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Janay Rice, Advisors Chose ESPN, NBC For Interviews From More Than 15 Outlets

Janay Rice's group of advisers took requests "from more than 15 media outlets eager for an exclusive interview" about the domestic violence incident between her and NFL RB Ray Rice before choosing ESPN and NBC, according to a front-page piece by Richard Sandomir of the N.Y. TIMES. Rice's advisers "winnowed the group down to a handful of reporters who, in effect, auditioned with her to get an interview." DC-based PR firm Levick VP Jack Deschauer said, "You select outlets that you feel will be as fair as possible. ESPN let her have her say. And ‘Today’ is tried and true, with big ratings and a broad watch of demographics." ESPN's Jemele Hill, who on Friday published a first-person essay from Rice's perspective, said she had gone into the interview "with the mind-set that I wasn’t going to denigrate another network to make me or ESPN look better." She said that Rice during the session "had asked her if she had ever met her husband." Hill: "Just basic questions to feel me out. They asked about my commentary about the case, what I thought about Roger Goodell and how the NFL was proceeding. I was honest and didn’t sugarcoat my opinions to get the interview." But Hill "also understood throughout that she was part of another process: the rehabilitation" of Ray Rice. Hill: "You know you’re playing a part in the rehabilitation. ... But just because you’re part of the process doesn’t mean your role as a journalist has been abandoned." Poynter Institute VP/Academic Programs Kelly McBride said that she "was not troubled" by Hill "offering final approval" to Janay. McBride said, "I’m O.K. with sources seeing regular stories ahead of time as long as there are boundaries about why you change it" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/2).

DAMAGE CONTROL: In Baltimore, Dan Rodricks writes last week's ruling that vacated Ray Rice's indefinite suspension "pushed the Ray Rice Rehab Machine into overdrive -- thus, the national television appearances this week by Rice and his wife." This is "all about giving Ray the football again, not about healing or saving a marriage." If the goal "was to send a profound message about domestic violence and the potential to recover from it, Ray and Janay Rice would have disappeared from public sight for a while." Rodricks: "What I'm seeing is what you're seeing -- the careful public construction of a new Ray Rice" (Baltimore SUN, 12/2).

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