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4/15/05- Are
You Not Entertained? The Mitch Albom "Scandal"
You've seen me in
the papers- I've been in the magazines
But if I go cold I won't get sold
I'll get put in the back in the discount rack
Like another can of beans...
-The Entertainer, Billy Joel
A
scandal has engulfed popular Detroit Free Press Columnist Mitch
Albom. While covering the NCAA Final Four he wrote a column
where he described in detail how former Michigan State basketball
players Mateen Cleaves and Jason Richardson attended the game to
root on their former team.
It
was a great column. There was only one problem- the players
weren't there. Albom wrote the column after interviewing both
of them prior to the game but it was published AFTER the game
describing events that didn't happen.
Albom
has since apologized in print, radio, and television blaming
deadline pressures and for circumstances that prevented the players
from attending as planned. Some professional journalists have
called for Albom to be fired. The Detroit Free Press has
launched an internal investigation.
Albom the Journalist?
I'm not surprised or shocked by what Albom did. No where is
the line blurred between journalism and entertainment than in
your local sports page. People want to be entertained and many
writers are happy to oblige.
Are you really
surprised? Albom's successful career has been driven by his
ability to entertain people. He has a nationally syndicated
radio show, best selling books, screenplays, and has even written
for live theater.
In this case, however, it appears that Albom has
blurred the lines between journalist and professional
entertainer. And it's not the first time.
Mitch Albom- the Michigan Connection
Michigan fans have learned the hard way that Albom can conveniently
shift gears between journalist and entertainer. As I wrote in
2003:
...Award winning
sportswriter Mitch Albom wrote a book about the period called Fab
Five, which never mentions any impropriety. Nice research Mitch. We
need to either re-classify the book as a work of fiction or re-title
it Fab Fraud. Where were the sports journalists? They were too busy
writing about baggy shorts and black socks. Can't miss a good
story...
When the Ed Martin
scandal broke, people wondered why Albom, an award winning sports
journalist, failed to discover it while doing research for his book.
Could such an outstanding journalist miss one of the largest
collegiate scandals in history while it was happening right in front
of him
Apparently so.
Albom the journalist didn't think to question why Ed Martin, a well
know area booster and bookmaker, had access to Michigan players and
coaches. The fact that Martin had been banned from a Detroit
High School for gifts didn't throw up any flags.
Entertainers write
stories, journalists ask questions. In this case, Albom told a
nice story but clearly could have asked a few more questions.
When Chris Webber
was being prosecuted for lying to the grand jury about his
relationship with Booster Ed Martin,
prosecutors wanted to call Albom as a witness. They wanted to
know if Mitch had witnessed any of the dealings between Webber and
Martin.
Albom let it be
known that he wouldn't testify citing his status as a journalist.
Maybe if he had asked a few more questions while writing Fab Five we
could take his claim of being a journalist seriously.
What about the Detroit the Free Press?
There are also
questions about how the Detroit Free Press handled the article that
got Albom in trouble.
Why didn't someone
at the paper question why an article was written in advance for a
game that hadn't happened yet? Does this happen all the time?
The Free Press has announced that it has suspended Albom and is
conducting an internal investigation. But who is investigating
the Free Press?
This isn't the
first time that a Free Press Columnist has reported inaccurately.
In 2002, Drew Sharp wrote the following:
"...They're
still pouting in East Lansing because Carr didn't
shake hands with Williams..."
It didn't matter
whether what he wrote was true or not. Why let facts get in
the way of a great story? Sound familiar?
So What Happens Now?
Is this a one time
mistake made in haste in order to meet a deadline or has Albom gotten
"creative" before? I think that will determine what happens to
him.
Albom will
probably be back entertaining readers a few days. Unless they
find out that he's made up things before I can't see the Free Press
firing him as some in the newspaper industry have called for.
The larger
question is this- does an environment exist at the Free Press that
allows facts to be fudged for the sake of entertainment?
Only time will
tell.
Are You Not Entertained?
Is Albom an
entertainer or journalist? I think you can tell a lot from his
reaction. A journalist knows that their credibility is
paramount to them being able to do their job. An entertainer
doesn't let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Albom's tepid
apology makes it clear that he considers himself to be a victim in
this incident.
If only the
players had gone through with their plans to attend the game. If
only people only understood the pressure of working under a
deadline.
If only Albom had
remembered that when he writes for the newspaper he's supposed to be
first and foremost a journalist.
Go Blue!
Phil
Callihan
UMGoBlue.COM, Editor-in-Chief
phil@umgoblue.com
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Phil Callihan is the Editor-in- Chief of
UMGoBlue.COM. Phil graduated from the University of Michigan
in 1993 and has been a football season ticket holder since 1994.
Full Bio
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