Recently, there's been controversy surrounding a former Red Sox beat reporter and the team's manager. The Boston Globe broke the news this weekend that Jessica Moran had resigned her job at Comcast SportsNet, as speculation has been increasing about the nature of her relationship with Red Sox manager John Farrell. Farrell has declined to comment, but is in the middle of a divorce from his wife of 30 years. Other officials with both the Red Sox and Comcast SportsNet are also mum, except to say it's a personal matter. But many questions remain.
Former Boston Globe Columnist Joanna Weiss (@JoannaWeiss) and Boston Globe Sports Reporter, Shira Springer (@ShiraSpringer), sat down with Jim to tackle the journalistic issues at stake.
They agree that this is a setback for women in the profession. Questions arise, "how did she get this scoop?" asks Springer. "Sports is still different," says Weiss. "It still categorizes female reporters in a different way."
Springer calls the situation "unprofessional on both their parts," and she says that SportsNet may have known about the relationships for months. Issues of journalistic integrity came up as well. "If you're developing a relationship with a source that is different from a source relationship, then you recuse yourself from the story," says Weiss. "This is basic professional ethics."
Jim makes the argument that for a new female reporter covering a sports team, this scandal will taint her professional career. Springer agrees, "The way in which women are talked about in the sports world has to change."
