Hill was criticized for her outspoken political comments, but many athletes and celebrities supported herESPN IMAGES
ESPN's Jemele Hill was named Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Black Journalists, becoming what is believed to be the "first person to win the award while primarily covering sports," according to Scooby Axson of SI.com. The award recognizes someone "who has amassed a distinguished body of work with extraordinary depth, scope and significance to the people of the African Diaspora" (SI.com, 5/21). In Detroit, Melody Baetens notes Hill will receive the award on Aug. 4 as part of the organization's "annual conference and career fair," which will take place at the Detroit Marriott. Hill will serve as the "honorary co-chair of the national convention." The announcement of the award "made reference to when Hill 'nearly broke the internet' last year by calling out" President Trump. The White House "called for her removal from ESPN" after she called Trump a white supremacist; the net later gave her a two-week suspension for a subsequent tweet (DETROIT NEWS, 5/22). In Michigan, Brandon Champion noted many people have "criticized Hill for her outspoken comments, but others have sided" with her. The hashtag #IStandWithJemele surfaced amid the controversy and was "used by peers, athletes, politicians, and celebrities" (MLIVE.com, 5/21).
NOT SURE ABOUT THIS HONOR: Fox News' "Fox & Friends" discussed Hill's award this morning, with co-host Ainsley Earhardt noting Hill “once blasted our president as a white supremacist, but apparently this controversial ESPN host deserves a big award.” Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade said, “I always thought a journalist broke stories.” He noted Hill is known for her “commentary, and whether you agree with it or not, that’s a brand new nuance to that category.” Fox News' Steve Doocy said when he was in journalism school, “it was all about ‘just the facts.'" Doocy: "Now apparently, journalism looks a lot like activism.” Earhardt noted the ratings for the 6:00pm ET "SportsCenter" have gone up since Hill and Michael Smith left the show earlier this year. CampusReform.org Editor-in-Chief Lawrence Jones, who repeatedly incorrectly stated Hill was "unemployed" despite her moving to The Undefeated, said, "You can have your opinions about Donald Trump … but you’ve got to know your audience, you’ve got to know the people that you represent. Half of the country is on the right and half of them are on the left, and I think she just made a bad business move.” Jones said it is not a “smart move when you get into this business of entertainment, you’re going to always disappoint someone when you start talking about politics.” Jones said Hill's commentary and Twitter posts “made the network look bad, and at the end of the day, she wasn’t representing her audience” (“Fox & Friends,” Fox News, 5/22).
REAX TO FOX SEGMENT: Hill responded to the segment on Twitter: "Even by Fox’s standards, that was stunning. As Ron Burgundy once said, I’m not even mad. I’m impressed." Sportswriter Jane McManus: "It's got everything -- shade, misdirection, ignorance of the facts, a complete misunderstanding of the difference between journalism and entertainment -- and pictures of Jemele!" Jets broadcaster Bob Wischusen: "Starts with a mispronunciation of Jemele’s name (repeated later a couple more times)...and in the end, on the list of inaccuracies, that comes in about 10th." NYCFC broadcaster Roberto Abramowitz: "She’s fully employed by @TheUndefeated. But let’s not let facts get in the way of a good argument" (TWITTER.com, 5/22).
TRYING TO BE FAIR AND BALANCED: ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro said the company is "absolutely not a political organization." He added that he wants ESPN's "coverage to be 'fair' and 'balanced.'" Pitaro said that if there is an "'intersection' between sports and politics, ESPN will cover it." But he added that in a "politically divided country, ESPN will focus on what it does best: sports." Pitaro: "Our focus is on covering the news in an exemplary fashion. To be fair, balanced and making sure we have the facts right." SPORTING NEWS' Michael McCarthy noted ESPN in '17 "found itself a political football in the liberals-vs.-conservatives culture wars." The net dealt with the Hill-Trump feud along with incidents like taking announcer Robert Lee off a Univ. of Virginia football game "after race riots in Charlottesville, Va., because of his name's resemblance to the Confederate general." Some critics said that ESPN was "left-wing" and "more interested in political correctness than sports" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 5/19).
