One of my favorite movies of all time is the Alan Pakula classic, “All The President’s Men”, starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as the two Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Woodward and Bernstein doggedly pursued the historical, earth-shattering story that eventually became the Watergate scandal. Even if you haven’t seen the movie (and I would strongly encourage anyone who hasn’t to rent it immediately), most Americans are at least vaguely aware of the event we now refer too infamously as Watergate.
But what makes the events of “All The President’s Men” so unbelievably captivating is the process that the two, then unknown, Post reporters went through to uncover the facts of what would later unveil the greatest political conspiracy in American history. When I was a journalism student in college, we read the book (written in their own, first-hand account by Woodward and Bernstein). The book is a straightforward accounting of the journalistic process, minus some of the more melodramatic touches of the film (we don’t read about Woodward running for his life out of a deserted parking lot while presumably being pursued by unseen potential assassins). It delves deeply into the painstaking minutia that the Post reporters had to undergo in order to get nothing but the hardcore facts and sources to back up their unfolding story.
Well as I was intently reading about the latest nationwide scandal on the newest bastion of journalistic excellence, otherwise known as ESPN.com, and marveling at the never-ending fact-checking and source documentation of our newest Woodward and Bernstein named Mark Schlabach and Pat Forde, I could not help but think back to the story of the Washington Post and its pursuit of the Watergate cover-up.
Okay, I’ll drop the sarcasm and get straight to the talking points now.
The facts are, neither ESPN nor its writers Schlabach and Forde did ANY fact checking or source background when they decided to go public with the story of a rumor surrounding an alleged agent/player representative/God-only-knows-what, and a nefarious pay-for-signature scheme that allegedly involved, possibly, one Cameron Newton of Auburn University.
By the way did you just notice how many times I used the word “rumor” “possibly” and “allegedly” in that paragraph?
The facts are that if you objectively look at when and how this “story” was broken on ESPN, it carries all the hallmarks of a Ringling Brother and Barnum-Bailey circus! Everyone knows now that the release of this “bombshell” came during a prime time Thursday night college football game. The scroll started rolling around the middle of the second quarter of said game. “BREAKNG NEWS: A man allegedly representing Cam Newton sought payment of approximately $200k….” and you know the rest. Isn’t that convenient? Prime time! College football game with a captive audience! Give me a break!
So now in the span of roughly one minute and twelve seconds ESPN has lit up the entire sports world with a seemingly incendiary story of cash-for-play involving, not just some college football player on a BCS team, but THE leading Heisman candidate on the number 2 team in the country.
Wow! Think of the ratings for Sportscenter this coming week. Think of the national spotlight on ESPN for another bout of journalistic brilliance! Think about the possible impact on a major university and its leading player!
And so fire was lit.
We all ran to our computers to read the actual article by Woodwar….I mean Schlabach and Forde. Auburn fans scared to death that this kid we had all come to know and fall in love with was actually unmasked now, only to reveal a lying, cheating, stealing thief that would take our beloved program down for the count. The rest of the college football world read the article relishing a potential tidal wave of unimaginable height that would shake college football to its rotten core.
So what did we learn when the article was finished?
What we learned was that a former football player at a Mississippi State football game last year allegedly heard that another former player had told someone else that the big-time recruit Cam Newton could be bought for a large sum of money.
Fair enough. And the sources?
A former Mississippi State football player who said that he heard another former player was shopping Cam Newton around for money.
The evidence?
A former Mississippi State football player who said that he heard another former player was shopping Cam Newton around for money.
The deep background?
A former Mississippi State football player who said that he heard another former player was shopping Cam Newton around for money.
Getting the picture?
So now here sits Cam Newton, his father, and Auburn University. Center of the college football world, not because of their undefeated season so far and the out-of-this-world play of Cam Newton, but because two “writers” from ESPN decided to break a story that in the end, wasn’t a story.
Let’s be clear about this.
It was a RUMOR!
And when you read the original article what facts do you see in the story to back up and confirm the allegations? I dare you to find even ONE fact, because there are none. Oh, if you’re prone to thinking that a statement by somebody alleging that they heard something about somebody else is factual, you can quit reading this now.
What it boils down to is this. ESPN.com and its two “writers” heard about the allegations a while back. They probably followed it with mouths salivating, waiting for something concrete to be uncovered. When it got be the first week in November, and there was no evidence that this allegation was ever going to amount to much, ESPN did exactly the opposite of what Washington Post Chief Editor Bill Bradley did when the pressure was on during the Watergate investigation. They said, “Go with it!” when they knew the evidence wasn’t there.
During the Watergate investigation, Bill Bradley told his two young reporters over and over again whenever they were aching to print the newest revelation they had uncovered, “Get another source.” Neither ESPN nor its two “writers” ever even considered “getting another source” before unleashing what amounts to a slanderous allegation against a young college player and his family.
We live in a world controlled by media. We live in a digital age, where information is disseminated instantaneously. Media giants like ESPN are not in it for the integrity of journalistic values my good friend. ESPN is in it for the money! And breaking news about the leading Heisman candidate on prime time television is BIG MONEY!
And the so-called “reporters”? They get to go back to their jobs when this is over and shrug it off as another example of the crazy world of college football where anything can happen, even if it just ain’t true.
And Cam Newton and Auburn?
They get to live with the consequences of the new Woodward and Bernstein.
