Report: ESPN forbids discussion of Chinese politics and Hong Kong in Houston Rockets GM story

Deadspin

An ESPN memo sent Monday and obtained by Deadspin discouraged any specific discussion on why there are protests in Hong Kong -- why Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted in support of Hong Kong protesters. When viewers watched ESPN on Monday, "what you didn’t hear was much discussion about what is actually happening on the ground with protestors in Hong Kong, why they’re protesting, or any other acknowledgment of China’s political situation, past or present," says Deadspin's Laura Wagner. "This could be because Chuck Salituro, the senior news director of ESPN, sent a memo to shows mandating that any discussion of the Daryl Morey story avoid any political discussions about China and Hong Kong, and instead focus on the related basketball issues. The memo, obtained by Deadspin, explicitly discouraged any political discussion about China and Hong Kong." The memo is in line with ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro's mission to avoid mixing sports and politics. On Around the Horn, panelist Kevin Blackinstone did, however, find a way to delve into Chinese politics. “I don’t think it was a mistake for Daryl Morey to express his sympathy for a movement against authoritarianism being implemented into Hong Kong," he said. "A struggle that has been going on now for four months, that reportedly has injured 1,100 people, reportedly now has live gunfire in the streets, which has injured a couple of people, which reportedly has left a journalist covering all this blind. This is a very serious situation.”