As if we needed another reason to love Charles Robinson...

http://thebiglead.com/index.php/2011/11/09/espn-tried-to-beef-up-its-investigative-team-by-attempting-to-hire-charles-robinson/

He turned down ESPN.

Kudos to the WWL for making the attempt.

 

They were just trying to keep Yahoo from breaking stories that made partners look bad. This was the only recourse.

 

I'm probably in the minority here, but I don't see how this is a good career decision. ESPN had to have offered more money, and offered TV and resources that would have only helped Robinson break more stories (even if he had to stay away from some programs).

No offense to Yahoo - they do a lot of really great stuff and I have friends who are very happy there - but they'll always be No. 2 (or lower) when it comes to exposure. You don't turn down ESPN to stay at Yahoo. Ask Jason King.

 

You do if you want to maintain a shred of journalistic integrity and not allow yourself to be run off meaty stories about your company's many "partners."

What good is money to a guy like Robinson when he knew he'd have to compromise his principles to go work for the Four Letter? I bet he's making pretty good coin at Yahoo, TV or no TV.

 

Yahoo Sports generally beats ESPN.com in terms of unique users, though I see ESPN won the battle in September. I don't know why you would say any of what you said here. Pat Forde just left ESPN for Yahoo, and I'm sure Robinson isn't the only Yahoo writer to get an offer from the Worldwide Leader in Sports. Yahoo's staff is fiercely loyal, from all I've read. And Robinson may have felt he would fall to the background if he joined ESPN. Or that he wouldn't receive the kind of encouragement he gets at Yahoo to spend 11 months on a major project.

Or maybe it was simply that Robinson likes the way his mugshot looks at Yahoo. I'm sure he had his reason.

 

Yeah, that mugshot doesn't closely resemble the Robinson I saw a couple years ago... But people change...

I think it's a great move. I'm guessing the politics at Yahoo are nothing compared to what they are at ESPN. He probably can do just about anything he wants at Yahoo and at ESPN there are countless egos and countless people who could or might put restrictions on what he could do.

 

Glad that just like all the coaches, athletic directors and media personalities he helps protect by aiding them in maintaining their cartel, he can profit, too, thanks to a bunch of teenagers.

 

This occurred to me as well. I could totally see ESPN hiring Robinson and then not necessarily sitting on him, but possibly not letting him do the things that he's been able to do at Yahoo.

 

What was the last big investigative scandal that ESPN broke?

I'm not saying it hasn't happened, I'm legitimately asking. I can't think of a recent one.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=5251940

That was very well done, I thought. Most of their best work has been on professional and international sports.

There was this, too: http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/6837424/baseball-toronto-blue-jays-suspicion-again-stealing-signs-rogers-centre

 

Are you referring to Robinson? Because if you are, you're about as far off base as you could possibly be.

Lots of sycophants/enablers in the media. Robinson = not one of them.