Dave Zirin: Why Did NBC Air a Deadpan Interview With a Convicted Rapist?

Dave Zirin: Why Did NBC Air a Deadpan Interview With a Convicted Rapist?

Dave Zirin: Why Did NBC Air a Deadpan Interview With a Convicted Rapist?

Today gave airtime to former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky—which, for his victims, only twists the knife further.

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

Touting it as an “exclusive” segment, the Today show aired snippets from an interview of convicted child abuser and former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky. As Nation sportswriter Dave Zirin argues on Viewpoint, NBC’s move throws fire on those hurt most by the Sandusky scandal. “Whatever the opposite of credible is,” he says, “I wish I could use a word that would express the acidic nature of what NBC did to its own reputation by airing this interview.”

James Cersonsky

What’s so funny about Steubenville? Read Jessica Valenti’s take.

Your support makes stories like this possible

From Minneapolis to Venezuela, from Gaza to Washington, DC, this is a time of staggering chaos, cruelty, and violence. 

Unlike other publications that parrot the views of authoritarians, billionaires, and corporations, The Nation publishes stories that hold the powerful to account and center the communities too often denied a voice in the national media—stories like the one you’ve just read.

Each day, our journalism cuts through lies and distortions, contextualizes the developments reshaping politics around the globe, and advances progressive ideas that oxygenate our movements and instigate change in the halls of power. 

This independent journalism is only possible with the support of our readers. If you want to see more urgent coverage like this, please donate to The Nation today.

Ad Policy
x