Spygate, Deflategate, and now Canoodlegate: Just the latest “Gate” to involve the Patriots.
Journalism ethics experts are sounding off on the scandal involving Pats coach Mike Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini, as The Athletic investigates Russini’s conduct after the pair was spotted holding hands at a luxury resort.
The New York Post’s Page Six last week ran photos of Vrabel and Russini interacting at a remote hotel in Arizona. They were spotted hugging and apparently dancing.
Russini reports on the Patriots, and she has recently been covering the Pats’ reported pursuit of Eagles receiver A.J. Brown.
Vrabel and Russini, who are both married, downplayed the photos. But now The Athletic is investigating the reporter’s conduct, and the scandal has taken over the internet and sports talk radio.
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was spotted holding hands with NFL reporter Dianna Russini at a luxury hotel. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa
Journalism ethics experts are weighing in, telling the Herald that reporters have to avoid conflicts of interest — whether the conflict is real or perceived.
“Without knowing the reality of what’s going on here, it’s absolutely the case that it’s not appropriate for journalists to have conflicts of interest with a particular source, and it’s really important to not even create an appearance of a conflict,” Jane Kirtley, a media ethics professor, told the Herald.
“It can create the appearance of a problem that can cause readers to doubt her reporting, and doubt that she’s acting independently,” added Kirtley, who’s at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota. “This does not look good in terms of The Athletic and the reporter maintaining independence.”
All news organizations require a “distance” between the reporter and subjects they’re covering, said John Watson, a professor of journalism ethics at American University.
“At a minimum, The New York Times (which owns The Athletic) has to point out that this is the appearance of impropriety of a relationship between a journalist and a source,” Watson said.
“The New York Times doesn’t want to set a precedent that says, ‘This is OK for our reporters to act like this with a source,’ ” he added.
Russini’s reporting credibility is now being questioned.
“Let’s say there’s another Deflategate scandal. I would totally disregard anything she writes about it,” Watson said. “Readers would question how she treats a negative story about the Patriots. Is she holding back information because her buddy would be tarnished by it? Cynical readers will think she’s hiding information.”
When it comes to Vrabel, sources don’t have a code of ethics like journalists.
But there are moral, ethical and business concerns for the Patriots as Vrabel’s behavior becomes questionable, Watson said.
“You don’t want to develop a reputation as an institution that approves of this apparent behavior,” Watson said. “You don’t want this as part of your professional reputation.
“As the head coach of a major franchise, you’re on duty all the time,” he added. “And you have to be cognizant of that. The reputation of that organization is on his shoulders.”
There will now be questions of whether Vrabel and the Patriots are getting preferential treatment and whether the whole story is coming out, said Lynn Walsh, of the Society of Professional Journalists Ethics Committee.
“Getting too close to a reporter will increase the public scrutiny of what’s going on,” Walsh said.
“This raises a lot of questions about the coverage,” Walsh added. “Is she (Russini) getting special access? Is she putting a certain type of spin out there?”
Last week when The Post ran the photos of Vrabel and Russini, Vrabel said in a statement, “These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
Russini told Page Six: “The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day. Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.”
When the photos were posted, The Athletic’s executive editor initially came to Russini’s defense, saying the pics were “misleading” and “lack essential context.” A few days later, The Athletic launched an investigation into her behavior.
Walsh said she’s glad that The Athletic is investigating.
“I hope they will continue to be transparent in this process, and that they’ll share with the public what they found and what they’re doing about it,” Walsh said.
The Herald reached out to a Patriots spokesperson on Monday about the situation. The spokesperson did not immediately respond to comment.