Roles and responsibilities of sports media

The Sports Omnivore returns after a two-week break to dig into the role of sports journalism in the modern age. A series of recent events has host Matt Gajtka pondering the responsibilities of sports media, whether there is crossover into so-called "hard news" or the topic remains solely in the athletic realm. Among other things, Matt looks at the slow-to-develop coverage of the high school football rape controversy in Steubenville, Ohio, and how the team's elevated position in the town factored in. After that, Gajtka wonders what, if any, acknowledgement is appropriate in sports media when a tragedy such as the one in Newtown, Conn., occurs. He also analyzes the rift forming between popular Pittsburgh media personalities and more detached analysts when it comes to the Pirates.