ESPN’s Clippers coverage reportedly caused frustration inside network

ESPN’s reporting on the Clippers apparently didn’t just create questions outside the company.

According to ClutchPoints⁠, citing a report from Status, some ESPN employees were frustrated by the network’s handling of the Clippers’ salary-cap investigation. One reportedly described the situation as a “disaster,” while questions were raised internally about ESPN’s editorial priorities.

Now, a word of caution: This is unnamed ESPN employees being relayed through another outlet’s report. So take it for what it is, not necessarily the official temperature of an entire newsroom.

Still, it isn’t difficult to understand why the story became uncomfortable.

ESPN reported Aug. 17 that the NBA had found “no evidence” Clippers owner Steve Ballmer funneled money to Kawhi Leonard through team sponsors. The league immediately disputed the story, saying it contained “numerous and significant inaccuracies.”

Two weeks later, the Clippers lost five first-round picks, were fined $30 million and watched Ballmer receive a one-year suspension.

Investigative reporter Don Van Natta Jr. has since defended ESPN’s coverage⁠, saying the story accurately reflected the state and direction of the investigation when it was published. He also insisted ESPN was not attempting to rebut the earlier work of Pablo Torre.

That may all be true. But journalism isn’t graded solely on whether every individual sentence can survive inspection. Framing matters. Headlines matter. What readers reasonably understand a story to mean matters.

If readers see “no evidence” and then see five draft picks disappear two weeks later, they’re going to have questions. Apparently, at least a few people inside ESPN did, too.