Central Michigan University Journalism Discussion and Response

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner — one of the best women’s basketball players ever — has been detained in Russia on drug charges. 

Here is the New York Times report:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/05/sports/basketball/russia-brittney-griner.html (Links to an external site.)

There are plenty of caveats here. First, we don’t know exactly where Griner is being held. Second, we don’t even know if she had the drug paraphernalia in her luggage. There was immediately speculation that the vaping cartridges may have been planted:

https://twitter.com/juliaioffe/status/1500149894132256775 (Links to an external site.)

Third: We don’t even know when this occurred. The news reports emerged days or even weeks after her detention.

There is reason to fear for Griner’s welfare. The potential  prison term is long, and Russian leader Vladimir Putin is notoriously ruthless. It is possible that Griner could be used as a political pawn. And the Russia government under Putin has not been friendly to the LGBTQ community (or to women, for that matter). 

Griner’s high profile is a double-edged sword. She is prominent enough that elected officials in America will press for her release, but there’s a downside to her fame, and that brings us to this Discussion assignment.

I posted on Twitter that the media should stay on this story, for fear of Griner’s plight getting lost in war coverage. And, let’s face it, an Olympian’s detention would be a far bigger deal if Michael Phelps or Nathan Chen was being held. 

Here is a recent column arguing the same: 

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/03/why-isnt-brittney-griner-the-biggest-sports-story.html?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=s1&utm_campaign=nym&fbclid=IwAR134xfKxfYaNqe3a9RZCJTFJh-4XtjOnF1rGxKx8GAiHuykTMm4K0TiXbs (Links to an external site.)

But then a colleague reached out to me privately and expressed concern that media coverage would actually undermine Griner’s case, because Putin would thrive on it. She said people within women’s basketball are “freaking out about the media frenzy, and worried it’s going to make it harder to get her home.”

 Brittney Griner’s situation should be cut and dry. She was found with a “hashish oil” (Leitch, 2022, p. 3.) Which is of course, legal here in the United States. It’s a case where she should have just been denied entry or fined. Admittedly, I am not an international law expert. However, her situation seems to come at an inconvenient time.            With the situation between Russia and Ukraine, relations with Russia are currently unstable and possibly volatile. It is in my opinion, that Russian authorities acting under Putin planted this oil in Griner’s possession. I believe planting “narcotics” on an Olympian was a red herring to distract the U.S from the invasion of Ukraine. Something to take our attention away from Putin’s war crimes.            Having said that, I feel the press’ primary objective should be to keep the focus on Putin’s invasion, while keep reporting on Griner’s situation light. By this I mean, keep the invasion as a focal point while still updating the people on Griner’s situation. CNN has reported that the administration is aware of the situation. “But the Biden administration is working on trying to get Griner out of Russia, members of the Congressional Black Caucus said after meeting with President Joe Biden on Monday” (Sterling, Yan, Tucker, 2022, p.13.)            So, we do know the Biden administration is actively trying to get Griner free. There are discussions taking place. I agree with the professor’s statement though, if this was a male NBA player, there would be more coverage. Ultimately, we should, “seek truth and report it” while “minimizing harm.” Seek the truth for Griner and Ukraine, while minimizing harm by keeping that focal point on Ukraine.Work CitedLeitch, Will. “Why Isn’t Brittney Griner the Biggest Sports Story in the Country?” Intelligencer, Intelligencer, 8 Mar. 2022, https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/03/why-isnt-brittney-griner-the-biggest-sports-story.html?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=s1&utm_campaign=nym&fbclid=IwAR134xfKxfYaNqe3a9RZCJTFJh-4XtjOnF1rGxKx8GAiHuykTMm4K0TiXbs.Society of Professional Journalists. “SPJ Code of Ethics.” Seek Truth and Report It/Minimize Harm, https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp.Sterling, Wayne, et al. “It’ll Be ‘Very Difficult’ to Get Detained U.S Basketball Star Brittney Griner out of Russia.” CNN, Cable News Network, 7 Mar. 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/07/world/brittney-griner-basketball-russia-detention/index.html.