ESPN pulled out of an October PBS “Frontline” production, entitled “League of Denial,” by ESPN investigative reporters and brothers Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru-Wada, documenting the National Football League’s treatment of concussions. ESPN has a vested interest in broadcasting NFL games. The NFL faces thousands of lawsuits filed by former players and their families charging that the league did not do enough to prevent injuries and to help players with head injuries. (Sports Illustrated, August 23, 2012, by Doug Farrar)
The Fainaru brothers said they were aware at the start of the project of ESPN’s competing interests but have never been ordered to alter their stories to protect the NFL. (The New York Times, August 24, 2013, by James Andrew Miller and Ken Belson)
ESPN said they did not have editorial control over “League of Denial” so felt it was justifiable for them to remove their logos and credit from the PBS production. (Los Angeles Times, August 22, 2013, by Joe Flint)
A former ombudsman for ESPN argues that in breaking off with “Frontline,” ESPN failed to honor investigative reporting for what it is, journalism that not only asks the tough question but also draws conclusions from the facts, in this case that the NFL was negligent in assessing the long-term effects of concussions on their players. (The Poynter Institute, August 29, 2013, by Kelly McBride)