Mort had Stage 4 Throat Cancer; Cheatriots fans whine some more

TFP

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Not even close to angry. Just think it's cowardly to say something on the internet from the safety of a screen name. Say it to their face FIRST. Then you can say it as much as you want. If it is something you won't say to their face, then STFU. It's a simple concept. I've lost a lot of family members to cancer. Including my father. There is just no need to say shit like that. None. Just ignore someone if you don't like them.
You should go say this to KFP's face rather than from the internet behind the safety of a screen name.

Until then, tone it down.
 

pappymojo

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I'm not trying to stop you from doing anything. Go for it. Until you get your moment to look him in the eye and really put him in his place, tweet a fuck you and die at him. Assuming the cancer hasn't seriously impaired his ability to see, that tweet will probably ruin his day.
Eh, tweets can just get deleted.
 

Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat

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This is uncalled for and way over the line. You don't have to like him. You don't have to care. Doesn't matter who you consider "better" people. Just ignore him. Fuck him? Seriously? Go say this to his face. Talking shit on the internet hiding behind a screen name or over the phone when you don't have the balls to do it face to face is pussy. If unfortunately he succumbs to this disease, you are willing to go to the funeral and say these words to his familys' face as well right?
If you're going to take 7 1/2 months to formulate a response to someone's post, one would hope it would be worth waiting for.
 
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slowstrung

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Not even close to angry. Just think it's cowardly to say something on the internet from the safety of a screen name. Say it to their face FIRST. Then you can say it as much as you want. If it is something you won't say to their face, then STFU. It's a simple concept. I've lost a lot of family members to cancer. Including my father. There is just no need to say shit like that. None. Just ignore someone if you don't like them.
"Say it to his face, don't hide behind a computer!!!"

Shortly thereafter makes unfunny mother insult using the computer.

Did it ever occur to you that maybe your father just isn't returning your calls? You sound unsufferable. I wouldn't blame him.

Oh...and fuck Mort.
I've lurked on SoSH almost every day for thirteen years and this is the funniest fucking thing I've ever read here. My toddler was puzzled as to why daddy was laughing like a maniac at his phone. I explained but he didn't quite grasp it so I'll try again when he's four.
 

GeorgeCostanza

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Did it ever occur to you that maybe your father just isn't returning your calls? You sound unsufferable. I wouldn't blame him.
The 'like' feature was made for comments like this. Bravo BBNYYF.

If you're going to take 7 1/2 months to formulate a response to someone's post, one would hope it would be worth waiting for.
It eventually spawned banned's response, so I'd say well worth it.
 

johnmd20

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Disingenuous journalist publishes false information that he refuses to clarify and is sad because he's called out for it. Film at 11.
 

pappymojo

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For someone who refused to attend a scheduled interview because he 'didn't want to become part of the story' about Deflategate, he sure brings it up a lot (in situations where he can control the narrative and use it to build sympathy).
 

Number45forever

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Yeah I'm really glad he's getting well. He's been a dependable voice on ESPN for a long time and I grew up watching him.

But fuck him for how he's handled basically starting deflategate with an erroneous tweet that he never corrected or addressed. I don't fucking care if he was working from a source that was feeding him bad info. He can bitch all he wants about being mistreated by Boston fans, he deserves every single bit of it. He's an asshole for not realizing his role in this entire saga. Fuck him.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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And of course he'll never out the source of that bad information, even though someone used him to further an agenda. Mort could do a lot worse than saying "Here's the asshole who gave me the bad information, it was my bad in not double- and triple-checking the info before going public with it. I don't need and won't trust this source again and I screwed up by basing my report on it. I will do better going forward." Full stop.

He did none of that. No correction of the initial lies. No apology for making a bad report. No acknowledgement, even, of disseminating bad information. Instead it's waah, people were mean to me. No wonder journalism is dying on the vine.
 

