Breaking Down the Best and Worst of Penn State Scandal Media Coverage

The Penn State scandal is more than just a sports story. I'll wager that it's going to go into the books as a notable moment in American history, one that just so happens to revolve around sports.

Regardless of what we think of the Jerry Sandusky scandal years down the road, one of the more intriguing aspects of the whole thing is how it will go into the books. That's a matter for the media to decide. They are the chroniclers of this tale.

As you may have noticed, media coverage of the mess in Happy Valley has been extensive, as well it should be. The coverage has produced some truly great examples of journalism, but it has also produced some not-so-great examples of journalism.

Lest we somehow forget either collection, I figure we may as well put them all in one place, if nothing else for reflection and discussion purposes.

Ahead of you is the best and the worst of the Penn State scandal media coverage.

Best Call-to-Action Column: Dan Wetzel

For all intents and purposes, the Penn State scandal erupted on Saturday, Nov. 5, when the Pennsylvania attorney general announced that charges had been filed against former Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jerry Sanduksy, Athletic Director Tim Curley and Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz.

It was at this point that many people read the now-infamous grand jury presentment for the first time. It was impossible not to react to it, and everybody wanted to know what was going to happen next.

To my own awareness, Yahoo! Sports columnist Dan Wetzel was the first to say what had to happen next. He wrote a killer column that broke down the allegations against Sandusky, and he was quick to point out that what we had on our hands was the "ugliest scandal in the history of college athletics."

He concluded by demanding an answer from longtime head coach Joe Paterno about what kind of role he played in the mess. 

If you don't mind a spoiler, Wetzel's closing comments shake you to the core:

"

Paterno may very well have appropriate answers to all of the above questions and more. He needs to give them. Four-hundred-plus victories shouldn’t absolve anyone from being accountable in a case such as this.

This is a scandal that goes beyond nearly anything college athletics has ever witnessed. These are the most horrific charges that can be made, the worst of the worst kind of crime that haunts victims forever.

The time for hiding behind statements and closed doors and parsed explanations from so-called leaders are over.

This demands real investigation conducted by real adults, something that’s at least eight years and who knows how many unnecessary victims overdue.

"

Wetzel's column went viral, racking up thousands of Facebook likes and hundreds of retweets. Little did he know that answers were coming.

Best 'Joe Must Go' Column: Jason Whitlock

Love him or hate him, FoxSports.com's Jason Whitlock always brings the heat. He didn't disappoint with his column calling for Joe Paterno to be forced out of Penn State.

"If there is an ounce of dignity left in Paterno’s vain and delusional 84-year-old body, he will step down from his throne today," wrote Whitlock.

Whitlock didn't set his sights on just Paterno. He made sure to blast Penn State University as a whole, accusing it of being more concerned with "marketing and exploiting" JoePa than it was with exposing the allegations against Sandusky.

In the end, Whitlock wrote that Paterno's record-setting tenure as Penn State's head coach was just too important. As such, the proper thing for us to do is remember at what cost these records came:

"

There should be an asterisk next to JoePa’s 409 victories. And if not an asterisk, at least a dollar sign, America’s favorite religious symbol, our justification for valuing institutions more than human beings.

"

Not too long after Whitlock wrote this, JoePa was forced out.

Best Breakdown of the Sandusky Allegations: Sara Ganim of The Patriot News

Immediately after the charges against Sandusky, Curley and Schultz were revealed, what you got was an awful lot of reaction pieces, a la the columns by Wetzel and Whitlock.

What few people bothered to do was break the allegations down in a clear and concise way.

That's where Sara Ganim of The Patriot-News stepped in. On Sunday, Nov. 6, Ganim published a relatively short piece that detailed pretty much everything the grand jury had to report about Sandusky.

If you haven't already read it, you should do so. Ganim puts all the vital information under bolded sub-heads, things like "Details of allegations," "Differing versions" and "Public persona."

Upon reading it, one is left with a much clearer understanding of what Sandusky is alleged to have done, not to mention what kind of man he is and how his alleged misdeeds stayed covered up for so long.

Most Damning Breakdown of the Cover-Up: Sara Ganim of The Patriot News

If you've read or heard anything about the Jerry Sandusky scandal, then you know all about what happened back in 2002. 

The story goes that Penn State assistant Mike McQueary witnessed Sandusky raping a young boy in the football locker room showers. McQueary first told his father, and then he told Joe Paterno. After that, he relayed his story to Tim Curley and Gary Schultz. University president Graham Spanier and Jack Raykovitz, the president of Sandusky's charity "Second Mile," were also included in the story after that.

Ultimately, the incident was swept under the rug.

