ESPN

Robert Lipsyte

  (1:56 PM)

Hello everyone, ready to take your questions.

Ray (Kathleen, GA)

What exactly is the point of the ombusman? You have no power to change things, no authority over anyone, and appear to function as nothing than a PR entity.

Robert Lipsyte

  (2:00 PM)

I'm not a PR entity in the sense that I represent you, Ray, and anybody who listening to, watching or reading ESPN. I'm not doing PR for ESPN. I'm trying to make ESPN more transparent for you, and let you know why they do certain things and their motivations. Sometimes I think they are dead wrong, and I'll say that too. That is not PR. Read my columns, Ray, and I hope you will be my ombudsman and criticize me, too, and tell me what you would like to know.

Kenny (Bx)

How do you feel about ESPN's wonderful habit of taking credit for every scoop ?

Robert Lipsyte

  (2:03 PM)

I think that sometimes ESPN overreaches in taking credit. But I understand, without justifying it, why they will do it. They will often take a report that might be just a little more than a rumor and confirm it, and feel their confirmation gives them the right to eat the whole apple. I think they're wrong, there, but I do understand the temptation. On the other hand, ESPN has something like 8,000 people working for them, a 1,000 of them in position to gather and distribute information. One would hope they would actually break more stories than the opposition.

Maria (Kalamazoo, MI)

ESPN has become increasingly left-politically. And the ombudsman justifies all their stances...no surprise: he worked at NYT, PBS, etc.Why not get an ombudsman that represents American sports fans?

Robert Lipsyte

  (2:07 PM)

Who is that? Who is the American sports fan? I think that you might be referring to the addition of Keith Olbermann for five hours a week on ESPN2. And certainly it's fair to say he skews 11 pm EST as liberal. But I think if you look at the 24 hours of the myriad ESPN channels, it would be hard to make any kind of ideological or ethnic or even gender determination.

Kelly Whiteside (Maine)

I'm surprised ESPN brought Keith Olbermann back, given his obvious political leanings in his previous jobs at MSNBC and others. He also seems to frequently attack other media (he took on Fox News before, and I've seen him go after the Daily News on ESPN). Is that fair reporting? Shouldn't he focus on the newsmakers, not the news outlets?

Robert Lipsyte

  (2:11 PM)

I think that's a terrific question. Back in the day, when I actually wrote for ESPN, I often felt frustrated in not being allowed -- even obliquely -- to write about other sports media. I think how the media covers sports, whether live or investigative journalism, is part of how the rest of us we consume and understand sports. I was absolutely delighted when Olbermann punched a hole in that wall. I hope he'll do more and I hope other writers and broadcasters on ESPN will follow suit.

Francis X. Bova III (San Diego)

Are analytics and/or the NBA TV contract driving ESPN to seemingly make nearly all LeBron James-related comments or actions into a headline story? If the company's goal is to keep the NBA in spotlight during offseason, because of TV contract, is it ethical from journalism standpoint? Some of the NBA headline news, involving comments such as Michael Jordan saying he can beat LeBron in one-on-one game, seem to be manufactured to promote interests.