Courtesy: 1340 The Fan
So… what is your definition?
If you were on Twitter late yesterday morning, you may have seen an interesting back-and-forth between NFL Insider Mike Florio (@ProFootballTalk) and Dallas Cowboys beat writer Clarence Hill Jr. (Star-Telegram @clarencehilljr) re: Dez Bryant and this alleged video of him assaulting a woman at Wal-Mart.
While nothing has come of this yet, and the Cowboys have offered no comment, there are no short of… well… comments on this topic and how it is being handled by journalists since the situation involves a lot of hearsay and rumors.
Here’s the conversation start to finish, including two unanswered tweets from Florio in regards to the argument and his credibility despite not having any hard evidence with the Bryant story:
Courtesy: @Jeff_Kryglik’s Screenshot
Courtesy: @Jeff_Kryglik’s Screenshot
Courtesy: @Jeff_Kryglik’s Screenshot
Courtesy: @Jeff_Kryglik’s Screenshot
Courtesy: @Jeff_Kryglik’s Screenshot
In looking at Florio’s defensive tweets, it’s clear that he feels strongly on the accusations against Bryant, but defending his credibility on pure rumors makes him look foolish. Situations like this can teach the lesson to young journalists that sometimes, no response is the best one. And while Florio gets paid the big bucks to report on facts, journalists shouldn’t be afraid to push the envelope and try and break big stories like this one… if it was real. Using personal attacks is to defend his name is the absolute wrong way to go about it.
Is this journalism? No. It’s a journalist who’s attacking the credibility of another because he felt the first stone was thrown in his direction. The worst thing that can happen in any argument is to be the one who gives in and retaliates. Florio should know better. Just let it go.
Until this story comes out, if it ever does, you will see websites like TMZ Sports reporting about Bryant’s mother, Angela, feel as if her son Dez is being sabotaged. With the raised awareness on domestic violence in the NFL in 2014, the NFL doesn’t want problems like this to continually be associated with their players.
Even if Bryant is innocent, rumors are enough to crucify him and destroy his image in the court of public opinion given all of the attention dedicated to such incidents last season – whether they came to fruition or not (See Greg Hardy).
One thing is for sure: spreading rumors can be a thing in the NFL with topics like free agency, trades and the NFL Draft, but when it comes to legal matters like something as serious as an assault charge, having anything more than an initial report is sketchy journalism at best. Hill was questioning the use of “#curious” because it showed Florio having an emotional investment and an editorial feel.
So… I’ll ask the question again. What is your definition of journalism?
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