As for how that could happen, Ganim pointed out that McQueary's story seemed to get more watered down at every step:

"

McQueary: anal rape.
Paterno: something of a sexual nature.
Schultz: inappropriately grabbing of the young boy’s genitals.
Curley: inappropriate conduct or horsing around.
Spanier: conduct that made someone uncomfortable.
Raykovitz: a ban on bringing kids to the locker room.

"

Take note: If such a horrible thing was going to get swept under the rug, this is how it would have happened.

Most Unjustly Buried Reporting: Mark Madden of the Beaver County Times

Ever wonder why the allegations against Jerry Sandusky didn't come to light sooner?

Actually, they did. Mark Madden wrote a piece for the Beaver County Times way back in April about Sandusky.

The title: "Sandusky a State Secret."

Madden pointed out that allegations of "improper conduct" against Sandusky first showed up in 1998, and right then and there, he questioned what Joe Paterno and the university as a whole knew about the Nittany Lions' former coach.

Wrote Madden:

"

It seems logical to ask: What did Paterno know, and when did he know it? What did Penn State's administration know, and when did they know it?

"

It took seven months for answers to these questions to come to light.

Best Blog Post: Joe Posnanski

If you've been paying attention to what's being said around the water cooler, you'll know that Joe Posnanski, one of the great sportswriters in existence, is basically a Joe Paterno apologist.

In speaking to the so-called "JoePa Class" at Penn State, Posnanski called Paterno a "scapegoat," and he accused people of rushing to judge him. You can read the rest on Deadspin.

What is being largely overlooked is the blog post that Posnanski wrote about the JoePa situation. Posnanski pointed out that he had been in the middle of writing a book about the legendary coach, and he elaborated on how he was struggling to grasp the "horror" of the situation.

Ultimately, though, I think the most important excerpt of all is this one: 

"

Joe Paterno has also been ripped in various places for not doing enough, for not reporting the incident to the police himself, for not stopping a longtime coach who, if the charges are true, is a monster. I have heard from many, many people who have strong opinions about Paterno and have reached conclusions, and I understand.

But this is where my thoughts trail off… I’m writing a book about Joe Paterno. I need time. This story, for me at least, needs time. This thing is so vile, so grotesque, that it is human nature to want everyone to pay. Innocent children were hurt, scarred, and as a parent this is something so horrible that I cannot even think of a penalty harsh enough. There is no way to see this thing clearly now, not for me, anyway.

"

So you see, Posnanski is certainly not blind to what is going on. He may have been a little quick to defend Paterno, but he may come to a different conclusion once he has the time he says he needs.

Either way, what he had to say was a damn good read.

Best. Read. Period.

The best thing I read on the Penn State scandal came from right here on Bleacher Report. After Penn State students expressed their disgust at Joe Paterno's firing, B/R Featured Columnist Kelly Scaletta expressed his disgust at Penn Staters who would defend JoePa's honor.

In Scaletta's words, the Penn State scandal is for him something that is "deeply personal." He courageously admitted that he was molested when he was 11 years old, and he proceeded to express just how outraged he was that people were prioritizing a football coach over the alleged victims in this case.

Here's an excerpt:

"

Take yourself out of being a Penn State student or fan right now. Consider that you're addressing the victims themselves or their families. Imagine you're in their living room. Do this because you are. Your rioting, your protesting, your "support" for Paterno is being broadcast into their living rooms.

If your hearts really go out to the victims, then let their hearts come back to you. Feel what they feel. And not just them, all the victims of child rape (molestation is far too nice a word) who see those who protect the culprits receive such support.

"

The overall message of the article is one that needed to be made, and one that certainly needed to get out there.

And it did. Scaletta's article received hundreds of comments, thousands of Facebook likes and hundreds of retweets. It's a remarkable piece of writing, and it was treated as such.

Best Photography

Now more than ever, journalism is about more than just words. You have to have images, too, and the Penn State scandal has produced some pretty amazing images. 

I'm going to dedicate a couple slides to some of the best.

Best Photos: Post-Firing Riot Planking

After Joe Paterno was fired on the night of Wednesday, Nov. 10, things got a little crazy in Happy Valley. Students started protesting, and their protests turned into rioting.

As you can see here, some took the situation more seriously than others. Of all the things these students could have done to show they were taking the matter at hand seriously, they chose planking.

Best Photos: News Truck Turned over

A lot of students made it clear that they blamed the media for JoePa's firing. They showed as much by knocking over a TV van.

In doing so, they made the entire Penn State student body look like a pack of escaped lunatics.

Best Photos: Joe Paterno Statue

There are rumors (see USA Today) that the Joe Paterno statue outside Beaver Stadium could be removed. If it is, it suffices to say there will be a notable void at Beaver Stadium.

At least one fan will miss it when it's gone. If nothing else, this picture shows that the affection a lot of people still feel for JoePa is very much genuine. He meant a lot of things to a lot of people, and some of them are just having a hard time moving on.

