In the Agora: ESPN's reporting integrity

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March 25, 2006

ESPN's reporting integrity

ESPN's infamous "national college basketball reporter" Andy Katz posted the following on his Thursday, March 23 blog entry:

Indiana's search committee pursued Gonzaga's Mark Few by speaking with Few's attorney Brad Williams, but the Hoosiers' reps were rebuffed.

Williams told ESPN.com the search committee did call to gauge Few's interest in the open job. Few has been adamant that he wouldn't talk about another job during the season, but Williams didn't need to wait. He said Few hasn't given one thought about Indiana. Still, the search committee threw figures at Williams -- upwards of $1.4 million to $1.6 million a year.

The report was insulting to IU fans by suggesting the IU job just wasn't good enough. ESPN linked to the story on its front page and soon after numerous radio and newspaper pundits repeated the meme. But the Olympian reports today that Katz had it all wrong.

Asked later whether Few would be interested in talking with Indiana representatives, Williams said, "No comment. I don't know what we're going to do."

Later, asked if ESPN.com was accurate in reporting that Few, through Williams, turned down a request to meet with Indiana's hiring committee, Williams said, "No."

Williams later clarified that comment, saying that neither he nor Few has talked with any Indiana officials. Williams said Atlanta's Dan Parker, who has contracted with the Hoosiers to aid in the coaching search, called Williams last week and asked if Few would talk with him about the Indiana job.

It seems then that Katz was wrong on a number of important facts and he does not appear to have taken very basic and standard journalistic steps to ensure accuracy. The only source he cites is contradicting his reporting. Katz should retract this erroneous report and ESPN should take greater steps at ensuring their so-called news stories are covered with the same integrity of other mainstream news outlets.

Posted by Joshua Claybourn at March 25, 2006 03:56 PM

Comments

Could Katz be trying to deliberately sabotage IU's search?

Posted by: Zach Wendling at March 25, 2006 08:27 PM | permalink

I'm a bit confused as to how Katz post is at all inaccurate, or how it was neccessarily insulting? First on the facts count:

Williams said Atlanta's Dan Parker, who has contracted with the Hoosiers to aid in the coaching search, called Williams last week and asked if Few would talk with him about the Indiana job.

"Mark said, 'I don't want to talk to him now,' " Williams said.

If Dan Parker has been hired by Indiana to aid in the coaching search, he is acting as an agent of the Indiana Search Committee and was rebuffed. Katz post says that, "the Hoosiers' reps were rebuffed," which they in-fact were. If you take from Katz post that Mark Few not wanting the IU job insulting, I'm not sure what to say to that. Few makes a ton of money and has lived in the Pac-NW his whole life, so not wanting to move to Indiana when he has a great job with a top program seems to be well within reason. Am I missing something here?

Posted by: jason at March 26, 2006 12:46 AM | permalink

First, there is no search committee. It is simply the athletic director, in addition to any intermediaries that are contracted out. But there is no "search committee," as Katz reported. Second, Katz clearly suggested that not only was IU "rebuffed," but that Few was simply not interested. Katz said Few "didn't need to wait" until the season was over to know that he wasn't interested. This so-called story, titled "IU went after Gonzaga's Few," was plastered on ESPN's front page and repeated on the network's radio shows.

But Few is in fact giving thought to Indiana. Few's agent clearly said that ESPN's report was wrong: "Later, asked if ESPN.com was accurate in reporting that Few, through Williams, turned down a request to meet with Indiana's hiring committee, Williams said, 'No.'" In fact, Few was simply not interested in meeting while the team was still playing. Katz's story suggests otherwise.

FInally, while Few might make a "ton of money," he stands to make twice that amount at IU. And then there are those intagibles like tradition and rabid fan base.

Posted by: Joshua Claybourn at March 26, 2006 05:01 AM | permalink

OOOPS you found out too late that there actually is a search committee, and true Hoosier fans knew it all along. Think something this important would be entrusted in the hands of one guy, who hasnt been on the job that long?

Posted by: cory at March 28, 2006 07:32 PM | permalink