To find out there was one was both intriguing and encouraging. I don’t recall how exactly I found a link to their site -- through social media or Google News -- but somehow I opened an interview they conducted with Deadspin on the Manti Te’o story.
The interview was the exact opposite of what I expected. The introduction to the interview quickly slanted the story an interesting direction:
“…the investigation and reporting of Deadspin’s story raise the question of whether the Te’o hoax revelation was the result of responsible journalism or a case in which an entity (Deadspin) that broke a big story without completing its due diligence got lucky that it was right.”
So after that, the NSJC continued into the interview with Deadspin editor-in-chief Tommy Craggs.
(For full disclosure, I love Deadspin. They are the snarky, underbelly of the sports journalism world and they do a damn good job embracing that role. In addition to that, they also break stories and do good reporting from time-to-time. Most importantly, they keep the rest of the sports world in check by shouting, ‘Hey, what the F***?,” pretty regularly.)
After a single question on the chain-of-events that led to the story, the interviewer immediately leads the discussion in a direction that questions the judgment of Deadspin. The interview seemingly spirals out of control in a slow, controlled demolotion of common sense, making for a mind-boggling read.
After reading the interview, you can’t help but feel like the NSJC had no interest in embracing Deadspin or leaning their account of breaking one of the most bizarre sports stories in years. Rather, your stuck thinking the interviewer had some beed with Deadspin and repeatedly admonishes their editor with pointed questions.
Why? I have no idea. Perhaps the NSJC embraces more traditional forms of journalism and has an issue with the new era of armchair journalists -- bloggers that oft seem to have more unique, genuine voices than those nurtured in old environments.
The interview ends with this bizarre exchange:
Q: With respect to the reporting on the Te’o situation, Deadspin’ s post “ESPN Reports Ronaiah Tuisosopo [sic] Confessed to Te’o Hoax in December. Was Te’o Involved? Evidence Varies” includes a reader comment at the bottom that reads: “Look at these f—ing Samoans, with the stripes on their face. They look so sweet, but they lie and now they’re boxed in. I wish they’d take their coconut and go elsewhere. Eh, f— it. Give me three of them plus two Thin Mints.” This is just one of several comments laced with profanities or racial epithets appearing on Deadspin’s site. Does Deadspin have a policy on the detection and removal of offensive reader comments? If so, what is that policy and where is it displayed?
A: You’re really obsessed with policies, aren’t you? We moderate our comments to the best of our abilities. The commenting system is designed to float the best responses to the top. Bad comments get buried (and occasionally deleted outright). The comment you cited above does not contain a “racial epithet,” by the way. It’s a joke about Girl Scout cookies. Are there any actual racial epithets you’d like to bring to our attention?
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