Best Photos: Game Day

I'd say this pretty well sums it all up.

For all the fans who don't want to let go of JoePa, there are just as many who are just plain rattled by everything that's going on. 

Most Captivating Radio Interview: Kim Jones

Because the news broke during the weekend, you didn't really see the Penn State scandal take off until last Monday rolled around. At that point, the scandal took center stage, and everyone had something to say.

But nobody said it quite like Kim Jones, a Penn State alum and sports reporter for the YES Network. She did a radio appearance with Mike Francesca on WFAN, and the ensuing back-and-forth was more than 30 minutes of radio gold.

Jones didn't just rant and rave. She shared her experiences from her days at Penn State, as well as insight she had into Jerry Sandusky's life and place within the university. She revealed some pretty remarkable things, and by the time she was finished, the entire scandal could be seen in a much different light.

If you missed it, listen to it now.

Realest Reaction: Matt Millen

When sports fans think of Matt Millen, they think of a guy who failed miserably trying to run the Detroit Lions from 2001 to 2008. Others might also think of him as a lousy television analyst.

But as a Penn State alum and Joe Paterno protege, Millen has a perspective on the Penn State scandal that few others can bring to the table. It is therefore no surprise that he was heavily featured on SportsCenter the week the scandal broke.

During a lengthy Q&A with Chris McKendry, Millen lasted just a few minutes before his emotions overwhelmed him and he had to start fighting back tears.

"I get mad and it's ... it's pretty disturbing." Millen said, via the USA Today. "It makes you sick to see that this could happen to this level, If in fact that it has happened, then there's a part of me, like I mentioned earlier, viscerally that you just want to go and take care of it yourself which is what I have always done and which is the wrong thing to do.

"This more than a program. This is more than a football legacy. This is about people. And if we can't protect our kids, we as a society are pathetic. And so, that's where I stand on it."

Say what you will about Millen, but this moment was real.

Best TV Interview: Bob Costas

If you somehow missed Bob Costas' interview with Jerry Sandusky on NBC News the other night, please watch it above. When the story of this scandal is written, what Sandusky had to say to Costas is going to take center stage.

For that, you have to give all the credit in the world to Costas. He nailed this interview from start to finish, and he got Sandusky to produce some quotes that are almost too shocking to be true.

For example, none of us will ever forget how Sandusky answered when Costas asked him if he is sexually attracted to young boys.

"Am I sexually attracted to underage boys?" said Sandusky. "Sexually attracted...no I enjoy young people. I love to be around them. I...but no, I'm not sexually attracted to young boys."

It was a simple yes or no question, and it took Sandusky a long time to answer it.

Best Reaction to Best TV Interview: LaVar Arrington

Penn State is known as "Linebacker U," and it's largely thanks to Jerry Sandusky that that reputation exists.

One of the best linebackers to play under Sandusky is LaVar Arrington, who terrorized Penn State opponents during Sandusky's final years with the program in the late 1990s.

When Arrington heard what his former coach had to say to Bob Costas, he was pretty pissed that Sandusky didn't go out of his way to express his regret.

Arrington didn't mind venting a little during a Wednesday podcast.

"You know what I’m pissed off about?" said Arrington. "He didn’t say he was sorry to those kids. He didn’t say he was sorry to the kids at Penn State. He didn’t say he was sorry to the players; he didn’t say was sorry to me, [to] us.”

Arrington continued: "[Say] I’m sorry that I affected these kids lives, and even if you’re saying that you didn’t do it, say I’m sorry that I affected your lives. Something I did affected or impacted your life, and I’m sorry for that.”

Amen.

Worst Interview: Armen Keteyian

When it was revealed that CBS was going to do an apparently exclusive interview with banished assistant coach Mike McQueary, we all immediately parked ourselves on the edge of our seats.

As it turned out, Armen Keteyian's interview with McQueary lasted less than 30 seconds, and it provided absolutely nothing worth talking about, much less airing.

For some reason, Keteyian took to Twitter to defend his work, saying:

"

I didn't "hype" anything, exclusive or otherwise. Honest about what we got - a glimpse into his "shaken" emotions. What? We don't run it?

"

If I may be so bold as to answer this question, the answer is no, Armen, you don't run it. In fact, if all you wanted to ask him about was his emotions, you should have stayed home.

Make no mistake, Armen; we don't need to be told by the man himself that he is an emotional wreck. The only thing your interview did was provide us with the "snow globe" simile.

Most Amazing SportsCenter Ever

Generally speaking, watching SportsCenter is not a profound experience. Outside of highlights, the show doesn't bring much to the table anymore.

But immediately after JoePa was fired last Wednesday, SportsCenter was there to talk about it. Stuart Scott and Steve Levy were put on the spot, and they proceeded to facilitate hours of coverage that touched on just about every single angle of JoePa's firing immediately.