Bergs

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I would like to add a "fuck Chris Mortenson" post. Just because fuck Chris Mortenson. He's a gutless hack.
 

ifmanis5

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He can't 'out' his source or his career is over- no one would ever talk to him again, on or off the record.

He was used, handled it poorly (to say the least) and keeps handling poorly to this day. His pride is keeping him from apologizing and his allegiance to the sources he already has is preventing him from digging deeper into the mess he made. I don't expect an apology but his lack of owning up to his mistake and correcting it will permanently ruin his reputation.
 

mauf

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Mort can apologize for his error without outing his source.

And of course, he adopts the lazy trope of associating an entire fan base with its most loathsome elements, which frankly bothers me much more than him clinging to his discredited report.
 

Ed Hillel

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Disingenuous journalist publishes false information that he refuses to clarify and is sad because he's called out for it. Film at 11.
He should do a parody of that Gatorade commercial with him crying and reading Peyton's letter, but with him sitting next to his wife reading mean tweets.

 

ifmanis5

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Mort can apologize for his error without outing his source.

And of course, he adopts the lazy trope of associating an entire fan base with its most loathsome elements, which frankly bothers me much more than him clinging to his discredited report.
He can but he won't.
And for sure on your second part. Much of America has already done that to Pats fans.
 

PedroKsBambino

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I am sure some people said/wrote some tasteless, inappropriate things to Mort while he was fighting cancer. As much as Mort sucks, cancer sucks a whole lot worse and there should be no question about that.

Now that he is healthy again, I hope Mort gets all the hate and nasty comments he deserves for atrocious water-carrying "journalism", a total and unprofessional unwillingness to own his responsibility for his mistakes, a pathetic fingerpointing exercise inexplicably done without acknowledging his own contribution, and the absence of an apology to the Patriots, their fans, and Tom Brady for the shitstorm he helped initiate by being so horrendous at his job.
 

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He can't 'out' his source or his career is over- no one would ever talk to him again, on or off the record.
I completely disagree. If he outs his source, he can take a stand that he will no longer be used by league or team sources to smear opponents and otherwise settle all family debts. A man with integrity would say, No I will not be used as a tool to settle petty disputes.
 

soxfan121

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I completely disagree. If he outs his source, he can take a stand that he will no longer be used by league or team sources to smear opponents and otherwise settle all family debts. A man with integrity would say, No I will not be used as a tool to settle petty disputes.

He can't 'out' his source or his career is over- no one would ever talk to him again, on or off the record.
This is correct.

This also explains every weaselly thing Peter King has done in his career. I listened to him defend John Mara today on WEEI as I was driving and when Holley brought up the Giants "handling" of the Josh Brown affair, King did his usual "you're absolutely right Michael" thing and then proceeded to ballwash Wellington "DEAD" Mara's love and continued employment of LT "because he cared about him as a person, not as guy who helped him win football games - and that's what John was trying to do with Josh Brown."

Access is king. If you burn a source, you lose it, and you're soon out of a job.
 

shaggydog2000

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Everybody on twitter that has any level of fame has mean stuff and death threats sent to them. I bet Mickey Mouse and Skittles have death threats on there. Anonymous internet posters are 90+ % normal people, a few percent overactive attention seeking assholes.
 

PedroKsBambino

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I completely disagree. If he outs his source, he can take a stand that he will no longer be used by league or team sources to smear opponents and otherwise settle all family debts. A man with integrity would say, No I will not be used as a tool to settle petty disputes.
This is, unfortunately, not how journalism works.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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This is, unfortunately, not how journalism works.
Which is why real journalism is dead as we know it. Mort only cares about access, not about truth or integrity in his reporting. If he has to be the league's cabana boy once in a while in their continuing efforts to smear and attack the most successful franchise in modern league history, he figures it's a small price to pay.

