Penn State Scandal: Why the Media Got the Story Wrong

Shock.  Disbelief.  Anger.  Sadness. 

These are the range of emotions felt from the disturbing developments involving former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky and the allegations that he sexually abused several young boys during and after his coaching tenure in Happy Valley.

Last week, the controversy reached a tipping point with the firing of Nittany Lions head coach Joe Paterno, who at 84 years old leaves as the winningest coach in major college football history. 

In a calendar year filled with more headlines for off-the-field issues in sports, this scandal is the most heinous thing I have ever seen as a fan or a media member in my lifetime. 

From a historical perspective, there are only a few events that I can compare this to in terms of impact: The death of Len Bias, the OJ Simpson “trial of the century” and Magic Johnson’s HIV announcement come to mind.    

Much like the stories mentioned above, the media was entrusted with the duty to explain to the public the facts of the story. 

Like the leaders at Penn State who seemingly turned their heads, the media failed in its responsibility to cover the plight of the victims of Sandusky’s despicable actions. 

My biggest problem with this story is that that it has become about Paterno, instead of the innocent victims of such deplorable acts by a man who was enabled by people in a leadership position.

While the throngs of media members who descended on this college town in the middle of Pennsylvania to cover this story, many of them lost perspective on one important fact: their duty to spread the message to help prevent something like this occurring in the future.   

One in every six boys is abused before the age of 16, and one in every four girls will be abused before they turn 14, according to a 1998 Boston University Medical School study on child sexual abuse. 

Now that this story has become a national headline, raising awareness for children everywhere who may be going through the same things should be a priority for those wishing to add some perspective on it. 

There is no denying Paterno’s exit casts a dark shadow over a legacy that was considered bullet-proof, and eventually that story should get its just due. 

Paterno and the higher-ups at Penn State got to live their lives, and their choices were what ultimately put them in their current positions. 

These children had no voice, and no choice but to endure the hell caused by the events that have transpired. 

The media had a voice, but in another sad twist to the saddest of stories, they chose not to use it.