It was a stunning admission from Fox Sports’ and Amazon Prime Video’s Charissa Thompson.
The former sideline reporter said this week that, at certain points during games, she “would make up the report sometimes because, A, the coach wouldn’t come out at halftime or it was too late and I was like, I didn’t want to screw up the report, so I was like, “I’m just gonna make this up.'”
“No coach is gonna get mad if I say, ‘Hey, we need to stop hurting ourselves, we need to be better on third down, we need to stop turning the ball over and do a better job of getting off the field,'” she added. “Like, they’re not gonna correct me on that. I’m like it’s fine, I’ll just make up the report.”
Obviously, that’s the opposite of what you want to hear from a journalist, and that was how other sideline reporters from CBS’s Tracy Wolfson to ESPN’s Lisa Salters came out to say after the quotes went viral:
Shocked. Disappointed. Disgusted. What we heard today called all sideline reporters into question. My job is an honor, a privilege and a craft at which I have worked so hard…
(1/2)— Lisa Salters (@saltersl) November 17, 2023
Trust and credibility. They mean everything to a journalist. To violate either one – in any way – not only makes a mockery of the profession, but is a disservice to players, coaches and, most importantly, to fans.
(2/2)— Lisa Salters (@saltersl) November 17, 2023
Young reporters: This is not normal or ethical. Coaches and players trust us with sensitive information, and if they know that you’re dishonest and don’t take your role seriously, you’ve lost all trust and credibility. https://t.co/yMnM1T995P
— Molly McGrath (@MollyAMcGrath) November 16, 2023
This is absolutely not ok, not the norm and upsetting on so many levels. I take my job very seriously, I hold myself accountable for all I say, I build trust with coaches and never make something up. I know my fellow reporters do the same. https://t.co/sl0T7w32u9
— Tracy Wolfson (@tracywolfson) November 16, 2023
Deplorable.
I hold myself to the highest standard in everything I do- I KNOW my hard working colleagues do the same. We earn respect the hard way. To those commenting on the irrelevant role of sideline reporters- beat it! WE ARE JOURNALISTS. THESE actions are not normal. https://t.co/7F4mOGFpxr— Kathryn Tappen (@KathrynTappen) November 16, 2023
A good portion of the public doesn’t trust the media as is. I cannot believe she would proudly admit this. This causes significant harm to the people who actually take the job seriously. It’s entirely unethical and worthy of never working in the field again. https://t.co/c3s6ErFZOI
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) November 16, 2023
THE privilege of a sideline role is being the 1 person in the entire world who has the opportunity to ask coaches what’s happening in that moment. I can’t express the amount of time it takes to build that trust. Devastated w/the texts I’m getting asking if this is ok. No. Never.
— Laura Okmin (@LauraOkmin) November 16, 2023