Access is seriously overrated. When was the last time Mort or Peter Fucking King used their unprecedented access to actually tell us something new and interesting? Deadspin crushes the shit out of those guys in terms of info and reporting every day. Have Mort and King done any work on pushing the league on its shabby concussion protocols? On lowering PED use? On getting the players some mental health help? Of course not, the only thing they've done with this access is to parrot Herr Goodell's increasingly laughable assertions that everything's hunky-fucking-dory over in the NFL offices. Roger says jump, Mort says "How high?" Peter King says "Jump? I haven't seen my feet in years!"

Burn the whole thing down.
 

Dropkick Izzy

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He has enough clout and contacts to out his source under some thin veil of "journalistic integrity" and still maintain a career, and probably a highly successful one. But he won't, because he is a hack, and a hack on ESPN of all places, which makes him that much more pathetic.
 

PedroKsBambino

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Which is why real journalism is dead as we know it. Mort only cares about access, not about truth or integrity in his reporting. If he has to be the league's cabana boy once in a while in their continuing efforts to smear and attack the most successful franchise in modern league history, he figures it's a small price to pay.

Access is seriously overrated. When was the last time Mort or Peter Fucking King used their unprecedented access to actually tell us something new and interesting? Deadspin crushes the shit out of those guys in terms of info and reporting every day. Have Mort and King done any work on pushing the league on its shabby concussion protocols? On lowering PED use? On getting the players some mental health help? Of course not, the only thing they've done with this access is to parrot Herr Goodell's increasingly laughable assertions that everything's hunky-fucking-dory over in the NFL offices. Roger says jump, Mort says "How high?" Peter King says "Jump? I haven't seen my feet in years!"

Burn the whole thing down.
Hey, I've been making the case around here that we should remember these guys care about access and clicks not truth since Theo walked out in the gorilla suit. I wish they were something else, but hoping for an old-line guy like Mort to grow a conscience sadly isn't going to happen.

I do agree that Mort is only a faux-journalist, but so long as that is his self-image he ain't going to own up to the truth here.
 

ifmanis5

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I completely disagree. If he outs his source, he can take a stand that he will no longer be used by league or team sources to smear opponents and otherwise settle all family debts. A man with integrity would say, No I will not be used as a tool to settle petty disputes.
I hear what you're saying and that would be a ballsy gesture for sure.
It's also too late for that, he missed the chance to wipe up this mess while that kind of act would have had actual consequences.

The reality is that Mort has two things left in his professional life: 1) The few years he has left in his career to be a journalist at ESPN or wherever else he can go and 2) His long term reputation.

Let's look at what would happen with #1: It's obvious that his source on the deflated balls Tweet was someone very high up with either the Colts or the League, perhaps even both. If he burns those bridges no owner, GM or anyone from the league would ever talk to him again. He's done. Career as an NFL Insider is basically over.

As far as #2 goes, we don't know the whole story or all the sources he has but coming clean and explaining things from his side would help set the record straight in this matter quite a bit and it would be great for us as fans to have that info. But remember, he thinks of himself as a serious journalist and serious journalists have been going to jail to protect their sources for decades. Mort is not going to give up a source because he thinks of himself in this way and has sworn an unofficial oath to protect his guys. I would not expect him to burn any bridges here and in fact I'm sure he thinks of himself as being an honorable throwback to Old School journalistic integrity by not revealing his sources on that Tweet. He'd rather die than do that.

Just my opinion but I think it's pretty clear where he has been standing on this.
 

ifmanis5

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While this may be correct for the broader profession, it doesn't apply to Mort, who has never practiced journalism in his life.
That's not right and it's unfair. He was a real sports reporter for the Atlanta J-C and has the awards to prove it. He's broken as many NFL exclusives stories as anyone in journalism. He's not a hack like Brian Windhorst or some made up TV talking head. He's done lots of actual reporting for a long time. That's why this Tweet kills most of the rep that he built over his decades long career. He looks like a stooge or company man now. Was not always the case at all.
 

