Penn State Scandal

[RolandJP]

http://www.npr.org/2011/11/08/142111...e-and-timeline

The sex abuse scandal at Penn State has been one of the most heavily covered crime stories in recent years, reports a media tracking group.

The Penn State scandal ranks fourth among crime stories since the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism began tracking media "newshole" in January 2007. PEJ measures how much time and space media outlets devote to topics and people in the news. (For newspapers, the center counts only stories that appear on the front page.)


And yet, the coverage is not very informative. Coach Joe Paterno was fired and the president stepped down--and the students rioted. But in the end--Has football culture trumped outrage?

[DonC]

Coach Joe Paterno was fired and the president stepped down--and the students rioted. But in the end--Has football culture trumped outrage?

You tell us.

[Rasputin9977]

I know they fired Paterno but didnt he annouce his retirement before they fired him?

[Nick Soapdish]

I know they fired Paterno but didnt he annouce his retirement before they fired him?

The last that I'd heard, he was refusing to retire.

[macul]

The last that I'd heard, he was refusing to retire.

From what I recall he did announce his retirement effective at the end of the season, though the next day (I believe) is when the board let him go.

[macul]

And yet, the coverage is not very informative. Coach Joe Paterno was fired and the president stepped down--and the students rioted. But in the end--Has football culture trumped outrage?

I'm not sure I follow. What culture has trumped outrage?

I've found the coverage pretty good. Too much to be honest. The scandal has pretty much dominated ESPN the last couple of weeks. Every time I'd turn on one of the five ESPN channels in my hotel (I only get two or three at home) there was a 90% chance they would be covering PSU. The sports radio stations I could tune in while in Michigan were all over it.

The news can only report what is known and what they are told. I'm sure they aren't aware of a lot, though this is a cover up that's been going on for a couple of decades it seems, at the very least. Not to mention some people aren't talking due to legal restrictions. At least that's my guess.

[Bone2pick]

Ever stop and wonder what else is being covered up around the nation? It's frightening.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Well the school or police I believe backed McQueary more and believed him. Of course thats going tits up as the guy looks more and more like a desperate liar. From claiming he contacted the police then in 2002 (they claim no report exists he did) from actually going to a charity golf game with Sandusky 2 weeks later after witnessing the rape.

[FanboyStranger]

http://www.npr.org/2011/11/08/142111...e-and-timeline

The sex abuse scandal at Penn State has been one of the most heavily covered crime stories in recent years, reports a media tracking group.

The Penn State scandal ranks fourth among crime stories since the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism began tracking media "newshole" in January 2007. PEJ measures how much time and space media outlets devote to topics and people in the news. (For newspapers, the center counts only stories that appear on the front page.)


And yet, the coverage is not very informative. Coach Joe Paterno was fired and the president stepped down--and the students rioted. But in the end--Has football culture trumped outrage?

I think what you were really seeing with the riots is the denial and anger stages of the five stages of grief. Joe Paterno wasn't just a football coach in the eyes of the PSU community-- he was a symbol of everything that was right in college football, the builder of that school, and the philanthropist who raised several million every year to put not into the athletic program, but the PSU library system, which he endowed with nearly 3/4 of his salary each year. When people in the PSU community, including myself and my family (my brother is a former PSU football player) heard about this, most people felt betrayed by a man they had built into a saint, but many others could not concieve that Joe could possibly have been involved in something like this. We also aren't just talking about students, but four generations of people. As my mother hyperbolically said last Tuesday, this left her with the same empty feeling that the assassination of JFK did. That's how revered Joe was in that community.

I think the candlelight vigil last Friday and the actions of both PSU and Nebraska's football teams, walking hand in hand to the center of the field to pray for the victims before last Saturday's game in the midst of a stadium filled with emotional fans dressed in blue to draw awareness towards child abuse began the healing in the PSU Community. I wish things could be so easy for Sandusky's victims.

[FanboyStranger]

The last that I'd heard, he was refusing to retire.

He said that he'd step down at the end of the season. In a case like this, that's simply not acceptable. The trustees had to fire him at that point.

Joe is obsessed with Bear Bryant, the Alabama coach who died two weeks after he retired, and he's stubbornly resisted all attmepts to put him out to pasture over the last decade.

[StoneGold]

I think what you were really seeing with the riots is the denial and anger stages of the five stages of grief. Joe Paterno wasn't just a football coach in the eyes of the PSU community-- he was a symbol of everything that was right in college football, the builder of that school, and the philanthropist who raised several million every year to put not into the athletic program, but the PSU library system, which he endowed with nearly 3/4 of his salary each year. When people in the PSU community, including myself and my family (my brother is a former PSU football player) heard about this, most people felt betrayed by a man they had built into a saint, but many others could not concieve that Joe could possibly have been involved in something like this. We also aren't just talking about students, but four generations of people. As my mother hyperbolically said last Tuesday, this left her with the same empty feeling that the assassination of JFK did. That's how revered Joe was in that community.

I think the candlelight vigil last Friday and the actions of both PSU and Nebraska's football teams, walking hand in hand to the center of the field to pray for the victims before last Saturday's game in the midst of a stadium filled with emotional fans dressed in blue to draw awareness towards child abuse began the healing in the PSU Community. I wish things could be so easy for Sandusky's victims.

Not too dissimilar from Michael Jackson. When people put people up on a pedestal, it messes with their heads to see them getting knocked off. Granted, Paterno wasn't raping kids, but evidence seems to point to him having known it was going on since 2002 without narcing on Sandusky, so still not cool. Which doesn't change the fact that the rioters were assholes. "Look, I know kids were raped, but c'mon, football!"

As for whether or not it's really an important story... look, it has everything. Crime, sex, cover-ups, legendary sports figures, authority figured abusing said authority, old men giving almost comically disturbing interviews, rioting, plenty of room to get all moralizing because you didn't rape anyone or cover up any rapes... The only thing missing is if one of the kids was black, because then you have the race angle as well. It's damn near impossible for this story not to get massive coverage. Yeah, sure, it's no budget supercomittee, but come on!

[PiratesPensSteelers]

South Park on PSU.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/1...n_1099680.html

[Thundermonkey]

Well the school or police I believe backed McQueary more and believed him. Of course thats going tits up as the guy looks more and more like a desperate liar. From claiming he contacted the police then in 2002 (they claim no report exists he did) from actually going to a charity golf game with Sandusky 2 weeks later after witnessing the rape.

Maybe McQueary really did go the police and the police are lying about that and maybe he didn't.

I don't know but if this whole thing was covered up for 10 years plus then who really knows what was going on.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Maybe McQueary really did go the police and the police are lying about that and maybe he didn't.

I don't know but if this whole thing was covered up for 10 years plus then who really knows what was going on.

I don't believe McQueary due to his actions. Who else goes attends a charity golf game with the same man who raped someone in front of you , 2 weeks later. I really don't believe a word Mike McQueary says at all at this point.

[Snackpit]

The news can only report what is known and what they are told.

Are you serious? Two Boston area sports morning shock jocks have been covering this EVERY single morning all morning since the story broke and they have been reduced, not that they had very far to fall, to spending 4 hours every morning speculating about what went on. Except they don't call it speculating, they continually bleat that it is HTE TRUTH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone who thinks or believes they get anything that resembles actual news from sports talk radio is a moron and a retard.