PEJ: Penn State sexual abuse biggest sports scandal story since 2007

Project for Excellence in Journalism | Yahoo News | HitFix
The heaviest coverage was on TV, in part due to the protests that followed Joe Paterno’s firing. But Penn State wasn’t the biggest story last week — that would be the Herman Cain sexual harassment allegations. Dylan Stableford reports that Bob Costas received “swift, loud and overwhelmingly positive” assessments for his Monday night interview with Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State assistant coach charged with sexual abuse against children. Costas “had all the facts at his command, was ready with the right follow-up questions, and just kept giving Sandusky rope that the alleged pedophile seemed happy to hang himself with,” writes Alan Sepinwall. In an interview with The New York Times, Costas says he had prepared to interview Sandusky’s attorney, but he suddenly offered Sandusky instead. || Earlier: Young Harrisburg reporter has led reporting on sexual abuse story || Related: Memo to headline writers: Child sex abuse is not a ‘sex scandal’