Average Reds

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That's not right and it's unfair. He was a real sports reporter for the Atlanta J-C and has the awards to prove it. He's broken as many NFL exclusives stories as anyone in journalism. He's not a hack like Brian Windhorst or some made up TV talking head. He's done lots of actual reporting for a long time. That's why this Tweet kills most of the rep that he built over his decades long career. He looks like a stooge or company man now. Was not always the case at all.
With all due respect, I disagree.

A reporter who comes into potentially explosive information doesn't just rush off and post it on Twitter. He (or she) looks for independant conformation of the veracity of their source. Then he tries to get a second source. Then he weighs the importance of the information against the damage that could be caused by publishing incorrect information. Perhaps he even discusses it with his editor to make sure that there is nothing that he is missing.

By contrast, Mort ran to Twitter and blasted out false information.

But let's ignore all that and focus for a minute on how a real reporter deals with making a mistake. Once he realizes that he is wrong - that he has been used in order to advance an agenda - he goes public. Not necessarily with the source, but with general information relating to how and why he believed at the time that the information was true, and why he has come to doubt the accuracy of the information. And he issues an apology.

Whatever he may have been 30 years ago, Mort ceased being that decades before he decided to act like a hack and do the bidding of an NFL league source with an agenda. He deserves his fate.
 

ifmanis5

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With all due respect, I disagree.

A reporter who comes into potentially explosive information doesn't just rush off and post it on Twitter. He (or she) looks for independant conformation of the veracity of their source. Then he tries to get a second source. Then he weighs the importance of the information against the damage that could be caused by publishing incorrect information. Perhaps he even discusses it with his editor to make sure that there is nothing that he is missing.

By contrast, Mort ran to Twitter and blasted out false information.

But let's ignore all that and focus for a minute on how a real reporter deals with making a mistake. Once he realizes that he is wrong - that he has been used in order to advance an agenda - he goes public. Not necessarily with the source, but with general information relating to how and why he believed at the time that the information was true, and why he has come to doubt the accuracy of the information. And he issues an apology.

Whatever he may have been 30 years ago, Mort ceased being that decades before he decided to act like a hack and do the bidding of an NFL league source with an agenda. He deserves his fate.
You're making a lot of assumptions here. I don't feel like defending the guy but multiple decades of good work should gain you something. He did make a mistake and he refuses to correct it or apologize for it. That's on him and will always be but you have no idea of what actually happened leading up to that Tweet. I'd love to hear the story one day but we're just guessing. Also, many reporters get stuff wrong all the time and rarely issue any apologies for it. The most common apologies or retractions on the kind of scale we're looking for are usually forced by legal actions or threat of legal actions.
 

PedroKsBambino

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That's not right and it's unfair. He was a real sports reporter for the Atlanta J-C and has the awards to prove it. He's broken as many NFL exclusives stories as anyone in journalism. He's not a hack like Brian Windhorst or some made up TV talking head. He's done lots of actual reporting for a long time. That's why this Tweet kills most of the rep that he built over his decades long career. He looks like a stooge or company man now. Was not always the case at all.
I think he may have been a real journalist at some point, but he hasn't been one for a bunch of years now---he is and has been a stooge and a company man for, at least, the last decade. What's a 'real reporting' story he has had in that timeframe?
 

pappymojo

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Everybody on twitter that has any level of fame has mean stuff and death threats sent to them. I bet Mickey Mouse and Skittles have death threats on there. Anonymous internet posters are 90+ % normal people, a few percent overactive attention seeking assholes.
What I hate is that ESPN, Mort, Exponent, Goodell and the NFL are trying cover up their mistakes by saying that the only ones who think they did anything wrong are mean band wagon fans of the cheating Patriots who say mean things to people with cancer and no one in the media is saying 'well you spread and perpetuated dishonest information.'
 

