Marcellus Wiley: media ignoring Derrick Rose case?

With all the news surrounding the New York Knicks this summer: the signing of coach Jeff Hornacek, the acquisitions of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, one subject remains in the shadows.

Rose's case of sexual assault has been merely referenced to in most national media outlets given the nature of the allegations.

The plaintiff, who chose to use a pseudonym (Jane Doe) to protect her identity, accused Rose and his two friends Randall Hampton and Ryan Allen to have gang raped her back in 2013.

ESPN's Marcellus Wiley shares a great point in his exclusive video with AthletiQA.com, an intelligent social and intelligent question and answer sports platform that Marcellus is affiliated with:

“I think it’s the consequence of people assuming guilt,” said Wiley. “And a lot of times that happens in the media, that happens because of the media, where we are not innocent until we are proven guilty anymore, if you are a celebrity or an athlete, as Ezekiel Elliott or as to Duke Lacrosse. And you can tell that spectrum has brought us to a different place. You can assume someone is guilty just by the allegation, but then when you have recourse or you find out that the person was innocent all along, that apology is silent or certainly muted, and I think that right now you are starting to see the media pause, especially when they can see some of the early transcripts, see some of the early records, and they are like ‘Let’s just take one this with a grain of salt.’ You have to treat it all seriously, but do you have to fully report on something that may come back to bite you, may come back to haunt [you]? And all through the process you are supposed to assume innocence in the first place. So, I think we are in a new place, in terms of our coverage; I think we are in a new place in terms of our assumptions. And I think that is a good place because it’s a reset – You are innocent until proven guilty.”

As a media contemporary on a major network, such as ESPN; Wiley has a good grasp for the pulse of both written and broadcast media.

While there's several written updates almost daily, facts remain the same — both plaintiff and defendant are pushing very aggressively to get their way in the court of law.

Broadcast media has certainly taken a seat back because there isn't enough substantial evidence to make something newsworthy and it's unlikely to happen until the trial takes place on Oct. 4.

It is often that when bringing to light the little details, journalists and media outlets get in trouble for going too far — just ask Adam Schefter and ESPN who are being sued by New York Giants' Jason Pierre-Paul for publishing his private medical information.

When speaking of court matters, journalists are trained in using their words very carefully, as one small mistake can result in defamation and a lawsuit by a pro athlete that makes more money in a day than most reporters make in a year — that is just a very bad deal.

The media is indeed resetting, although not entirely for the right reasons, but it is great news for the sake of good, honest journalism which is meant to provide fair and accurate reporting as a service to the community.

Thanks to AthletiQA for the exclusive interview.