Stand up for Cleveland and Basic Standards of Journalistic Integrity

Demand that ESPN retract Rob Parker\'s Anti-Cleveland article from ESPNnewyork.com

Rob Parker published an article on ESPNnewyork.com this afternoon titled "Fans Making Major Mistakes by the Lake" http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/columns/story?columnist=parker_rob&id=5819351, that takes an unfair swipe at the city of Cleveland, based on a premise that's clearly unsubstantiated if not completely false -- that a Browns fan "tackled" or otherwise "attacked" an 8 year-old Jets fan after Cleveland's loss to the Jets on Sunday.  Among other allegations, Parker states: "You hate to paint an entire city with a broad brush. But in this case, you just have to. This might be the meanest, dirtiest thing to happen in sports." 

Several news outlets have picked up this story, and reported it around the country, but as has been shown convincingly on the Cleveland Frowns website and elsewhere, Parker's report is clearly unsubstantiated.  The only known eye-witnesses to the incident have reported that the alleged attacker did not "tackle" an 8 year old Jets fan, but drunkenly stumbled and fell, bumping into the child on his way to crashing to the ground face first. Of course it's sad that this happened to the boy, but this incident simply doesn't give Parker or ESPN the right to take the shots that he did. Parker's story doesn't contain a single interview with a witness, nor even suggest that the boy's injuries might have resulted from an accident.  Instead, he says, "Cleveland fans, you should be ashamed of yourselves. Very ashamed." 

But it's clear enough that it's Parker and ESPN who should be ashamed here, at least if they don't pull down this piece or otherwise issue a retraction.  To help convince them that this is the case, make sure to SIGN THIS PETITION by entering your name below, send this link to your friends to spread the word, and then click on the link below to file an official complaint with ESPN.  It takes less than a minute, and if enough fans send a complaint, we can defend Cleveland.

First, click here: https://r.espn.go.com/members/contact/index

Second, input your first name, your email address, and your zip code.

Third, scroll the fields to state that you have a "Complaint" / Category - "General Website" / Item "Article."  

Fourth: Enter the subject and message.  For ease, you can either paste in the following, or write your own.  

Subject: RETRACT Rob Parker's article "Fans Making Major Mistakes by the Lake"

Message:  As shown convincingly by credible eyewitness accounts published at outlets such as ClevelandFrowns.com, Rob Parker's article "Fans Making Major Mistakes by the Lake" is based upon a factual premise that is at best unsubstantiated, and worse, patently false.  This article should be immediately be removed from ESPN's website, and that ESPN issue a statement notifying the public that the article is false.

Fifth: Click send it in.

Thanks for your help.