ESPN Just Doesn't Care About This 'Journalism' Crap
In your essential Tuesday media column: ESPN anchors in shameless sellout agreement, NPR is not going to die, Lawrence O'Donnell howls at the moon, Here Media loses in court, Mothering magazine folds its print edition, and we help The Daily.
- Three ESPN broadcasters—Lee Corso, Chris Fowler, and Kirk Herbstreit—have endorsement deals with Nike, the New York Times reveals today, in a report that makes ESPN look like a bunch of fucking clowns. That's even worse than, say, an MSNBC host signing a marketing deal with Starbucks. The network says that Fowler will end his deal (no word on the other two guys), but that "Their content has not been compromised by this relationship." I guess the joke is on me for maintaining the illusion that ESPN still produces "journalism." Stupid me!
- There have been plenty of alarming official statements flying out of NPR over the past couple of days, since Republicans proposed zeroing out their federal funding. It's highly, HIGHLY doubtful that that would be allowed to happen, so let's all calm down, okay? (That means stop forwarding emails about this to family members.)
- Lawrence O'Donnell is feuding with Bill O'Reilly. Eh.
- Last year, we pointed out that Regent/ Here Media was a colossal deadbeat with a sickening habit of not paying its vendors and freelancers. A good news follow-up: one vendor has just successfully won a judgment for more than $23,000 from Here Media, for back payments plus interest. All it takes is a lawsuit!
- Mothering magazine is going online-only, after 35 years as a print publication.
- Found: the richest man in South Dakota. Hey, someone should write a story about that guy.