New ESPN ombudsman

[Pringle]

Former NYT SE LeAnne Schreiber (sorry if this is a D_B):

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070315/media_nm/espn_dc_1

 

[henryhenry]

out of sports journalism for 22 years?

penning memoirs?

can you say "creampuff"?

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

She put out a good section at the NYT, lively within the paper's overall constraints. She brought in Kenn Finkel as an assistant -- whatever you think of Kenn, you couldn't call that a "creampuff" hire.

 

[Flying Headbutt]

Lets be honest, the ESPN Ombud is a waste of mickey mouse's money anyway. No one listens, no one cares, and a mouse farting in church is more audible.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

What the hell does it matter?
Soloman(sp?), while a decent read, was pretty ineffective. He was a toothless dog for a pony show.
ESPN could hire Bill O'Reilly or Martha Stewart to be Ombudsman and it would have the same impact.
It won't change a DAMN thing ESPN does.

I thought Soloman did a good job, but I don't think ESPN changed any of its thinking, programming or advertising as a result of his work.
The same will be true with this hire and the next, and the next, and the next ...

 

[Bristol Insider]

What the hell does it matter?
Soloman(sp?), while a decent read, was pretty ineffective. He was a toothless dog for a pony show.
ESPN could hire Bill O'Reilly or Martha Stewart to be Ombudsman and it would have the same impact.
It won't change a DAMN thing ESPN does.

I thought Soloman did a good job, but I don't think ESPN changed any of its thinking, programming or advertising as a result of his work.
The same will be true with this hire and the next, and the next, and the next ...

Nothing will change, but it makes some people feel better. Enough said, eh?

 

[Flying Headbutt]

Save the money and give raises to the underpaid grunts there.

 

[Starman]

Complete window dressing, to preserve the public illusion that ESPN has some kind of journalistic credibility. It doesn't.

Solomon's pieces started out being amusing, then became pathetic and finally pitiful, as he would fret and kvetch and wring his hands over ethical faux pas after ethical faux pas, and time after time after time, absolutely nothing was done.

 

[slappy4428]

Suits run the show. the quicker she learns that, the quicker she'll start healing her ulcer.

 

[leo1]

Complete window dressing, to preserve the public illusion that ESPN has some kind of journalistic credibility. It doesn't.

Solomon's pieces started out being amusing, then became pathetic and finally pitiful, as he would fret and kvetch and wring his hands over ethical faux pas after ethical faux pas, and time after time after time, absolutely nothing was done.

i'd say this is the definition of newspaper (or web site/mag/tv empire) ombudsman. name one that has ever had an impact on the institution it covers.

 

[playthrough]

Complete window dressing, to preserve the public illusion that ESPN has some kind of journalistic credibility. It doesn't.

Solomon's pieces started out being amusing, then became pathetic and finally pitiful, as he would fret and kvetch and wring his hands over ethical faux pas after ethical faux pas, and time after time after time, absolutely nothing was done.

i'd say this is the definition of newspaper (or web site/mag/tv empire) ombudsman. name one that has ever had an impact on the institution it covers.

I agree. Any ombudsman works in a reactionary role, questioning situations after the fact. There's nothing in the job description that says his/her comments must result in some kind of change.

 

[fishwrapper]

Let's be careful here. An ombudsman isn't an influential person by title. It's a liaison. The title comes with no teeth.
Calling George a creampuff is way out of line. George Solomon is anything but a creampuff, and one of the great Sports Editors of the last quarter century.
His name has to be mentioned with Dave Smith and Bill Dwyre.

 

[Editude]

Previous shop had one, and his routine consisted of defending strange news decisions and printing readers' e-mails.

 

[Mighty_Wingman]

I don't think it's a knock on George Solomon to say that his tenure as ESPN's ombudsman was pretty disappointing. That's not to say he didn't do great things at the Washington Post.

But most people aren't superstuds forever.

 

[fishwrapper]

I don't think it's a knock on George Solomon to say that his tenure as ESPN's ombudsman was pretty disappointing. That's not to say he didn't do great things at the Washington Post.

Did you or anyone think an ombuds was going to affect change? The only reason anyone cared was because it was George Solomon. It's largely a figurehead position.
Disclosure: George's son is an exec at ESPN and George and Vince Doria go back decades.

 

[henryhenry]

if solomon is a failure - compared to what?

compared to ombudsmen at newspapers? have you done a survey? is there research that rates ombudsmen or measures their performance?

he was espn's first ombudsman - you can't even compare him against a predecessor.

there's no basis for calling him a failure or success.

but personally, i thought he was a must read. a guy inside the mouse with license to criticize - i read every word he wrote.

they should have hired whitlock or feinstein as his replacement.

 

[brettwatson]

I made a point of looking for Solomon's column every month. I may be the only one on here who doesn't go to ESPN.com often, and I really don't watch ESPN much either, even though I'm in the business. I guess I get enough sports at work and via watching my hometown teams on TV. Still, I liked what Solomon had to say. and appreciate that ESPN at least went this far with some sort of neutral analysis.

I don't think the point of ESPN's ombudsman is to change anything. I look at it as almost inside pool. Maybe those in the business are the only ones reading it, but so what? I get something out of it because I enjoy media criticism.

 

[fishwrapper]

That was Goerge's roll.
And, I am with you. I don't watch much ESPN, either.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

NYT has had guys (see: D. Okrent) get under Bill Keller' skin.

Works, occasionally . . . but not often!

 

[Michael_ Gee]

For those not old enough to remember, Schreiber was the sports editor when the Times attempted to censure RED SMITH!!! because his opinions on the 1980 Olympic boycott were at odds with the editorial page.
I don't remember her role in that fiasco. She may have fought it vigorously. She wasn't popular with her department, but of course that doesn't necessarily mean she was a bad editor.
Solomon's columns were OK. An ombudsman is window-dressing anywhere anyhow.