Wilbon responds to his critics

[DjTj]

DjTj--

Did you catch La Canfora's response to the media criticism?

Be interested to hear your thoughts if you have.

Unfortunately, no. Was this in his blog? I don't see it anywhere just glancing through it right now - let me know if you have a link ... it seems to me that JLC has offered very little commentary throughout this whole ordeal and has pretty much stuck to the facts.

In some ways it's like the cynicism of Wilbon and Kornheiser shine through because their instinct is to treat this all like it's no big deal - like they've seen it all before, and we should place it in some larger context ... but when you read JLC's blog it all seems overwhelming, like this is the biggest story he has ever covered, which it most certainly is.

[jobedoza]

I've respected Wilbon just because of a lot of the work he has done in the past. But, I do think that he should have showed more restraint as far as commenting on Sean Taylor on the manner that he did. At least this chat had him win back some of the credebility that he might have lost. So, I'm willing to give him a pass.

However, I'm more mad at journalists like his fellow WP writer, Len Shapiro, who blatantly said that we shouldn't be surprised with how Sean died given what the media reported about him in the past and what we knew about him. I never really liked a lot of his work. If I remembered right, the day Sean dide, he suggested in Washington Post Live that what the media (who follow the team with extreme scrutiny) reported about him might have been more accurate than what a lot of what his teammates said about him, probably because the teammates' view may be a little more biased.

But all in all, the mayor of Florida City said it right yesterday during Sean's funeral. Sometimes, the media should just know when to shut up. (He didn't say it in those exact words, but you know what I mean).

[iheartskins]

DjTj--this is the piece that I was talking about:

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/

Reflections Of An Unforgettable Day

[...]

The words of Florida City Mayor Otis Wallace will, I hope, stay with me as long as pursue this career, when he urged that the "media gets a small lesson in grace and humility," from this event, resisting the need to jump to conclusions. He also asked that the next time a celebrity or public figure is in this position, that we with the pens and microphones - "Take a really deep breath and think of Sean Taylor and do it a little differently."

The fact that the room erupted with a standing ovation as he said these words was lost on no one. Sean's Pastor, David Peay Sr. elicited chants of support when he spoke about media coverage, too. He explained that Sean's life trending upwards, that he did nothing to provoke the tragic outcome that befell him a week ago.

"Sean didn't lose his life, Sean gave his life," Peay Sr. said. "Father, he wasn't in the street, he was home."

This afternoon was real and heartbreaking and fully brought to life a 24-year old trying to be a better person, which is a lesson for us all. He was no saint and he wasn't perfect and I got to see his surly side on more than one occasion, but it's a side of myself I've shown to others as well. If Sean wasn't yet at a point where he was prepared to share his vulnerabilities with the world; if he didn't want to reveal himself to the media or pontificate, so be it. We already knew of his blemishes, and in the last week we have learned much more about his journey, unfortunately, through his passing.

[...]

Remainder at link--

[Rocky21]

"But are those reasons enough for some to be so insensitive, so quick and I think so inaccurate in stereotyping Sean Taylor as a bad apple, or that the end he met with was not a surprise? A group of burglars break into HIS HOUSE and surprise to find him there and end his life? Now by all accounts as we've heard from all those who actually knew him well, Taylor did an awful lot of maturing over the last year and a half. For those who have been mature for a lot longer than that, exercising restraint in passing such callous and harmful judgment would seem to be in order..." – James Brown, CBS Sports

[Longbomb]

I agree. look at what happened to eddie curry and antoine walker in Chicago. They were bound up and gagged and were robbed as well. The crime is random, because the robbers didn't expect Taylor to be there. He wasn't the target of some assassination scheme. He was the victim of a random crime when people took advantage of his kindness and used that to gain wealth through stealing. I just hope that Sean is doing OK and that his family will gain solace in knowing that they had the opportunity to have a good son. I like Wilbon, but he is wrong on this one and he should apologize for his comments.

You hope that Sean is doing OK:doh: ...I know it's been a rough week for everyone

[KingGibbs]

I've lost a lot of respect for Wilbon after his comments. He's tarnished his image forever around the nation's capital. But, as displayed in his chat his arrogance will suggest that he doesn't give damn.

[Rocky21]

I hope as time passes that Wilbon can live with himself for putting in print that he was not surprised that Sean Taylor was a victim of a nonprovoked, random act of violence the day after he was murdered.

[DjTj]

DjTj--this is the piece that I was talking about:

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/

Thanks.

Hopefully JLC takes a little bit of this with him throughout his career if he stays in Washington.

I found myself constantly thinking back to the simple truth that unless we have really spent a considerable amount of time with someone, we don't know them. Much as we may think we have an idea of what a person is about, what they stand for, their home life. how they interact with those in their neighborhood, or how they conduct themselves away from the spotlight, the reality is we have no idea. And that is of particular import to those granted the opportunity to frame public thought and bring these athletes to life.

This isn't a novel thought, hardly a revelation, but on days like this the tremendous responsibility of those paid to write, talk and comment upon others - and the impact those words can have - strikes at a visceral level. The sheer outpouring of support for Sean today, the goosebumps that came from the anecdotes being relayed, speaks to the impact this young man had on others. This wasn't fabricated emotion, and the size and passion of this audience wasn't just some reflection of the fact that a young, rich and famous athlete was being buried today.

It just really makes me think about the tragic consequences of everything ... I think if Sean had just died immediately on Monday morning, the media would not have been so quick to jump on him ... nobody knew how serious it was when Wilbon started his chat and by PTI that afternoon, there was good news coming from the hospital. If they knew they were speaking about a dead man, I think everyone would have been more restrained. If the facts had come out more quickly, before Antrel Rolle was interviewed, we would have cut off a lot of the wild speculation.

...and what if the whole ATV thing had never happened, or if DJ Mike Grieco didn't happen to be a prosecutor on the case, or if Darrent Williams hadn't been shot outside a club a year ago, or if Michael Vick hadn't gone to jail, or if Pac-Man Jones or Chris Henry had stayed out of trouble ... there's a million circumstances that influenced the way Sean Taylor was treated by the media - a narrative gets written, and the media just wants to play mad libs with every new story.

...but can we blame them? We do the same thing here - even in this thread a lot of people aren't really reading what Wilbon wrote, and they are simply fitting this all into a cookie-cutter "media hate" narrative. I think the truth is that we're all simple people, and we like simple stories ... it takes a huge tragedy like Sean Taylor's murder to remind us that things are really pretty complicated and that life isn't supposed to make sense.

The media is no worse than we are, but I like what JLC says ... they should be better than us because they carry a special responsibility. Wilbon's too old to learn new tricks, but hopefully the events of this past week touched more than one member of the Washington media, and when the next tragedy strikes, they'll be more understanding.

[Hogskin1]

For the past year I have had my TIVO set up to record every episode of PTI. Right after Wilbon's pathetic, uninformed, harmful comments, I cancelled out the TIVO recording. I will never watch another episode of that show, because I can not stand to look at that worthless, uncaring, unfeeling scum. His latest comments only enforce that view of him.

[Rocky21]

...but can we blame them? We do the same thing here - even in this thread a lot of people aren't really reading what Wilbon wrote, and they are simply fitting this all into a cookie-cutter "media hate" narrative.

Nice post DjTj. Your question may have been rhetorical, but I'll answer anyway. Yeah I think we can blame the media. I expect them to be more ethical and responsible in the course of their duties than the people who post here because professional sports commentating is not our profession. But it is theirs.