasionally reassess their own work -- and how much influence and impact they have on viewers in what they say, how they say it, and how much homework they've done. Viewers hang on every word spoken by Dick Vitale, Digger Phelps, Peter Gammons, Lou Holtz, Mark May, Lee Corso, Barry Melrose, Bill Walton, Mike Ditka, Sean Salisbury and many others. I doubt if the pundits on the Sunday morning political news shows generate as much emotion and passion from viewers as these guys.
Navigating the choppy waters of trying to critique my own son's work (producer Aaron Solomon's "Around The Horn") and my former Washington Post employees Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon proved tricky at times. But getting ATH panelists to tone down the volume and trying to stop Kornheiser from referring to Queen Elizabeth II as a "babe" and Wilbon from calling his viewers "knuckleheads" proved fruitless. So did having a conversation with Sean Salisbury on how some viewers might misinterpret his inane ramblings, and trying to explain the duties of an ombudsman to a some of the network's biggest stars.
What was most rewarding was the response by hundreds and hundreds of E-mailers who appreciated the network creating the position of ombudsman to give them the opportunity to share their views. Most comments were reasonable and civil. I also thought ESPN news executives and producers were generous with their time and showed great patience in dealing with someone who knew so little about their business. My successor, Le Anne Schreiber (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2798089), takes over in a few days -- armed with all my phone numbers (regrettably, I never called Ditka)and the knowledge so many people care deeply about what she'll be doing for the next two years.
Boo-yah!

That was great.

Thanks Fingerbang.

Well, the new ombudsman tackled some tough issues this week
She was all over Colin Cowherd for shutting doiwn a website.
Any regular listener knows that occassionally Cowherd passes out the email address of a great website he has found. He gave out the neighborhood watchdog thing a few months ago, the one about looking up to see if a child predator is living next door to you.
He gave out "Craig's List" awhile back, and has done that over the years.
The problem is, when Cowherd gives a website up to his legions of listeners, they rush right to their computers, and KAPLOOIE! there are so many "hits" the thing freezes up, shuts down, blows up, or whatever those sebsites do when too many nerds flock to them to possibly get a look at a chick in a bikini.
So, just for fun, Cowherd starts it this week with "Let's blow a website up!". He was guessing that if he gave a website out, he could blow it up within a minute. He gave out "The BigLead.com", and it promptly went dead when tens of MILLIONS of Colin Cowherd listeners tried to get in simultaneously.
Well, harumph harumph, hmm mm NO NO. We can't have THAT!
ESPN apologized for Cowherd's "behavior".
OK, so ESPN has no dick. We've known that for years. Outside of Cowherd, the network is nothing but a bunch of talentless twats who think they are bigger than the stories they cover.
And now the Ombudsman writes about it.
I tell ya what: Between this bitch, Anna Nicloe Smith, Al Sharpton, Don Imus, and not having a beer for a couple days, I'm about to blow.
First of all, what the fuck is The BigLead, secondly, do they NOT get that Cowherd has given them YEARS worth of free "pub", and thirdly, can ANYONE have ANY kind of FUN anymore?
I'm as liberal as they come: legalize pot, abolish the death penalty, kill Rush Limbaugh (but hey, I'm liberal, so use only a LITTLE torture before you kill him), and I believe the terrorist threat is over.
But the thought police are starting to frighten me.