As sideline reporters and journalists alike defend their profession after being inadvertently devalued by Charissa Thompson this week, WFAN’s Gregg Giannotti seems outraged by the outrage.
Earlier this week, Thompson joined Barstool’s Dan Katz and PFT Commenter on Pardon My Take, and during the interview, the former Fox NFL sideline reporter admitted there were times when she made up reports.
“I’ve said this before,” Thompson said. “I haven’t been fired to saying it, but I’ll say it again. I would make up the report sometimes, because A, the coach wouldn’t come out at halftime, or it was too late and I didn’t want to screw up the report. So I was like, ‘I’m just gonna make this up.’”
As Thompson noted, she previously admitted to taking liberties when she was a sideline reporter. This time, however, Thompson didn’t just claim to have taken liberties, she described wholly making up reports. And the admission left her colleagues justly outraged at Thompson’s approach to the profession.
But Thompson did have a few defenders, with WFAN’s Gregg Giannotti blaming the outrage on the tendency for people to tribally latch onto a social media trending point and become overly offended.
“I think we should collectively say a prayer for all the sideline reporters out there.” Gregg Giannotti pic.twitter.com/AdkPkvqJpk
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 17, 2023
“This is when these things pile up and up and it drives you crazy because everybody’s gotta be more offended than the next person,” Giannotti claimed Friday morning. “Absolute nonsense.”
“What are you doing? ‘I’m a journalist!’ Stop! You’re part of a TV broadcast,” Giannotti continued. “You’re not gonna win a Pulitzer for God’s sake. You’re not Richard Engel of NBC News wearing a flak jacket in Gaza. You’re talking about some guy’s high ankle sprain. Give me a break. It’s insane, the reaction to this.”
Giannotti explained that he doesn’t think of himself as a journalist despite his role in the media as a sports radio host. But a sports radio host is supposed to give opinion. A sideline reporter is supposed to report the news. And by claiming the reports can just be made up, it devalues and discredits sideline reporters. Naturally, those who still hold the role of sideline reporter, are going to push back on the narrative that their job is trivial enough to be filled by invented reports.
“I think we should collectively say a prayer for all the sideline reporters out there that are gonna have to face the persecution that they’re gonna face now after this Charissa Thompson thing,” Giannotti said sarcastically. “Charissa Thompson just blew up the whole industry.”
Giannotti doesn’t see the need for sideline reporters to express outrage and defend themselves in the wake of Thompson’s admission. But when Carl Banks questioned a sports radio host’s ability to fairly offer opinions on NFL players two weeks ago, Giannotti’s outrage drove him to wipe his butt with Gary Myers’ book on the New York Giants. Every professional, no matter how serious the job, can be pushed to the point of defending their profession.
[WFAN]
