thewhyteboar

Adam Schefter Is Pathetic And ESPN Is Gutless | Defector DEFECTOR.COM I do not know how many times Adam Schefter is going to climb to the rooftops and shout, I am a little worm! What I do is not journalism! before ESPN decides to care. Today is apparently... If anyone is actually curious about why this is a big no-no, this article lays out why: It is probably worth explaining here not only that it is bad to send a story to a source for pre-publication review, but why it is bad. While I assure you this is not normal practice, and is indeed right up there as one of the basic tenets of journalism along with “spell people’s names correctly” and “don’t make shit up,” and that all reporters know not to do it (both innately and from having it drilled into their heads by competent and ethical instructors, colleagues, and bosses), there is no reason a normal person would ever spend a minute thinking about it. But it’s not some arcane, ivory-tower, j-school ethical holdover; it’s common sense. Every source for every story is by definition an interested party, and their interest is in the story being reported in a certain way. That’s not necessarily intentional or nefarious, but it’s without exception—why else would they talk to a reporter? They want something out there, and they want it to be their version. That’s a conflict of interest that’s unavoidably inherent in the very idea of sourcing. This doesn’t mean that sources shouldn’t be trusted, but it does mean that they should not be the final arbiter of the story’s content—especially when, as was the case here, the story was one about a conflict between two sides, and only one side was handed the rubber stamp. The story in question was not the typical Schefter pap. It would be one thing if Schefter was asking someone to sign off on the sort of disposable, 300-word filler item he usually traffics in. Tom Brady, please let me know if you see anything that should be added, changed, tweaked in this story reporting that you still have “the will to win.” That wouldn’t be fine, exactly, but also who cares. But this story was actual news. It was a story about CBA negotiations between the players and owners during the 2011 lockout. It was a labor battle, with both sides keen to get their spin on events in front of the public. It was a story with real implications for the livelihoods of the people involved. And Adam Schefter chose to let someone from the management side of the bargaining table have final say on how it was presented. This isn’t about management = bad, either. It wouldn’t have been OK if Schefter had sent his draft to an NFLPA source instead or in addition. Don’t let anyone see the story! Talk to them for the story, then write the story by triangulating the facts as best you can given the various motivations of your sources. That’s how reporting works, especially on a topic like labor negotiations where there’s not always going to be one objectively true version of events. If you want a story to be both comprehensive and accurate, the very last thing to do is let one side have veto power over the other’s words.

Only black people get welfare. When white people use government programs it's well-deserved and earned benefits.

There are actually a ton of real, respectable journalists who would never do this. You don't give a source control over what you are writing; that's PR, not journalism. It's no surprise that Schefter would do this, nor that a hack like Rovell finds no problem with this.

There's not a Republican out there who isn't a grifter.

A+ title.

The NFL is run by so much nepotism that it would make a Habsburg blush.

Republicans can always go lower.

This bought him another week.

He deserves to lose the team.

I still can't get over what fucking scumbag behavior this is. And I'm sure the NFL will let Gruden take all the heat, while nothing will happen to Washington.

Blue states should remember this for when President DeSantis makes it illegal to teach a child to read.

Holy shit. Why is Snyder still allowed to own a team?

If he is resigning now there must be way worse stuff in emails yet to surface.

The Chiefs also being at 2-3 does make me feel slightly less like shit. Misery loves company.

People like Washington and Jefferson were also important to the founding and development of America. We can recognize their importance while also recognizing their flaws. The deification of the Founders by Republicans is just creepy. Wyman's take on Columbus is correct: Christopher Columbus And The Replacement-Level Historical Figure | Defector DEFECTOR.COM It’s easy to tell Columbus’s story as one of a determined innovator, triumphing over the backwardness and ignorance of medieval Europe to usher in a new era of global exploration, trade, colonization, and conquest through sheer grit and clarity of vision. That is all absolute nonsense, but it is a very easy story to tell. That he is just a replacement-level guy. He isn't really worth our time. He is the Trent Dilfer of history. Edit: I missed that @SuperSpreader posted the money-shot from this piece.

I guess we could ask the Taino, but well...

Patrick Wyman's takedown really is the ultimate piece on Columbus. Also, there is no problem with judging historical figures by our own standards. We decide who we want to honor and who we don't. There is no problem with applying our standards.

This actually gave me an erection.

If Russ is really hurt, that's obviously bad. But the team is going nowhere until the defense gets fixed.

The best drive of the season comes from Geno fucking Smith lol.

Geno Smith time baby.