Average Reds

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You're making a lot of assumptions here. I don't feel like defending the guy but multiple decades of good work should gain you something. He did make a mistake and he refuses to correct it or apologize for it. That's on him and will always be but you have no idea of what actually happened leading up to that Tweet. I'd love to hear the story one day but we're just guessing. Also, many reporters get stuff wrong all the time and rarely issue any apologies for it. The most common apologies or retractions on the kind of scale we're looking for are usually forced by legal actions or threat of legal actions.
Speaking of loading a post with unfounded assumptions ....

Look, there a few key differences between Mort's tweet and the contention that he is a journalist:
  • We know that either Mort was manipulated by his source to get incorrect information out to the public or that Mort made it up. I'm being charitable, so I'll go with the former.
  • We know that Mort figured this out when the Wells Report was published, because we all did at that point.
  • Mort has never acknowledged either of these two points. Instead, he eventually deleted his tweet and issued a mealy-mouthed explanation that essentially claimed that he was right, just not precise. Which is not how a journalist handles being used to disseminate false information.
Comparing this to reporters who "get stuff wrong all the time and rarely issue apologies" completely misses the point. This wasn't about an inconsequential mistake, it was the core of the issue. By leaving his tweet out there for months while the NFL imposed a media blackout on the topic, his false tweet became the sole reporting on the subject. He literally could not have made a mistake that was more consequential.

With that as context, I cannot come up with a single comparison to Mort's behavior here. Once the truth was revealed, both Mort and ESPN knew that he had been manipulated to drive a result. Unsurprisingly, they decided to protect the business relationship rather than follow journalistic ethics, which demanded a public apology/retraction.

Based on this, I can only conclude that either (1) his tweet isn't considered an act of journalism by ESPN (2) sports reporting isn't held to traditional standards of journalism, or (3) both.

We're all entitled to our opinions, so your thoughts on Mort are fine. But I come down definitively on the side of "fuck that hack, I'm not buying his 'journalism' defense because he's a mouthpiece and nothing more."

I get that he's never going to out his source. That doesn't make him a journalist.

Edit: And the more I think about it, the more I am angered by his weep-fest about the meanie Pats fans. (Which does not include me, FWIW.). His career should be have been ended by this.
 
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PedroKsBambino

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Another problem with the defense of Mort is that ESPN itself has rejected his approach. Their public editor said:

[Mort's defense on LeBetard's show] But that’s only partially accurate. From that point forward, Mortensen and ESPN were indeed careful to use the phrase "significantly underinflated" and not reference the original report of the balls being underinflated by 2 PSI each. But the original tweet and story that contained that reference remained in public view, without any clarification
To those looking for a smoking gun around some kind of ESPN-NFL collaboration in impugning the Patriots, I don’t have it. But that doesn’t mean you’re crazy for wondering whether something was afoot. The sources of Mortensen’s story were inside the NFL, and the league never made any attempt to refute the incorrect reference to 2 PSI in that story.
http://dynamic.espn.go.com/blog/ombudsman/archive?month=march-2016

Also, worth noting that the public editor and ESPN have claimed 'sources' plural repeatedly, and ESPN has acknowledged they are within the NFL. While I undrerstand, as a practical matter, why Mort can't out his sources I also think he deserves every bit of the scorn he has received (at least, while not fighting cancer as a timing matter) for how he handled the initial story pimping and subsequent failure to do what even a college newspaper writer knows is appropriate given the way the facts turned out.
 

moondog80

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I was as pissed as anyone about deflategate, but is it maybe time to get over it? Or at least stop talking about it in a thread about the guy having cancer?
 

Average Reds

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I was as pissed as anyone about deflategate, but is it maybe time to get over it? Or at least stop talking about it in a thread about the guy having cancer?
My understanding is that the cancer has been edited out of his system, so we're good here.

