Longtime reporter criticized over Caitlin Clark question

Long-time sports reporter Christine Brennan was criticized by some of her own colleagues for a viral question about it Caitlin Clark.

The day after Game 1 of the WNBA playoff series between the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun, Brennan asked Sun Guard DiJonai Carrington when she deliberately poked Clark's eyes. Although Carrington denied this, Brennan followed up on the question, pointing to a moment in the fourth quarter where Carrington and a teammate were seen laughing at something. When Brennan asked if the two were laughing about Carrington stabbing Clark in the eye, Carrington confusedly reminded her that it wasn't an intentional punch. Additionally, Carrington said she didn't even realize she hit Clark.

Brennan was heavily criticized for the manner of the questioning. The Women's National Basketball Players Association even accused her of trying to “lure” Carrington into saying something controversial.

On Monday, Brennan appeared on CNN and expressed no regrets about her question. In her eyes, she was simply doing her job.

According to a Wednesday report from The Washington Postthe response from others in her field was mixed. Some agree that Brennan did what she was supposed to do as a journalist; but others felt her questioning was bad for the league.

As noted in the report, Brennan is currently writing a book about Clark and her impact on women's athletics. Because of this, there is a narrative that their WNBA coverage focuses almost exclusively on Clark and no one else.

“Their reporting goes far beyond the norm,” former said The athlete editor Gregory Lee Jr. told The post. “The way she reports on Caitlin Clark, you wonder, 'Is she Caitlin Clark's PR agent?'”

Lee added that Brennan asked him for an interview for the book. He refused.

Terri Carmichael Jacksonthe manager, did not reject the other. She called it “exhausting.”

“I said this season wasn’t a flip of the switch,” Jackson said. “We had the Covid bubble season and other periods. I've been here nine years and I said, “You're doing history a disservice.” [by focusing only on Caitlin].'”

In response to this criticism, Brennan said The post that as a journalist she should “report on the big story”.

“I’ve probably written over 100 columns about golf over the years Tiger Woods” she said, “ignoring almost all the other golfers.”

Brennan also defended her questions to Carrington, saying she was giving the 26-year-old “a chance to address the issue that was already on Twitter.”

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