Saturday, February 27, 2010

Is Sports Talk Radio Journalism?

TONY KORNHEISER, co-host of ESPN's Pardon the Interruption, was suspended after ridiculing a fellow ESPN colleague during Kornheiser's radio show.

This is what Kornheiser (above, left) said about Hannah Storm, a SportsCenter host:

"Hannah Storm in a horrifying, horrifying outfit today. She’s got on red go-go boots and a catholic school plaid skirt … way too short for somebody in her 40s or maybe early 50s by now.” [She's 47.] “She’s got on her typically very, very tight shirt. She looks like she has sausage casing wrapping around her upper body … I know she’s very good, and I’m not supposed to be critical of ESPN people, so I won’t … but Hannah Storm … come on now! Stop! What are you doing? … She’s what I would call a Holden Caulfield fantasy at this point."

Should Kornheiser be allowed to be critical of his colleagues? Did ESPN take the matter too seriously? Is this outburst indicative of the way the sports world objectifies women?

Does sports talk radio even count as journalism?

11 comments:

DL. Holmes said...

I seems to me that sports radio does count as journalism because news is being reported back to the public. I think Kornheiser was being a little too personal with the way Hannah Storm was dressed. He should have been very professional and kept his thoughts to himself. Now he will be viewed as the bad guy who made fun of Hannah storm and people may never take his new serious again.

Kaitlin Ziminski said...

I think it was extremely distasteful of him to make fun of Hannah Storm. It was unprofessional and caused me to question him as a journalist.

Rachel M. Stumpo said...

Besides being inappropriate, it's totally irrelevant to sports. Though I did find what he said to be hilarious, it was not very professional of him. Sports journalists talk about sports, nothing all too ground breaking, so I don't think he should lose his job for being an asshole, but suspension and an apology to Hannah would be appropriate.

Gillian Francella said...

Sports talk is definitely journalism and so is making fun of people. TMZ and tabloids are reporting the same obnoxious things about people. I agree that what Kornheiser said was hilarious, but in Storm's defense I've seen much worse and she deserved an apology.

Parissa Zecher said...

I think what he said was overly critical especially for a colleague. i want to know what he was thinking? if you're going to be critical of someone at least attack them on actual criticism, not the way you someone dresses. not only is that low, but the fact that he's so worked up about him must say something about him as well, i think. also not that feelings need always be spared, there's a more appropriate to come at someone and why the heck is he so worked up about someone's clothing? GET OVER IT. start complaining about things people actually care to hear and maybe if you say something reasonable people may even see where you're coming from and not label you as a jerk which he can now be called.

Berryman, A said...

I feel like sports talk radio can be a frm of journalism. It can be a form of journalism because journalism is a sort of news broadcasting. The hosts of the talk show are providing information for the public, that journalists normally does.

Laura Rasmussen said...

Ridiculous! Just because you have an audience willing to listen to what you have to day, doesn't mean you have the right to say offensive comments like he did. I'm glad he was suspended because he was beyond rude. If you have nothing nice to say, don't say it all. No one asked his opinion on his co -workers.

Brian Okum said...

It is journalism, but it's also entertainment, just like Storm's awful outfit.

Jackie said...

I don't think that anyone could justify Storm's outfit. Whether anyone likes it or not, that outfit isn't even appropriate. I gagged at my first glance -- but that's just me. I think making his broadcasts more personal is a part of Kornheiser's job to entertain, inform, and get readers interested, but I think he may have taken it a bit too far when he said that about Storm.

I consider sports radio to be a form of journalism because they are delivering information and that's just what journalists do.

Who even let her wear that?

Francisco Ovalle said...

i think what he said was irrelevant and inappropriate, there's no way he can get away with that. she deserves a public apology from the jackass. and in my opinion, Sports talk is not Journalism, if it were...then basically every guy out there would be a journalist? sports-lovers talk sports non-stop, so, it might be a form, but not journalism itself.

Sarah Mabel Hough said...

Her poor choice of outfit, unless too revealing, should be discussed by her audience and not a professional she works with. He's wasting airtime by venting. Most broadcasters on TV have terrible clothing and/or makeup. If her fans have problems with it I'm sure she knows.