And for the record, we're not really talking about deflategate, which I agree is beyond boring at this point. This discussion is about the responsibilities of a sports reporter to be accurate and adhere to the norms of his (theoretical) profession.
 

kenneycb

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Is there an example where a journalist went to jail to protect a source who lied?
I'm sure there is. But since these people didn't turn over their sources by the very nature of being jailed, we have no idea of knowing whether they were lied to or not. So it's a somewhat disingenuous premise to start from.
 

ifmanis5

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Speaking of loading a post with unfounded assumptions ....

Look, there a few key differences between Mort's tweet and the contention that he is a journalist:
  • We know that either Mort was manipulated by his source to get incorrect information out to the public or that Mort made it up. I'm being charitable, so I'll go with the former.
  • We know that Mort figured this out when the Wells Report was published, because we all did at that point.
  • Mort has never acknowledged either of these two points. Instead, he eventually deleted his tweet and issued a mealy-mouthed explanation that essentially claimed that he was right, just not precise. Which is not how a journalist handles being used to disseminate false information.
Comparing this to reporters who "get stuff wrong all the time and rarely issue apologies" completely misses the point. This wasn't about an inconsequential mistake, it was the core of the issue. By leaving his tweet out there for months while the NFL imposed a media blackout on the topic, his false tweet became the sole reporting on the subject. He literally could not have made a mistake that was more consequential.

With that as content, I cannot come up with a single comparison to Mort's behavior here. Once the truth was revealed, both Mort and ESPN knew that he had been manipulated to drive a result. Unsurprisingly, they decided to protect the business relationship rather than follow journalistic ethics, which demanded a public apology/retraction.

Based on this, I can only conclude that either (1) his tweet isn't considered an act of journalism by ESPN (2) sports reporting isn't held to traditional standards of journalism, or (3) both.

We're all entitled to our opinions, so your thoughts on Mort are fine. But I come down definitively on the side of "fuck that hack, I'm not buying his 'journalism' defense because he's a mouthpiece and nothing more."

I get that he's never going to out his source. That doesn't make him a journalist.

Edit: And the more I think about it, the more I am angered by his weep-fest about the meanie Pats fans. (Which does not include me, FWIW.). His career should be have been ended by this.
You're approaching Alex Jones levels at some points there.

I think it's fair to say that he put out information from people that he trusted previously and got burned. His real sin isn't so much that incorrect Tweet (although that turned out to shape the narrative quite a bit), it's not going back to get to the full story and set things straight. My guess is that his sources in the league clammed up and told him to wait for the Wells Report which ultimately (although fraudulently) vindicated his position. In order to fix his Tweet he would have to give up his sources, tear down the Wells Report and burn every bridge he has with the league officials. He's not going to do those things and as a consequence that has destroyed his reputation forever. You'll just have to live with the solace that his prestige within (and without) the industry has been permanently shattered.

No one hated that Tweet or the league's silence more than me, go back and read my posts in the Benghazi thread, I was furious. But he's not part of a conspiracy, he's a reporter who got burned. It happens.
 

moondog80

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My understanding is that the cancer has been edited out of his system, so we're good here.

And for the record, we're not really talking about deflategate, which I agree is beyond boring at this point. This discussion is about the responsibilities of a sports reporter to be accurate and adhere to the norms of his (theoretical) profession.
Good that the cancer is gone, but maybe we should change the title since this thread is no longer about that, if it ever really was?

I get it about his responsibilities, but it's been discussed to death. It was over 18 months ago, the Pats went 3-1 in Brady's absence and are again looking like a Super Bowl team. I wish we had the first round pick back, but it's gone forever, and the way the Pats draft they probably would have ended up picking Cyrus Jones anyway.
 

allstonite

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But there was a new article that came out yesterday where he again refuses to be accountable and instead complains Patriots fans were mean to him.That's why it's being discussed again
 

Average Reds

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You're approaching Alex Jones levels at some points there.

