Not too long ago, during an NFL game, something happened that made me think. I was up in the press area, and I remember seeing Lisa Salters, the ESPN reporter, rushing to talk to a coach as they went onto the field after halftime. I can't remember the coach, but I do remember that the coach didn't stop, and Salters stuck close, just like a pro. She was quick and serious. Not all reporters on the sideline are boring. Some, like Salters and others, are really good at what they do. It's not an easy job, but the smart ones always manage to find something interesting and work hard to do it. You can see that, especially if you work in journalism. None of the reporters ever seemed to make things up. Sometimes it was light or funny, but the good ones always aimed to tell you something real.
But now, if you love sports, you might have heard about Charissa Thompson, a former sideline reporter. She recently said some shocking things publicly. She admitted to making up stories when she worked as a sideline reporter. She was sharing information with viewers, like other reporters, but it turns out that some of it wasn't true. When I watched the video, I had to watch it a few times to be sure I wasn't being tricked. But she really said it. There's no way someone like Thompson, who's been doing this job for more than ten years, should get away with this. This is serious and deserves serious consequences. "I've said this before," Thompson admitted. "I haven't been fired for saying it, but I'll say it again. I would make up the report sometimes because the coach wouldn't talk, or it was too late, and I didn't want to mess it up."
This happened during her podcast in 2022, where she talked with Erin Andrews from Fox Sports. And guess what? Andrews said she did the same thing.
Some might not care much about this. Some might think the media always lies. But this is a much bigger deal than just Thompson saying something very wrong. It's big for two reasons.
First, many Black journalists on social media, especially on X (you might know it as Twitter), had a strong reaction. It was like a group of strong Black journalists came together. They said that no Black journalist could get away with this without big consequences. Everyone makes mistakes, but Black journalists don't usually get a lot of chances when they mess up. Lots of journalists of color talked about this.
Thompson's words show a lot of privilege.
Second, and most importantly, things like this are the reason why lies and craziness are everywhere in our politics, media, and culture. Let me explain.
During Donald Trump's time as president, our country got filled with lies and conspiracy theories. It started small but grew big. The lies made people not trust the media, and then came January 6, a dark day in American history. One reason Trump got away with so many lies is that he made people not trust the media.
It might seem weird to put what Thompson said in the same story as Trump, but it's not silly. What she said makes people not trust the media, and that makes it easy for lies to grow.
Some people wonder exactly what Thompson meant. Did she just make up stories? Or was she making up parts of what the coach said? Both are bad. When she said, "I'm just gonna make this up," it did a lot of damage, no matter what she meant.
This is not okay. It's not normal, and it's upsetting for many reasons," said CBS reporter Tracy Wolfson. "I take my job seriously. I make sure I'm right, and I build trust with coaches. I never make things up. "I know my friends at work do it too."
"Young reporters, this isn't how it should be," said ESPN's Molly McGrath, who's been a sideline reporter for a long time. "Coaches and players trust us with important things. If they think you're not honest or don't take your job seriously, you'll lose their trust and respect."
This problem might be bigger than just sports reporting. Look at the country. It's a mess.
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