ESPN vice-president Marcia Keegan, who oversees Outside The Lines, has read the charges that ESPN isn’t committed to solid journalism. She begs to differ.
“Sometimes, the people who make those criticisms aren’t paying attention,” Keegan said. “We put through the time, effort and resources into covering the tough stories. We do tell the stories that need to be told.”
Now Keegan and OTL can make their points while holding broadcast journalism’s highest honor. Today, ESPN will receive the prestigious duPont Award for OTL’s series stories on youth football. It is the first time the network has won the duPont.
The duPont committee from Columbia University said: “This important investigation added to the growing body of coverage about concussions and football with stories that graphically illustrated the problems and featured exclusive interviews with those involved in the controversies.”
It is a stunning package of stories that is heart-breaking (a piece on young boy paralyzed in a game) and downright scary (stories on adults gambling and a bounty program in youth games).
The duPont comes at a time when ESPN has been under fire for pulling out of PBS’ League of Denial documentary and for shifting OTL to an early, less desirable time on Sunday mornings. Keegan believes the award speaks to the quality of journalism that is being performed at the network.
“We do take our journalism seriously here,” Keegan said. “Getting an award like this is a validation for all the hard work. It’s a good moment for us.”
Dwayne Bray, the senior coordinating producer for OTL said: “Our work placed a big bright spotlight on safety in youth football and showed how a few misguided coaches have taken advantage of the children in their care. Any time you can expose those sorts of people, it’s a good year.”
The key to the youth football stories was getting all the principles to agree to be interviewed on camera about highly sensitive subjects, Keegan said. It’s wasn’t an easy task.
“Our reporters find the right people and get them to talk,” Keegan said.
Vince Doria, ESPN’s director of news, believes the series on youth football is just the beginning of the network’s coverage of what likely will be a hot-button issue.
“I want to do more in this area,” Doria said. “I think this is where some of this concussion story is going to be landing now. It’s a harder sell maybe to our audience, because it’s not about the NFL as such. It’s not about players that they know and recognize. But it’s a story that I think touches a lot of people potentially.”
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Here’s the official citation from the duPont Award:
With solid writing, reporting and research, this series of three reports uncovered serious problems with youth football in America, where three million children play annually, including a player paralyzed after being coached to use a dangerous tackling technique, coaches offering cash prizes for big hits and rampant gambling. This important investigation added to the growing body of coverage about concussions and football with stories that graphically illustrated the problems and featured exclusive interviews with those involved in the controversies. ESPN’s reporting had an impact by identifying abuses and policy gaps that launched an 18-month police investigation into corruption and gambling.
Tom Farrey, Paula Lavigne, reporters; Greg Amante, Simon Baumgart, producers; Michael Sciallo, associate producer; Nathan Hogan, Steve McCarthy, Erik Swanson, editors; Chris Buckle, senior editor; Dan Hardy, Trent Kamerman, Marc Lustig, Bill Roach, photographers; Nick Waligorski, animator; Dwayne Bray, senior coordinating producer; Tim Hays, Carolyn Hong, coordinating producer, Vince Doria, senior vice-president, director of news.