Patriots Spygate: Media Apologies Too Little, Too Late

The Boston Herald ran a lame apology today, under the headline "Sorry, Pats":

On Feb. 2, 2008, the Boston Herald reported that a member of the New England Patriots' video staff taped the St. Louis Rams’ walkthrough on the day before Super Bowl XXXVI. While the Boston Herald based its Feb. 2, 2008, report on sources that it believed to be credible, we now know that this report was false, and that no tape of the walkthrough ever existed.

Prior to the publication of its Feb. 2, 2008, article, the Boston Herald neither possessed nor viewed a tape of the Rams’ walkthrough before Super Bowl XXXVI, nor did we speak to anyone who had. We should not have published the allegation in the absence of firmer verification.

The Boston Herald regrets the damage done to the team by publication of the allegation, and sincerely apologizes to its readers and to the New England Patriots owners, players, employees and fans for our error.

First, I thought I would print the Herald's apology because surprisingly it isn't receiving the same attention the original completely false story received. And second, the Boston Herald and John Tomase (the writer on the first story) owe the public more than this. 

Why did they run the article in the first place? Who was the source? I understand journalists need to protect their sources, but when you screw up like the Herald did and cause as much damage as the Herald did, it is time to come clean. 

I would like to also see, but know that I won't, apologies from all the other football reporters and publications around the country who ran with the story after the Herald opened the door. The Herald was the first to print the story, but then a number of other publications picked up on it, and printed it as well. Where are their apologies?

As I have written many times, I heard Chris Mortensen say that a number of media outlets had the same story the Herald did, but refused to run it because it just was not credible. My question then is why did all these same media outlets have no problem running wild once the Herald ran it, without once mentioning the original credibility issues? Is the media rule if one publication runs a false story, it is ok for everyone else to print it, even if they too don't believe the original story?

That Matt Walsh had nothing to offer, and that he had no tape of a Rams' practice because there is no such tape, came as no surprise to me, and no surprise to anyone I know who took the time to look at Matt Walsh. I don't know one Patriot fan that feared that Walsh had something on the Patriots, because it was so obvious this guy had nothing. 

Yet, everyone from Peter King to far too many people at ESPN, were too blinded by the possibility of catching Bill Belichick that they ignored common sense, and did as much damage as the Boston Herald by running wild with the false allegations printed in the Boston Herald. Where are their apologies?

While we are at it, since Arlen Specter decided to involve himself in issues he had no business being invovled in, he too owes the Patriots an apology.  Maybe he can be reminded of this comment he made (and Peter King printed verbatim, so let's remember to get an apology from King), "Those reports are looking pretty strong ... There was filming for the 2002 Super Bowl.''

King's actions were particularly dissapointing, considering he is probably the most read and respected football writer.  Also because King knew better.  Just a few weeks before printing Specter's quote, without comment, and many other damaging words he wrote in his own columns, King wrote, "I think I don't have a lot of expectations that the continued fascination with Spygate will bear much fruit this offseason. I hear one news-media outlet spent two weeks, off and on, talking with former Patriots video employee Matt Walsh recently and came away convinced that Walsh did not have the goods on the Patriots -- or if he did, he was holding out for something (money? legal indemnification?) and left the impression he knew something but not quite the mother lode the Arlen Specters of the world wish he did.” I'll expect King and Specter to issue a joint press release containing their apology any minute now.

To me, Spygate was what happened back in September. If someone wants to argue about taping of signals and were the Patriots punished enough, that is one thing.  But everything that has happened as a direct result of the Boston Herald printing lies, and the media as a whole jumping all over these allegations as if they were proven fact, was the latest example of the media at its worst