Jim Brown is arguably the greatest football player who ever lived. For nine spectacular seasons from 1957 to 1965, the Cleveland Browns running back annihilated opposing defenses by running through, over and around them.
Then, still in the prime of his career at age 30, Brown stunned the sports world by abruptly retiring and going into acting, appearing in notable action films such as “The Dirty Dozen.” More importantly, he went on to be a leading figure in the Civil Rights Movement.
The New York Times mentioned those things prominently in an obituary written by Richard Goldstein.
But the obit also said, in the very first sentence, that his name was “tarnished by accusations of violent conduct against women.”
How do you cover the death of someone who did so many good things, but also was accused of so many horrible things, too?
You do exactly that: You cover it. All of it, even in death.
Among the details of The Washington Post story from Kent Babb and Matt Schudel: “Away from the playing field, however, Mr. Brown could be a complex, contradictory and troubled man. He was arrested at least seven times for assault, usually against women, including a 1968 incident in which he was accused of throwing a girlfriend off a second-story balcony.”
Media stories were full of appropriately glowing remembrances of Brown for his accomplishments on the field and his contributions off of it. That was the right thing to report on. But notable media outlets also did the right thing by talking about everything in Brown’s life, including the ugly parts.
New York Times sports columnist Kurt Streeter wrote extensively about all the positive things Brown did, but added, “Amid the hosannas, the troubling aspects of his life should not be glossed over. Through his resistance, he demanded to be seen as fully human, all parts of himself acknowledged, and that is how we must view him in death.”
In Cleveland, where Brown spent his entire Hall of Fame NFL career, news outlets had extensive coverage of his death, much of it very positive. But, included in the coverage was Cleveland.com and reporter John H. Tucker’s story about Brown’s history of domestic violence.
However, Brown’s work in the area of civil rights was massively important and should be celebrated. Brown’s longtime teammate John Wooten told Andscape’s Jason Reid, “Jim stood up for what he believed was right. And that was something Jim never backed away from. He just believed that if you had the ability to help, especially help pull up young people, that you had an obligation to do it. He was proud and determined. He was committed to helping. And think about that. Jim would have been fine if he just focused on football and just focused on himself. Jim didn’t have to take on what he did. He did what he did to help people who didn’t have the same influence as he did, and he never worried about the risks, because that was the right thing to do.”
In a column for The Los Angeles Times, Bill Dwyre summed up Brown’s legacy this way: “How will Brown be remembered? In his prime, he was a tireless advocate for civil rights. He saw mistreatment of Black people, spoke out about it and organized groups to address it. So, the obvious summation is to say that the great Jim Brown, wonderful athlete, decent movie star and terrible human being to many women, is an enigma. So many who knew him liked him. So many, the majority of those women, did not. Was he a charmer or a bully? Will highlight films of great NFL running plays overshadow his rap sheet? When most celebrities die, there is a consensus of feeling and an outpouring of that. With Jim Brown, that’s not so.”
Whelan speaks from Russia
In an exclusive phone interview from a prison camp in Russia, American Paul Whelan told CNN that he believes his release is a priority for the U.S. government. He said, “I remain positive and confident on a daily basis that the wheels are turning. I just wish they would turn a little bit more quickly.”
Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, has been held in Russia since December 2018. He was charged with spying — a charge he denies — and sentenced to 16 years in prison. The U.S. considers Whelan to be “wrongfully detained.” That’s the same status the U.S. gave basketball star Brittney Griner and Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich.
Griner came home in a prisoner swap last December and played her first WNBA games since then over the weekend. Whelan and Gershkovich, also charged with espionage and awaiting trial, remain in Russia. The charges against Gershkovich have been denied by him and the U.S. government.
Whelan told CNN, “I have been told that I won’t be left behind, and I have been told that although Evan’s case is a priority, mine is also a priority, and people are cognizant of the fact that this is having an extremely negative impact on me and my family. And I’m told that the government is working tirelessly to get me out of here and to get me home so they can then focus effort on Evan and his case.”
He added, “I feel that my life shouldn’t be considered less valuable or important than others who have been previously traded. And I think there are people in DC that feel the same way, and they’re moving towards a compromise and resolution to this as quickly as they can. There will be an end to this, and I hope it’s coming sooner than later, but it is depressing on a daily basis going through this.”
Check out the CNN story from Jennifer Hansler for more on Whelan’s life behind bars in a Russian prison camp.
Not the best start
Yikes, maybe they should shorten the name of the new news startup The Messenger to just The Mess. The New York Times Benjamin Mullin reports tensions are already running high and the site has only been publishing for one week.
Mullin writes, “Journalists have chafed at demands to mass-produce articles based on competitors’ stories. Senior editors huddled with staff on Thursday to address criticism of the site, which had come from Columbia Journalism Review, Harvard’s Nieman Lab and The Wrap, a Hollywood trade publication. And a politics editor quit on Friday after a clash with the company’s audience chief.”
Was the site rushed?
In a statement to Mullin, The Messenger said, “We have delivered hundreds of pieces of great journalism and have exceeded our traffic goals. Our teams are successfully working through any initial issues with technology and workflow, and we are confident that these will be resolved when we fully launch next month with our verticals and advertisers.”
