The Penn State scandal is all over the news. There are a ton of different viewpoints flying around and even more allegations and accusations being cast. Many of these are warranted but highly exaggerated.

There are many things wrong with this news coverage. First and foremost: the way certain media outlets turned Joe Paterno, the former head football coach who was fired in his 46^th season, into the criminal and lost focus on the issue of sexual abuse  and child molestation, the real problems at hand.

Major news outlets like NBC Sports and The Huffington Post were quick to blame the legendary coach. Guests on ESPN showed their disapproval of Paterno’s alleged role in the case. Instead of focusing on the heinous crimes, the media turned its attention to whom to blame, and Paterno became the scapegoat.

People are just too quick to believe the worst.

Before getting accurate information, people jumped to extreme conclusions and called for action that didn’t need to be taken. Claims were made that Paterno had known about this sexual abuse and chose to ignore it. It shocks me that people would believe this without any authority behind the allegations.

According to a CBS article, assistant coach Mike McQueary witnessed an act and told Paterno. The famed coach then set up a meeting with Tim Curley, Penn State’s athletic director. The report was also shared with the campus police. The grand jury report never said anything about Paterno having knowledge of the crimes and refusing to contact the authorities, according to Mike Francesa on a Yes Network newscast. Some of the media conjured those libelous accusations.

Another unreasonable aspect of this case is the media’s judgment of Penn State students, faculty, alumni and fans. Those not even remotely associated with the Penn State community, such as ABC newscasters and ‘Saturday Night Live’ comedians, made comments insinuating or bluntly claiming it is ridiculous that people are upset about what happened.

Ultimately, this ordeal has soiled Paterno’s legacy. After 45 complete seasons, the Board of Trustees fired Paterno via phone after admitting that not all the facts were present, according to ABC News. Meanwhile, Curley took leave and McQueary kept his position. This is not about football. This should not even be about Paterno. But when discussing the Penn State scandal, it seems he is all that anyone talks about.

Paterno should not be portrayed this way. Penn State should not be portrayed this way. And the real victims should not be reduced to a minor story, if they’re even mentioned at all.

Jessica Wiggs is a sophomore English and textual studies major. Her column appears every Monday, and she can be reached at jawiggs@syr.edu. 

Published on November 13, 2011 at 12:00 pm