How ESPN crapped the bed on the Nevin Shapiro story

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't he wait until he was out the door before he declared how awful ESPN was? He's got guts when it serves his agenda. Never been a better marriage than Whitlock and FoxSports.com.

 

Whitlock has figured it out. In today's media environment, TV shows want "two sides", no matter how inane the argument. If you are willing to flog unpopular opinions you can become a regular, maybe even get your own show.

 

I think bleacher report told him to post the link and hope people would help out with the editing.

 

Yep, it's all about hits and eyes. It is what it is.

Does that mean it's good? Hell naw. Whitlock works for a web site without the willingness nor the foresight to allow a writer to spend 11 months labor to get the story right (or as right as possible). How do you respond to that to draw hits to a competing web site. By figuratively stripping naked and running down Main Street to get attention. (And I think we can all agree the image of Jason Whitlock running naked down Main Street is End-Of-World stuff.)

 

I believe that's incorrect. ESPN fired him following an interview with The Big Lead in which he bashed Scoop and Lupica.

http://thebiglead.com/index.php/2006/09/22/oh-damn-did-whitlock-really-say-that-a-qa-with-jason-whitlock/

His contrarianism is valuable because he challenges people that are usually not challenged (but should be). He usually does this on topics that are related to bigger, societal issues. Slightly different than some hack sports columnists discussing just sports-related issues.

 

That Web site with all the foresight also employs Chip Brown, which, based on all the flip-flopping he'd done on Twitter and in stories the last month or so, is far too trusting of his "sources."

Look. The bottom line is, on some of the accusations Yahoo makes, it takes Nevin Shapiro's word for it. That's kinda risky, considering Shapiro is a convicted fraud. Whitlock, unable to make this point without running down Main Street, nevertheless makes the point, and it's a point worth making.

 

I thought Robinson's story was pretty well-sourced. If Shapiro lied, that's on him not on Robinson or Yahoo.

 

Do You feel the same way about Chalabi lying to Judith Miller about WMD's