Still, Mullin writes there’s much confusion inside the news site, such as more than one occasion when two versions of the same story were written because editors were unaware of what their co-workers were doing.
“Those tensions,” Mullin wrote, “reached a boiling point earlier in the week after one of The Messenger’s news teams assigned a story that had already been assigned by an editor on another team.”
That led to a written exchange between politics editor Gregg Birnbaum and Neetzan Zimmerman, The Messenger’s chief growth officer, that ended with Birnbaum quitting.
Let’s see if things settle down in … week two.
From Philly to Florida
NBC News’ Lester Holt, left, reporting from Florida on Sunday. (Courtesy: NBC News)
“NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt gave the commencement address at Villanova University on Friday.
He told the audience, “Sometimes I wonder if a little less talking might serve us better in some circumstances. Asking smart questions. Searching for the truth. Learning to spot the red herrings are critically important. But I fear listening gets short shrift. When I say listening, I’m speaking of more than just hearing the words … but hearing the meaning, and the perspective and experiences of others. Boy, that’s almost as scary as ‘I don’t know,’ because it may require you to hear what you may be afraid to hear. That piece that threatens to disrupt your carefully arranged world view. Resist that feeling. Find the courage. Learn to listen with your mouth closed.”
“All that said, we need your voice,” Holt continued. “We need your voice to speak for knowledge. We need your voice to speak for justice. And truth. We need your voice to speak for civility. But sometimes we need your reason. Sober thinking. Thoughts born of learning and real experience that elevate our problem solving. And know that not everything requires an immediate response. Learn to pause. To be silent. To pick your moment based on knowledge and full understanding. Foster informed debate. We have never had more capable tools of communication at our disposal. So why is it so hard for us to communicate?”
Speaking of Holt, he’ll anchor “Nightly News” tonight and Tuesday from Fort Myers, Florida. “Nightly News: Lester Holt Reports Live from Florida” will include in-depth reporting on the aftermath of last year’s devastating Hurricane Ian, as well as the Florida political landscape ahead of the 2024 election.
Holt told Variety’s Brian Steinberg, “There are a lot of stories to be told in Florida, not just from a political standpoint, but environmental and tourism and recovery from storm disaster.”
This week’s coverage will include reporting from local correspondents, as well as NBC News national correspondent Gabe Gutierrez. Holt told Charles Runnells of The Fort Myers News-Press that Hurricane Ian was one of the worst disasters he has ever covered, adding, “In over 40 years in this, I’ve covered a lot and seen a lot. But this is one of those you look at and you realize life is going to be altered here for some time.
Holt also said, “I’m always struck — whether it’s Fort Myers Beach or some other disaster zone — by how people find a way to pick themselves up and put one foot in front of the other. And I certainly saw it there. I think that’s one of the things we hope to be able to tap into now, all these months later.”
Running the interview
New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker runs every day. He says that next week, his streak of consecutive days running will reach 500. MSNBC’s Jen Psaki meets with her interview subjects while they do their daily routines, so for Sunday’s show, she interviewed Booker while on a jog.
Psaki also met with Booker in a more formal setting, where he told her about his friendships with Republicans Tim Scott of South Carolina and Dan Sullivan of Alaska.
Booker told her, “I can go through a lot of Republicans that I formed legitimately good friendships here. And that’s the way you get things done. It’s not by vilifying or demonizing people you disagree with, but by finding cords of common humanity. The problem today is not the vitriolic words and violent actions of the bad people only. It’s the appalling silence and inaction of the good people.”
Media tidbits
- Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav delivered the 2023 commencement speech at Boston University on Sunday, but the speech was overshadowed by protesters angrily chanting “pay your writers” — a reference to the ongoing strike by the Writers Guild of America. Mediaite’s Ken Meyer has the video.
- The Daily Beast’s Corbin Bolies with “Why Is Maria Bartiromo Still Obsessed With Hillary Clinton?”
- The Oregonian’s Jeff Manning with “Eugene Register-Guard languishes under Gannett, nation’s largest newspaper chain.”
- Tennis legend and now TV analyst Martina Navratilova says she’s doing “OK” after her cancer diagnosis. The Associated Press has more.
Hot type
- The New York Times’ Julie Turkewitz (with photos and video by Federico Rios) with “The U.S. Left Them Behind. They Crossed a Jungle to Get Here Anyway.”
- Something fun: Esquire’s Kevin Sintumuang with “Every ‘Fast and Furious’ Movie, Ranked.”
More resources for journalists
- Subscribe to Local Edition by Poynter faculty Kristen Hare, to find out what’s working in local news and fresh opportunities for local reporters.
- Sign up for Beat Academy (Now-Oct. 19) (Webinar series) — You’ll get tips, sources, inspiration and ideas to cover emerging newsroom beats. Enroll now.
- Executive Leadership Summit (Oct. 2023) (Seminar) — Apply by Aug. 14.
- Lead With Influence (July 2023) (Seminar) — Apply by June 2.
Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.
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