ESPN’s Doria calls network ‘largest conflict of interest known to mankind,’ argues aggressive coverage uncompromised
Poynter |
April 28, 2011 4:14 p.m.
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The University of Maryland's Phillip Merrill College of Journalism hosted an Ethics in Sports Media discussion Wednesday, which had representatives from ESPN, USA Today, Washington Post and the Washington Redskins.ESPN vice president and director of news Vince Doria, a panelist and IU National Sports Journalism Center board member, called his network the “largest conflict of interest known to mankind,” referring to the fact that ESPN has financial relationships with leagues to broadcast games while also covering those games as journalists. But those deals, he said, don’t prevent aggressive coverage of those leagues.
Discussing ESPN’s Erin Andrews and the recent controversy over her shoe endorsement deal, Doria said Andrews was not really a reporter, but someone who feeds into the news process. He said it was a mistake to let Andrews endorse Reebok.