I think it's fair to say that he put out information from people that he trusted previously and got burned. His real sin isn't so much that incorrect Tweet (although that turned out to shape the narrative quite a bit), it's not going back to get to the full story and set things straight. My guess is that his sources in the league clammed up and told him to wait for the Wells Report which ultimately (although fraudulently) vindicated his position. In order to fix his Tweet he would have to give up his sources, tear down the Wells Report and burn every bridge he has with the league officials. He's not going to do those things and as a consequence that has destroyed his reputation forever. You'll just have to live with the solace that his prestige within (and without) the industry has been permanently shattered.

No one hated that Tweet or the league's silence more than me, go back and read my posts in the Benghazi thread, I was furious. But he's not part of a conspiracy, he's a reporter who got burned. It happens.
My last post on this subject will be to caution you to dispense with the ad hominems.

As I pointed out, it's fine to disagree and have a vigorous discussion. Telling me that I am turning into Alex Jones is not having a vigorous discussion about our difference of opinion. It's you trying to marginalize me, and I do not appreciate it.

Knock it off.
 

ifmanis5

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My last post on this subject will be to caution you to dispense with the ad hominems.

As I pointed out, it's fine to disagree and have a vigorous discussion. Telling me that I am turning into Alex Jones is not having a vigorous discussion about our difference of opinion. It's you trying to marginalize me, and I do not appreciate it.

Knock it off.
I'm doing none of those things. Take a deep breath.
You wrote that he may have made stuff up or is not a journalist. Those are both false premises although I do agree with some of your conclusions.
 

soxfan121

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Once the truth was revealed, both Mort and ESPN knew that he had been manipulated to drive a result. Unsurprisingly, they decided to protect the business relationship rather than follow journalistic ethics, which demanded a public apology/retraction.
Oh, how to tiptoe around this... let's see if I can.

There is really no doubt that Mort was used by sources. Those sources are his employer's most important, and lucrative, business partners. The majority of consumers for both products (the NFL & ESPN) do not care about the truth - they long ago decided what was "true" and what was not, and have no interest in learning more (or that they are, in fact, wrong). The (minority) constituency that does care about the truth (ha!) has engaged in some rather vile behavior in making their dissatisfaction with Mort, his employer, and their business partner known.

Complicating things, a retraction was issued. It was weak, and it was done on Friday night at midnight by someone other than Mort - but it happened. As for why he didn't - well, I think that goes directly to how he was personally treated by DFG Truthers, and by some nominal "peers" like Scott Zolak. I don't think he's "right", but I can see why Mort has decided that his personal suffering at the hands of DFG Truthers has negated the need for him to apologize / own his mistake. And because it is just a "wronged" minority that thinks he should correct the record - and neither his employer, nor their business partner wants him to - he won't. Therefore, it's ok IMO to think Mort is a piece of shit. But in no place else does he have a credibility or integrity problem. He's still seen as a "journalist" in Bristol, in the NFL League Office, and in most NFL markets. In fact, he's probably gonna end up in Canton at some point - which will really make some people mad.

He has no obligation to "out" his sources - and no motivation to do so. The only people who really care are, unfortunately, tied to the DFG Truthers who long ago lost credibility with ... well, everyone. That's just a (sad) fact at this point. Mort "coming clean" would be bad for ESPN and the NFL. That's why it'll never happen. That's why they'll continue to trumpet him, and his "journalistic integrity". If you must, you can chalk up another "victory" for the NFL - they've "won" on brain damage, and they've "won" on domestic abuse, and they "won" on this.
 

Average Reds

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SoSH Member
Sep 24, 2007
35,330
Southwestern CT
I'm doing none of those things. Take a deep breath.
You wrote that he may have made stuff up or is not a journalist. Those are both false premises although I do agree with some of your conclusions.
I don't think you understand what a false premise is.
  • I used deductive reasoning to conclude that he was manipulated into posting false info by his source. That's not a false premise, it's the most likely of two possibilities.
  • The issue of whether he meets my definition of what a journalist is or not is also not a false premise - it's my opinion.
I get that you have some weird affection for the journalist that you think Mort was at some point. I don't share that, but fine.