I remember thinking that they nailed it.

And according to Scott, it was all unscripted.

"memorable Sportscenter nite.3-1/2 hours..no scripts on the fly..challengin but fun,"  he tweeted.

You can hate ESPN all you want, but you can't hate on that.

Not Quite as Amazing Live Coverage

As awesome as SportsCenter was, the live coverage aspect of ESPN's handling of JoePa's firing left a lot to be desired. The worldwide leader did not have anybody there to cover the Board of Trustees' announcement, nor did they have enough people to cover the madness that ensued afterwards.

Norby Williamson, ESPN's executive vice president for production, admitted as much in a podcast last Thursday.

“We were a little remiss of our live coverage, on the ground,” said Williamson, via MobileSportsReport.com.

The problem, according to Williamson, was one of positioning. They had cameras and people (including Tom Rinaldi) in place, but not in the right place, as it were.

“We were a little late with that,” Williamson says, referring to the live coverage. “That [the live coverage] is the one thing I’d like a do-over on.”

Hey, even the worldwide leader isn't perfect.

Most Reassuring Interview: ESPN

However...you do have to give ESPN credit for getting their stuff together and scoring one of the best interviews to come out of the riots.

While most of the other students were championing JoePa's cause, this one student was saying that the right thing was done. Moreover, he bravely said that JoePa should have done more, and that he was embarrassed for the university.

This student also said that he represented the minority in Happy Valley, and that became abundantly clear when students around him started sounding off.

But hey, at least the rest of the country knew there was at least one sane person in State College. Hats off to ESPN for finding him.

Most Despicable Press Conference Ambush: ?

The press conference in which the Penn State Board of Trustees announced Joe Paterno's firing would have been a shocking event even if nobody had been in the room.

As it was, plenty of media members were in the room, and some of them weren't happy about JoePa's firing. They took their anger out on board member John Surma, who had the misfortune of announcing the news.

You can hear some of the questions Surma had to deal with in the above video (sorry about the quality), and you'll notice (or remember) they weren't delivered in a calm, professional manner.

I have no idea who was asking these questions, nor am I 100 percent certain they are professional journalists. If they are, they should be ashamed.

Most Outlandish Rumor: Mark Madden on WEEI

Once the media caught wind of the fact that Madden had written about Sandusky months before the grand jury report came out, his voice was in high demand.

One of the appearances Madden made was on WEEI's The Dennis and Callahan Show. While doing the show, Madden dropped an atom bomb of a rumor about Sandusky and his Second Mile charity.

As transcribed by NESN.com: 

"

I can give you a rumor and I can give you something I think might happen. I hear there's a rumor that there will be a more shocking development from the Second Mile Foundation -- and hold on to your stomachs, boys, this is gross, I will use the only language I can -- that Jerry Sandusky and Second Mile were pimping out young boys to rich donors. That was being investigated by two prominent columnists even as I speak.

"

To my knowledge, this rumor hasn't become fact quite yet. But if it is revealed that Second Mile was indeed "pimping out" children, would you honestly be surprised?

Most Idiotic News Scoop: TMZ

A couple of days ago, TMZ shocked internet-goers when they published a photo of Jerry Sandusky eating donuts at an airport.

The photo was supposedly taken at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, and it was billed as the "first photo of the disgraced former assistant coach."

There's just one problem: The man in the picture is not Jerry Sandusky. It's just some random guy eating donuts.

The TMZ article has since been deleted.

Thanks for nothing, TMZ.

Thanks to Deadspin for getting all of this down before TMZ could delete it.

Best Fresh Voice: Ben Jones

Not too long ago, Ben Jones was merely a humble Penn State reporter, contributing to humble outlets like StateCollege.com.

When this story broke, Jones turned into something else entirely: an invaluable source.

If you're not following Jones on Twitter, please do so. That's where, for lack of a better expression, he earned his fame. There were plenty of media pundits talking about the mess in State College, but you might say Jones was embedded in the mess in State College.

If you wanted breaking news, Jones would provide it. If you wanted a unique look at the Happy Valley scene in general, Jones would provide it. 

He's still providing these things.

Best Home for Jerry Sandusky News: PennLive.com

The slides leading up to this point have represented just a tiny taste of the media's handling of the Penn State scandal. There are plenty of examples that could have made the cut, and perhaps should have made the cut. If you have any suggestions, please sound off below in the comments section.

For now, I'd like to leave you with a suggestion as to where to go for more Sandusky coverage.

I've already given out two very specific shoutouts to The Patriot-News, but the entire PennLive.com family has been a great resource for all things Jerry Sandusky and Penn State.

PennLive.com even has a dedicated page for Sanduksy scandal news. If you want to stay up to date on all the latest developments, that's a good place to go.